Gratitudinous Thoughts

Nothing like a nasty head cold to make one appreciate how good he felt before, and how good he hopes to feel again -- real soon, he hopes.

 

More than a dozen years ago I bought a specially-designed tandem bike, so I could take my young autistic son on long rides. He was less than thrilled, and shortly after developed hip issues that made it impossible for him to ride it. His twin sister rode a couple times, with minimal interest, and my wife has never been a bicyclist. I'm not a hard-core cyclist anyway, so it mostly sat for the past ten years, despite my efforts to sell it. Today I sold it, to a guy who knows and regularly rides bikes but, more importantly, has an 11-year-old down syndrome son-in-law who currently rides beside they buyer on an adaptive tricycle -- which limits the range of their trips together. I am so thrilled that the bike finally has found a good home. Perhaps the perfect home.

Of course, now I have to find something else to hang my clothes on in my workout room.

 

Just got an email from the buyer, with photos, who says his SIL likes the bike so well he refuses to get off.

 

I'm glad your bike went to a good home!

I had a bit of a ... 'car incident' yesterday. (Don't worry, it wasn't serious). I put the key in the ignition, turned it ... and nothing happened. Eek? I couldn't think what was going on. But I'm insured, and the insurance has road-side assistance (it's part of what I pay for), so I called them to arrange someone to help me.

He arrived and did his thing, and it turned out that the little light between the front seats and the back seats was on. (Whoops!) So, he advised me to drive the car for about 40 minutes to get the engine going again.

While driving, I figured out how this happened. Last week, I got a letter from my car insurance to advise that my insurance was due again -- but... the price had gone up quite severely (from $840/year to $970/year). So I got my butt in gear, sat down for an hour or two, compared prices, and found a good deal. Then, to figure out how much I was driving, I got into the car, took out my mechanic's book, and figured out roughly how many kilometres (or miles for USians) I was driving every year. So, I must have put the light on and forgot to turn it off. Whoops!

But never mind; all's well that ends well. So, I'm grateful that my car is still running -- and that I got a good deal on my insurance.

(And yes, I know some people -- especially millennials -- will say "Ah, insurance is for suckers, and I'll never use it", etc. etc. But my reply is: I got car insurance for about $600/year, which isn't much, especially since I'm working. In return, I get the peace of mind of knowing that if I'm in an accident, or if I do something boneheaded like leave the lights on (whoops! ), then I'm covered. Yay!

So, to all the people without car insurance: if you ever get into an accident, I hope you like having to pay a hell of a lot more to get both cars fixed).

 

Well, in Canada, that would be against the law, so I don't think you find may people choosing that option.

That insurance companies gouge seems to be one of life's truths. I was paying $775 a year for my 2010 GMC Terrain. Got a brand new car in January, a Honda CRV Hybrid. My car insurance shot up to $2000/year.

 

Here in Victoria, you're not allowed to drive without at least having CTP (Compulsory Third Party) insurance. Obviously, the car also needs to be registered with VicRoads (the Victorian equivalent of the American DMV).

Having said that, there are definitely unregistered and/or uninsured people out there. A few years ago, one of them hit me, and it turned out he didn't have insurance. I took photos of the damage, we swapped info, and we both went on our way. (Neither car was badly damaged).

However, I ended up having to chase him for months -- and get the police involved -- before he would pay. It was a colossal PITA.

 

Grateful to be alive, that I spent four beautiful days in a scenic (and quiet) retreat last week (and that the severe weather went over and around us), and for the nice beautiful weather that appears to be settling in this weekend.

 

Grateful to be competent, coherent, and continent.

 

The smell of fresh-cut lilacs, watching my wife delicately arranging them, the dew sparkling in the early morning grass. All days are a gift, but some shine brighter than others.

 

The warmth and colours of spring.

Pear, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream.

The ability to still learn new things.

 

In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the Spring.
Ah! the sight and the smell of the Spring in Nan-tasarion!
And I said that was good.

 

The approaching sunset over Lake Michigan from our room in Door County; a wonderful summer day with the very real possibility of watching a thunderstorm over the Lake; a pleasant drive up here.

 

Quiet in the house, which I rarely get to myself anymore.

 

Ow. I've had a runny nose, intermittent coughing, and severe throat-ache that wouldn't stop for the past three days. (It wouldn't stop even when I took pain relief tablets / medicated lozenges, etc.) Even worse, every night, I haven't been able to sleep for more than a few hours.

So, I went to see my GP, who confirmed that since I don't have a fever or temperature, it's nothing worse than rhinovirus (a virus that affects the nose). It's a little worse than a cold, but not as bad as the flu. (Thank gawd for that). It could become the flu, so he gave me a course of tablets to take.

I'm just grateful that I don't have the flu. I had the flu vaccine 2-3 weeks ago, so if this becomes a flu (gawd forbid), at least it won't be as severe as it would be without the vaccine. So, yay for vaccines! *cough, cough, cough* Ow ...