Getting A New Truck!!!

Currently, I drive a 1992 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4... and I love it. I have been trying to remember just what year I bought this truck who I named Vaquero (Spanish for Cowboy), and I don't recall though it could be as much as 10 years ago now. When I got him, he looked great and he has always been a super dependable truck. Now, with over 320,000 kilometers on him, he is rusty so doesn't look so good anymore, yet still he is super dependable and still is a pleasure to drive. I took Vaquero off the road in June, switching the insurance over to my trike. All summer Vaquero sat in my yard waiting while I rode Phoenix. On October 1, I decided it was time... it was cold and rainy, not the type of weather I wanted to ride the trike in, so I changed insurance from Phoenix back to Vaquero (from trike back to truck). I went out and put the key into Vaquero's ignition, turned it and VROOOM, he fired right up, happy to be alive and running again!!! I totally love this truck!!!

As much as I love Vaquero, the time has come to replace him, so taking into consideration how much I've enjoyed our years together and how dependable he has been and still is, I decided to go with another Ford Ranger 4x4. This time it will be a 2008 XLT with power windows and the 4 door extended cab. He has all the features that I wanted... and already he has a name!! I was telling my friends on Facebook about my new truck and posted a photo of this Grabber Orange truck. (Grabber Orange is a rare color... only 618 of them were put out in 2008 and fewer in 2009). My friend Brooks referred to this truck as Orange Julius... so I've named him Julius!!

You may have noticed a theme here... I always have male vehicles, not female, and yes, I name them too.

And here he is.... Julius!!

This is the photo my brother took of Julius when he, Terry, went to test drive the truck for me. You see, I found it on Craigslist and it's in Vancouver. Terry lives in the lower mainland so was able to go check this out for me (a wonderful big brother, don't you think), and said I'm getting a really great truck. Tomorrow I will drive to my bank about 1/2 hour north of here in the small town where I once lived and my Mom still lives. I will get a bank draft to pay for the truck and have a short visit with Mom, if there's time. Then back home where friend Ray will pick me up and give me a ride to the Greyhound Bus depot where I will begin my 9 hour bus ride. Terry will pick me up at the Vancouver bus depot and we'll drive about 45 - 60 minutes to his & Alana's home where I'll spend the night. On Wednesday I will meet with Vic, "the seller" and get all the paper work done, the truck paid for and all that stuff... then off to insure the truck. I will then begin the drive back home. The trip home will take quite a bit less time than the bus ride down will take. Well, unless I stop along the way to visit some of my triker friends, lol.

More about Fall Jobs

In the next couple days I have to clear out a room in my home that I've been working on for some time now and just need to do the last bits. I need to sort/bag all cans and bottles to take to the depot and sell. I need to clean a LOT of stuff out of the carport to make room for my trike to be put away for the winter, and for pellets to be stored so they can be used for heating my home. I have a lot of yard work to do as well, tho I know the chances of me getting that done are slim. The plums are nearly done. There are still loads of them in the trees, but with all the rain we've been having the plums have been splitting, so my jam plans are falling apart in front of my eyes. I want to make a lot so I can give a bunch away as Christmas gifts and have a good amount left for my own use. I also wanted to put plums in the freezer to use during the winter months. I guess I'll have to do what I can for now and do more next year.

Fall Jobs

I've been working as much as possible over the last few days, getting read for winter. There is just so much to be done before the weather turns colder and my low back hurts so much that I'm having a real challenge with doing the work. Having deteriorated discs and arthritis is not fun... no, really, it's not fun. Anyway, I've managed to make some plum jam and pick enough plums to make another batch and even have some on the stove right now, cooking down so I can put them through the sieve to remove the pits. These are small plums so the pits either have to be removed this way or by using a cherry pitter tool to push the pits out. Yes, these plums are about the same size as cherries. I did a bunch of dishes and cleaned out the sink tht has been heaped with 'stuff' for months. This place is such a mess and I so need to get it cleaned up.... and I hurt... and I am overwhelmed. I need to be looking for a new vehicle as my old truck is getting... well.... old. He's rusty and has fairly high miles so needs to be replace. I don't want to have to install/uninstall snow tire chains every time I enter/leave my driveway, so will for sure be needing a 4 wheel drive. I'm looking at getting a nice truck. When I take breaks from working to rest my back and hopefully reduce the pain, I do some searching on the 'net for my "right and perfect" truck.

