Stumpy, Party, and Truck

             I’m going to try to post this entry on Open Diary but am not holding out much hope. Earlier attempts to read and note just gave me the dreaded “time out” window. This poor site is in such sad shape…..

Yesterday morning Stumpy was a real “smush boy”. He wanted such love and attention. He was around my neck for a bit when I decided to do a photo shoot! He stayed put while I hunted up the camera in the house and then went back to the driveway. The air was kind of chilly, but the direct sunshine warmed us both up.

My Dagney did not like being held. She would tolerate it for little bits of time in the right positions. Otherwise it was her choice to lie down on my lap or stretch out on my chest which could last for hours. Stumpy on the other hand loves to be handled by me. I never pick him up around his stomach…it is always supporting both his front and hind legs he get “tossed around”.

I’m not good in taking “selfies” and being in the direct sun, the exposures are pretty horrible. I only wanted to convey a bit of my world as it is lived.

Last night was the marriage celebration of Paul and Jason held at their house. This was the first time I have been at their new place. OMG! It is so over the top. Way out of my league. The master bathroom and attached closet were bigger than my first apartment! I like the layout and design of the place, but I could never live there.

These boys have always liked the formal side of things. The furniture and accessories were impeccable and right in the style of today in the “earth tone” palette. It was like being in an upscale designer showroom. There was no kitsch anywhere. I find such interiors impressive but cold and impersonal.

I was talking with newly made friends in the kitchen when out of the corner of my eye I spied a “wood roach” scurrying around on the floor. These bugs are trying to get some warm digs for the winter! Teresa spied this bug and said, “Jason would be scandalized over this!” I answered back as I discreetly walked around her, “Nobody is looking.” I walked on that bug and made a move with my boot to scuttle the corpse under the sink overhang. Except for us, I don’t think anyone was aware of the “drama”.

The fall weather puts me into a melancholy mood. With the leaves and vegetation dying back, I’m reminded of those no longer here and in my life. I was on dangerous ground this morning going though my old journals double checking dates and the like. This enforces my own mortality as the entries I was checking are now some 20+ years in the past! This can create a vortex of pity and sadness over things I have no control over. I must tread very carefully under these circumstances.

Yesterday I was doing a bit of work on my truck. In 300 miles I’ll turn over the 200,000 mark. I’ve been on discussion boards which people have remarked they have over 300K on their Dakotas. I’m thinking I really should replace the distributer cap, wiring to the spark plugs, and rotor. I’m still using the original equipment. But, I’m afraid that once I stir things up, a bunch of other problems would be agitated. It might be wiser to let “sleeping dogs lie.”

<span style="font-family:

‘Bookman Old Style’;”>It is kind of late, but I made up an Excel Spread sheet documenting the oil changes, tire rotations, and work done on the beast. My brakes have 125K miles on them! I think that shows the advantage of downshifting before stopping! I was reminded of the times I let the oil changes go 10,000 miles. But, that 2002 Dakota is still running fine and not burning oil, so something must be right.