Corvettes

To the casual observer, Corvette owners are crazy! Who in their right mind would buy a sports car you only drive a few months out of the year! I'll tell you who....Corvette Lovers!!!!

So, let me tell you my story before you judge us. In the spring of 2002 my wife and I decided to trade our 1987 Corvette for a brand-new, shiny, red, 2002 Coupe. Now, to buy a new Corvette without getting screwed you have to follow two very simple steps. The first step is to do a little research...this way the local sales person won't screw you over......Well, forget the first step......when buying a Corvette, you get screwed no matter what you do. There are no discounts....no one deals with you and even if they do, they trick you. The original price is so inflated that you only think you're getting a good deal.....when in fact you got screwed but feel good about it. The second step is to find a sales person you like and won't mind getting screwed by. Once you have your new car....it's time to take care of it.

To take care of your new car, you wash it, Zaino it (Google it) and drive it only on special occasions and in certain conditions. No rain, snow, blowing dust or even windy days. You don't drive it to work because it will sit out all day in the hot sun. You don't want to drive it in heavy traffic, everyone is out to get you! You can't park it anywhere. It appears that people who have not, can't stand people who have. Regardless of where you park, when you come out there's an old pickup parked right next to you.

When fall arrives, you begin the transition of your toy to winter storage. Drive it during the winter, you say? Are you nuts? The roads are messy, not to mention they don't travel well in snow and ice. So you change the oil, regardless of the number of miles you've driven....in my case about 500 miles. You put fuel stabilizer in the gas tank, put a trickle charger on the battery, unlatch all of the doors so you don't compress the rubber seals all winter, and pump up the tires to about 40 lbs so you don't develop flat spots or cracks in the tires. Finally, you take off the expensive insurance since you won't be driving it.

Next spring, you take it out of storage, call your insurance agent and start the whole process all over again. So....are we crazy for spending all that money on this plastic toy that's used 6 months out of the year or is it worth it?

Oooooohhh yeaaaaahhhhh!

Thanksgiving - 2007

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, stuffing and jellied cranberries!.....and as usual, everyone ate too much.

The disappointing aspect of Thanksgiving this year, and previous years, was the rush into the Christmas season. Too many stores and advertisers began playing Christmas music and displaying decorations long before Thanksgiving day ever arrived. Disgraceful! It seems like what matters today is the all mighty dollar. I'm sure this happens all over the country and not just in my corner of the world. I refuse to buy into the luster and glitter of the holidays. I may not be able to change the world but I can look my neighbor in the eyes and say I haven't contributed to the madness.

My Dog Kizzie

My extended family includes two Golden Retrievers. The 6 year old male, who goes by the name Cisco, is a beautiful 100 lb animal with long flowing reddish hair, grace and style. The female, my favorite and buddy named Kizzie, is a 5 year old smaller Golden with lighter colored hair. She has all of the typical markings of a Golden but shorter hair than her brother Cisco. Kizzie is more high strung than Cisco but a joy to be around. There are two basic styles of Goldens, "show" and "hunting". Cisco has the "show" features with a narrow stance and slimmer build, where Kizzie has the "hunting" features with a broader stance and stronger looking chest. Kizzie brings me pop and beer from the fridge, assuming someone opens the fridge and gives her the can. I'm working on the whole enchilada but am getting resistance from my wife. If Kizzie learns how to open the fridge I'm afraid our food bill will increase dramatically.

Not too long ago Kizzie became ill. It may have been a coincidence but it was right after her annual Parvo/Distemper shot. She was very lethargic and had frequent vomiting. My wife and I were very worried. The last time we saw this behavior was with Cisco's sibling, Buffy. She ended up passing away after surgery failed to fix an obstruction. Needless to say, we were concerned about Kizzie. We ended up taking her to the local emergency center and having numerous tests and X-rays. Everything appeared normal. After a few days, she began to recover and is now her perky self.

You don't realize how deeply your pets have crawled into your hearts until you've lost one or one gets sick. I never grew up with pets as a child but couldn't live without one now. Thanks for all of these creatures that enrich your life and become your best friends.