Driving A New Truck

I received a phone call from somebody at our local Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealer telling me that the new Laramie pickup truck that I had ordered in June and was assured would be delivered between late July and the end of August last summer, had just arrived on the lot. He asked when I wanted to come in and take delivery of my new truck.

I told him it was too late, I got tired of waiting and empty promises and I bought a new Laramie at a dealer in Palatka a month ago. He said there was no problem, they would be happy to take it in on trade on my new truck. I asked him why in the world I would trade in a truck I had only owned for a month for the same model of truck with fewer bells and whistles than the one I now have. His response was, “Wouldn’t you like to be driving a new truck instead of a used one?”

At first, I thought he was joking and replied that I do have a new truck. He said, “No, you don’t, it’s a month old. Your new truck is here on our lot.” Well, hell, that makes a lot of sense. I’ll run right down and make a deal with you! And a month from now, it will be a used truck, too.

In reality, even though the wait was frustrating, I’m glad things worked out the way they did. The truck that we purchased has some things I didn’t think I would like, including an air leveling system and a V-8 Hemi engine instead of the V-6 that I ordered. But it still gets better mileage than our old Ford Explorer did, and for old farts like us, being able to lower the truck a couple of inches with the air system to get in and out is really nice.

And we’ve done a couple of things to it, including having it undercoated and installing a trifold tonneau cover. We are dropping it off today to have it ceramic coated, which will protect the finish for a long time. Terry and I had joked about trading her Chrysler Pacifica minivan in on another Laramie since we like this one so much. If we were going to do anything like that, we would probably get a Ford Expedition. Our daughter Tiffany insists that that is what her mom should be driving, and Terry likes them, but I doubt we will be doing something like that anytime soon. Then again, there was a time when we both swore we were never going to get married again, and look at us now, 24 years later, having a wonderful time growing old together. I guess you never know!

On another note, we ordered our free Covid test kits on January 18, and yesterday morning I received two e-mails, one saying they would arrive on Tuesday and one saying they were out for delivery. They arrived a couple of hours later. If you have not received yours yet, be patient, they are coming.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. This sounds like a place to get a good deal. Or else to get robbed. How desperate are you for a bargain?

Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an audiobook of Big Lake Blizzard, the fourth book in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) 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 this evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with U.S. addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – My friend asked where he could meet women that scream in bed. I took him to the maternity ward.