CAR PAPERWORK

Today I had to go and get the title to my Cabrio to take to the dealer. I drove to the dealer gave them the title, did the paperwork and drove back to work. 

I am now the proud owner of an electric vehicle. My next step is to talk to the electrician to get a plug put in the garage so I can charge my electric vehicle. Since my Cabrio had 95,000 miles on it and it was a 2002, I don't think I'm suddenly going to drive a bunch of miles on this new car. 

Although I am excited to do a few long drives. I'm going to see a relative and I'd like to do some hikes further from home now that I have a car and a dog that is able to walk. 

Until tomorrow...

GOT MY CAR!

Today I picked up my car. It is exciting! Also the fact that they give me a car without paying for it. I do have a contract. 

I brought Miss Vivien Butterfly with me. She just loves her car seat. 

I went through the abbreviated training and off I went. 

I took lucky to her first dog park after picking up the car. She is the mayor of the dog park. There is a term for it but I can't think of it right now. She had such a good time running after dogs. Meeting all the people and meeting all the dogs. She was just incredibly adorable at the dog park. Her personality really came out. 

Until tomorrow...

I BOUGHT A CAR!! 🚙

I woke up this morning and went to test drive cars. When I heard it was going to cost $1,000 to fix my car plus the clutch is going which would cost another $2,000, it was time to look at new cars. I have wanted to get an electric vehicle since I put in my solar panels, so I went to three different dealerships. 

First I went to Chevy to see the Bolt. They only had one 2-year-old Bolt for sale. No new cars. 

Next I went to Nissan to try the Leaf. It was nice but it was too much of a sedan for me. Plus I didn't find that I hug the road very well. Not that I do fast but I did drive around a little bit. 

Third, I went to Kia to try the Niro. I've never heard of this car before but it gets good mileage for an electric vehicle and it was smaller than the Leaf. They didn't have my color, red, but they had a nice blue electric vehicle. It was still wrapped from being dropped off from the truck, so I couldn't take it home right away. That worked out fine for me because I needed to go home and clean out my Cabrio. I traded the Cabrio in instead of trying to sell it privately. 

I'm going to pick the car up tomorrow. I also needed to get home because the dog had been left alone for hours for the first time and I was worried how she would be. I hadn't expected to be gone that long.

 

I have to thank my cousin for assisting me in purchasing a car. She was in my ear, literally, through the entire process talking me through what to do.

Until tomorrow...

CATARACTS

This morning I went to the eye doctor. I didn't get the greatest news but it wasn't completely horrible. Turns out I have cataracts. I know as people get older they get cataracts but the doctor said I have more advanced cataracts than other people of my age. So that means I'm probably going to need cataract surgery in the next couple of years. Hopefully it won't be sooner. I thought the blurry spots in my eyes were because of my sjogrens because I have dry eye. But it turns out it is not. 

I don't know what to expect for cataract surgery but I guess I will find out. 

Until tomorrow...

ON OR OFF

I had an appointment with my nutritionist today. We talked about my trip and about what I need to do to keep healthy. 

The new little dog, Miss Vivien Butterfly, is keeping me on my toes. We go on about four long walks a day. Even after walking she looks at me and wants to continue walking. Then once I bring her home and get her inside, she collapses in her bed and is completely asleep. As someone said she either has on button or an off button. 

I'm starting to plan my next trip. I'm renting a van again to go somewhere. I still have to figure it out. 

Until tomorrow...

$3,000 TO FIX MY CAR

I heard about my car. They had to contact Volkswagen to figure out how to fix my radio. They also looked at my power steering. The pump for the power steering has died which was causing my power steering to fail. Honestly, that would not be such a huge problem but I also feel like the clutch is dying after 10 years. The power steering pump is going to cost $1,000 and I know that the clutch would cost almost $2,000. That would mean putting in at least $3,000 into a 22-year-old car. If I had the means to put this car in a garage and get someone to work on it all while I have a new car, I would do it. But unfortunately I can only have one card at a time because I only have one garage. So the Cabrio needs to go. It makes me cry a little bit because I love that car. I love having a convertible but what good is a convertible if you can't drive it. 

So now I have to think about what to do about a car. I have been talking about getting electric vehicle since I got solar panels so I think I will check some out this weekend. 

Until tomorrow...

CAR RADIO NOT WORKING

Today was a lot of walking. I had to be somewhere so I brought the fog to give her exercise. I swear she already looks lighter. I should weigh her tomorrow. 

I took my car in and they are having an issue fixing it. When I returned from my trip, I hooked up the car battery and the radio needed a code. I accidentally put the wrong code in and now the radio won't work. It is a security feature in case someone tries to steal it. It makes the radio useless because it won't play. Hopefully tomorrow. I really need a new car. I figure in 5k miles it will hit 100,000 miles. I'd like to see that after all these years. 

Until tomorrow...

MISS VIVIEN BUTTERFLY'S FIRST VET APPOINTMENT

This morning Miss Vivien Butterfly went to her first vet appointment. She was all excited to get in the car for the drive to the office. I got there early so we could walk around. Other than a little crying she did well at her appointment. It turns out she has some allergies on her paw, ears and buttocks. The vet thinks it was probably a bit of fleas in her previous home. She was so matted she had to be shaved. He gave her some medicine for her ears and a shot for the rest. She also had to go back in the cone to keep from licking. 

I was happy to hear she was in excellent health for an 8 year old pup. 

I've been a bit down after my trip. Even planning a new trip is not helping. I'm not depressed but just let down. We'll see if it passes. 

Until tomorrow...

FIRST HIKE

Miss Vivien Butterfly and I got up early and after breakfast, we went for a hike. I was prepared too only go a short distance, but Miss Vivien Butterfly had other ideas. She is a walker. A little Energizer dog. The hike was almost 2 miles and other than two water breaks, she walked the whole way. Okay I had to put her in "air jail" for a short stretch because she kept wanting to go on protected lands where there were foxtails. With her long hair, foxtails are no joke.  She saw the ocean for the first time, probably, in her life. 

After the hike, Miss Viv wanted to walk more. I needed to find a bathroom, so we went home. She collapsed once we got inside. 

I had the gardener come by and clean up the backyard after my month away. 

I watched a live broadcast of Kinky Boots on Broadway. That was fun. Great theatre without leaving you couch.  That is one thing I miss from the lockdown. I enjoyed seeing productions, movies and other things from my home. No driving or taking transportation. No losing your ticket. No running late and hoping they will still let me in. No overpriced food. And, I have my own snacks, food and drink choice. 

Until tomorrow...

MEET MISS VIVIEN BUTTERFLY

Miss Vivien Butterfly has found her forever home. Her foster mother dropped her off. She is the sweetest girl. She reminds me of Happi, my dog who died right before COVID lockdown. I can pet her anywhere, pick her up and I get kisses from her. 

I spent the day with Miss Vivien Butterfly. I wanted her to feel comfortable. We went on four walks and, boy is she a walker! I was told to take it easy with her but she kept walking. 

At night I let her up on my bed for a little bit for pets and snuggles. Then I put her in her bed. Next thing I hear is a noise where my shoes were. She was trying to get closer to me and my shoes were next to the bed. I moved my shoes and put her bed next to my bed. She snuggled down and went to sleep. 

I am happy she is here. 

Until tomorrow...