It’s About Time

I believe that Terry and I are finally starting to recover from the colds that laid us low for over a week. It’s certainly about time, because feeling sick and miserable while trying to get unpacked and settled into our new home has been no fun at all. We still have some congestion and do some coughing, but nothing like it has been.

Friday, we drove a few miles south to Carrollton, the County Seat of Pickens County, to switch our vehicle registrations from Florida to Alabama. There was almost no wait to get served, and the two ladies at the office that handle that sort of thing were both very friendly and helpful. I was pleased that I was able to get the same personalized Alabama license plate as I had from Florida for the Mustang. The lady doing the paperwork said it will be mailed to me in about four weeks.

We were both wearing masks because even though we’re fairly sure we’re not contagious at this point, we didn’t want to take any chances. While we were there Terry started coughing, so she excused herself and went outside, and one of the workers quickly got a bottle of water and gave it to me to take to her.

When we were done there, we went right across the hall to the tax office with the deed to our new property and filed our homestead exemption. Dave King, the gentleman that handled that, was also very friendly, welcoming us to Pickens County, and we chatted with him for quite a while. Everything here is slow paced and there is no rush or crowds waiting in line at the government offices.

We were both pleased to know that the property taxes on our nearly eight acres, with the house, barn, and other outbuildings is way less than half of what we pay for our house on a lot in Florida. Our automobile insurance is also less than half of what it was in Florida.

I mentioned that Carrollton is the County Seat, and if that name seems familiar to you, it may be because I wrote a blog titled An Alabama Ghost Story about it a while back.

From Carrollton we drove into Tuscaloosa to do some shopping, but we did not have much luck. Terry wants some counter-high swivel back bar stools for the breakfast bar in our kitchen, but we stopped at half a dozen furniture stores and didn’t find anything to our liking. I was also looking for some ankle high rubber muck boots to wear when it’s muddy here, but everything I found was knee high. At least they were on my dwarf portly frame.

I seem to be striking out with a lot of things I am seeking. I have been looking for a new or gently used side-by-side utility vehicle to get around the trails here and for chores around the property. I really want a Honda Pioneer 700 or 1000, or a Kubota Sidekick, or possibly a Kawasaki Mule, but none of the dealers within a couple of hundred miles have any in stock. I even looked at the Axis models on display at Lowes, but the reviews have not been very impressive. All I seem to be able to find are Polaris models, both new and used, but everyone I have talked to who has owned one has said they had a lot of problems with them. Maybe that’s why there are so many available on the used market.

Yesterday we went into Northport to pick up some things at Walmart and Lowes, and Terry did find a pair of low top muck boots that fit me. Both days, by the time we got back home we were more than ready to call it quits for the evening. Obviously, though we are feeling better, our energy levels still have a way to go.

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. I guess if any women out there are looking for a boy toy, they are out of luck.

Thought For The Day – Do you remember the last time a heated discussion lead to a good thing?