Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 22 May 2022

Hey, Annette or anyone.

Could you please start the new thread next Saturday? If not, you all can just use this one, and I'll start a new one when I get back. 

My niece (my late brother's daughter) is graduating from high school. The ceremony is Friday and then her Mom is giving her a celebration party at a local park shelter on Saturday. I'm so proud of her, especially because she's won a scholarship to one of Indiana's state universities and she's going to study psychology to become a psychologist or other mental health therapist.

So, I've been invited to stay with my brother's family for the Memorial Day weekend. 

Also, I've been nearly driven mad by this search for a vehicle. Almost no one in rural Indiana can afford a new car. Nobody here has that kind of money to spend $35-$75,000 on the new models. It's laughable. So, when an inexpensive used car is placed on the market by one of the dealerships, somebody buys it immediately. I was going to buy an old Ford Escape SUV last week, but I didn't get there soon enough, and somebody else got it. There's a frantic demand here for good used cars (and even bad used cars), and the market is ferociously competitive. Buying a vehicle is especially difficult because almost everybody drives a pick-up truck (don't even think about buying one of those $$$$$$) or one of the more rugged SUVs, because our roads are rough and our weather is, too. 

Anyway, I'm at the end of my rope. While I'm already in Lafayette for my niece's ceremony, I'll spend a day or two visiting the city's car dealerships. More vehicles are available there, and I'm going to buy one "come heck or high water." (That's an Indiana expression of desperation.)

That's a long way to go to say I won't be here to start the thread. LOL!

Lindy:

Before I forget to post it, I wish you the best holiday of a lifetime! I'm so very glad that you got the free balcony! Woo-hoo! I hope the trip is absolutely everything you hope it to be, with amazing views, fascinating culture, tasty food, and blissful happiness. I look forward to your photos and stories when you return. 

OG and EE: I was glad to see your post. I hope everything is improving there, including your pain level. I think of you every day.

Annette: I forgot to congratulate your grandson on his wonderful new opportunity. Well done to him! 

Heather: I'm glad you're feeling well enough to see your family members. That's good. 

Everyone: I've been reading all of your news, but I just haven't been able to post. My brain is just full of cars right now. Sorry!

Diane:  No problem starting the thread on Saturday - I tend to come on later on Saturday evenings which is why you always get to kick off the new week.   Have a great time at the graduation and congrats to your niece - brilliant!!  Meanwhile, seriously best wishes in your hunt for a vehicle.   What a pain.  I know used cars are at a premium right now given gas prices, et.  Can you get in touch with the Lafayette dealerships in advance of your visit and ask them to keep an eye out for you?  Any chance you could overnight with the Indianapolis friends and check out options there?

AQ: See my question re your new leader on the previous thread.

Meanwhile, grandson got back from Fiji yesterday to another job offer from Cal-Fire; this one in San Luis Obispo, a lovely town just about 20 minutes up the road from where he lives so now he's thinking of accepting that one.  Nice to have those kinds of choices.

Tomorrow is OH's birthday.  We're going off to see the Downton Abbey movie (pure escapism) and will Facetime the UK and Arizona contingents.

Have a good Sunday everyone.

ANNETTE: Oh, I know you're always willing to start the thread. I just didn't want you to think I'd disappeared. LOL That sounds like the perfect opportunity for your grandson. I've seen photos of San Luis Obispo and it looks lovely. Well done to him for being in such demand. Have a great time at the movie. The Indy NPR radio station had a fundraiser, and anyone who gave them a hefty donation received a free ticket to see the Downton Abbey movie early before it opened nationwide. We have a "British Telly Club" here that's very popular. LOL

All the car dealerships post their current used car inventory on their websites, and I've been watching them carefully. I've asked the sales folks in my county to keep a lookout for me. One bloke emails me twice a day. He's my new best friend. LOL

Yup, I'm in a real quandary because my own car is not driveable since the frame broke. We have no Uber or Lyft here. There's a Taxi and Limo Service in the town where I get groceries, and they offer a pricey taxi shuttle service to Lafayette. That's how I'm getting there. Options for traveling to Indianapolis are prohibitively expensive, and my friends have not offered to let me stay for a night. It's just as well. I wouldn't want to drive a car back from Indianapolis. Indy is a big city, and I hate to drive there. It's also very dangerous right now. The gun violence rate is higher in Indianapolis than in Chicago and in New York City, with a slew of shootings every weekend. I don't really want to wander around there, anyway.

DIANE thanks for starting the week. Hope you have a wonderful time with your family.

DIANE – Thanks for our new week. Enjoy your family weekend (Congrats to your niece, may she continue to do well) and good luck finding some wheels. Here, new cars, most imported, are slow arriving due to covid-inspired import delays & then it follows that 2nd-hand are in short supply.

ANNETTE - Nothing like abandoning those that led us safely through the pandemic. Compared to rest of world we really had low rates of infection. Enuff said.

We have had chilly nights, down to 5-6 C. When it warmed this morn I attacked the weeds, alas they have escaped control. .

Good Morning and Thank You to Diane for starting us off: I hope you can enjoy your family time, and maybe, fingers crossed, you might find yourself a set of wheels at the same time! Thank you so much for your good wishes for our trip.

My OH had a Golf Day on Friday and came 3rd out of about 22 or 23 - they play competitively now and then on an unfamiliar course. He was annoyed that he'd been in the lead at one point but had been pipped in the last two holes. I'm glad he's getting such pleasure out of his game, and has many friends on the sociable side of things.

AQ - We saw your political drama from Up Here, and at least its not had to be a hung parliament which is always awkward. Sounds as if everyone there was ready for a change.

Hope that OG and EE are getting along alright with things, and OGs pain is diminishing. Thinking of you.

Dull here today but not cold.

Good morning. I have my 2nd booster jab this morning. Earlier than friends of my age but I assume it’s because I have recently had cancer treatment. I hope I don’t get any side effects.
I got my Jubilee pots planted yesterday so fingers crossed that they turn out how I hope they will.
DIANE - thank you for starting us off. You have a lovely trip to look forward to next weekend. Sorry you are getting so frustrated about car buying, I gather the 2nd hand market here is very expensive too, It is obvious that you really need a vehicle so I do hope you manage to get sorted soon. Maybe your new “best friend” will find something for you.
LINDY - congrats to your husband at his golf. That is a good result but I can understand how frustrated he must have been to be pipped at the post.
AQ - your election result has been on our television. I am afraid I haven’t been following the politics involved very closely.
ANNETTE - enjoy Downton. My sister saw it and really enjoyed it. She said she felt it took a bit of time to get going. Good news re your grandson. Hope he is happy whichever job he chooses to take. Great to have the choice.
Thinking of OG and EE and hoping things are going along smoothly.