Damson Plum Jam

Today one of the things I did was pick a bunch of my Damson Plums so I can make a bunch of jam. Every few years I make a bunch of this jam and it lasts me long enough that I only have to make it every few years, lol. This year I plan to give a jar of it to each of a few of my friends for Christmas. Hey, what else do you give men that have a lot more money than you do and already have about everything they need?? Give them something to eat... right? Maybe I'll even bake something for them, or give them crackers or something to put the jam on. Ah well, will think about that later. For now I have jam to make!! Then I'm going to come back to my computer and do some research. I love searching for things on the 'net. Tonight maybe I'll look up fluid tech, and for sure I want to look up information on the treadmill I just bought. Got a great deal on a good used treadmill that is now the 'main focal point' in my living room. Hopefully I will use it for what it is meant, rather than for gathering dust and "stuff". I need to get healthy!! After too many other thoughts over the years, I had forgotten just how much sugar to put per cup of plums in the jam, so I was able to look up recipes on the 'net and found that people use lemon juice in their plum jam, some also use a bit of cinnamon. I'll try these things this year as I make several batches of jam.

Seasonal Thoughts

Do you realize that today is September 21st?? That means that it is just 2 days until it is officially Fall or Autumn, and it also means that Christmas is just around the bend. Yes, just 3 months and 4 days from this moment the 'big day' will be over for all who celebrate that holiday. This also means that if you do celebrate Christmas, it's time to start thinking about Christmas Card lists as well as Gift lists. What will you get for those loved ones on your list?? Here are a few ideas just in case you need some help:
- car parts
- motorcycle accessories (big hint)
- maternity clothes (not for me please)
- scarves, mittens, hats (blah blah blah)
- jewelry
- poinsettia or Christmas Cactus
- iPod, iPad, iWish

If and when I think of more I'll let you know. I don't yet have a clue who I'll buy for or what I'll get them. I usually make my gifts and don't yet know what that could be this year.

Christmas is Coming

Every year at this time I think of the upcoming Christmas season, of whom I should send Christmas Cards to, and whom I should be what gifts for. Unfortunately, I always end up thinking too long and not getting the cards written out so they can be put into the mail. Yes, I think about Christmas, yet I don't want it to actually happen, I'm not a big fan of winter. At this time of year I am still riding my motorcycle and wishing summer would come back so it would be nice warm riding weather for so much longer. Now it is getting chilly and I am forced to think about how I must soon put the trike away and put the truck back on the road... but not until after October 1st as that is the date of the next Santa Toy Run I plan to ride in.

Gardening

My garden didn't do well this year. I think it's because of all the rain we got earlier in the summer and nothing at all was growing right. Out of all the plants I bought or grew from seed, not one vegetable was showing up on the vines or stalks, so I ended up just giving up and not bothering to water it any more. Oh, I wish now I had still gone to that part of the yard to water as there were other things like 3 kinds of mints growing in tires and a few other herbs in pots, but I didn't have anything much in my raised bed gardens. I had wanted for so long to have raised bed gardens so I could grow my own veggies and had no way of building my own, no one to help me, so I brought home some old bathtubs, rocks, soils I purchased and planted my gardens in them. The first year I got a bit to eat, but not much. I think a pedestal bathtub would look really good out there with food in it too, but I've decided that next year it will save me a lot of money to just go to the Farmer's Markets to buy my food rather than wasting all that money on seeds & bedding plants and water just to get nothing but disappointment.