On The Go

Terry finally finished stuffing all of the envelopes with the new issue of the Gypsy Journal and told me she needed a day out, so we spent yesterday on the go. Well, after a delayed start, we did.

With the back of the Explorer packed with bins of envelopes, the first order of business was to drop them at the Show Low post office. But when I turned the key on the Explorer, all I got was a clicking noise. Now, I’m no mechanic, but even I knew that wasn’t right. I called my daughter and she and a friend came over and gave me a jump and the motor turned right over. I let it run for a couple of minutes and then tried it again and it started right up. Hmmm….

After stopping at the post office to get the last of the papers in the mail, I stopped at a local auto parts shop and a young man there tested the battery and said it was dead, but wouldn’t let me look at the test meter and quickly turned it off when I asked to see the reading. He also quoted me what seemed a very high price for a replacement battery with a two year warranty. I like to support the small business whenever I can, but I just didn’t have a lot of confidence in this guy.

We had to pick up a few things at WalMart, so while Terry started the shopping I had their auto service department check the battery. The tech tested it once and it came back as good, but when I told him it had been dead before I had it jumped he had me turn it on and back off, then tested it again and it came back bad. That confused both of us, so he called his boss over to check it out, and the third test showed it was good. The guys at WalMart said that with a good charge it would probably be okay, but I don’t like my vehicles not to work when I need them to, so I had them replace it with a new one with a five year warranty. Back home I checked my records and discovered that I bought the old battery almost exactly four years ago, and it had a four year warranty. Go figure.

We also made a stop at Lowes to look at a couple of things and then went to Tiffany’s house to see granddaughters Hailey and Destiny, who had been at their dad’s house since we arrived here in Show Low. It’s amazing how much they have grown since we saw them last year! And there’s nothing that beats lots of love and kisses from the little ones, even if they’re not so little any more.

It was about 7 p.m. when we left Tiffany’s and we were both beyond hungry so we had dinner at Licano’s, a Mexican restaurant and steakhouse that is one of the better eateries in this area. And that’s not saying much, because the dining options locally are not all that great. We’ve eaten at Licano’s before when we’ve been here and it was okay, but Terry and I agreed that we probably don’t need to go back again. The food was mediocre at best and not nearly worth what the bill came to.

Back at home I spent the rest of the evening moving files from my iMac to the new Dell, using a 64 GB jump drive I picked up while we were at WalMart. I hope to get the rest of them moved over today. We also found our Microsoft Office program and I installed it on the new computer. I think the iMac knows its days are numbered, because it’s running slower and locking up more and more.

While I was doing that, Terry was busy going through closets and dresser drawers, sorting clothes that we no longer wear, and by the time she was done she had four big black trash bags full to take to a local charity, and we had a lot more room!

And that’s about it for our busy day on the go and at home. We’ve got a cold front coming through and it was down to 34 last night. The highs for the next couple of days are only going to be in the 50s and the weatherman said there is a possibility of snow on Friday. I highly disapprove!

It’s Thursday, so it’s time to kick off a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Crazy Days In Big Lake, the third book in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.

Thought For The Day – Given the capacity to be stupid, most people will be.

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