HiDee Mz Beth..sorry I zoomed On By yesterday...but it turned into a bit of an Inferno. I'd been paintin' away, trying to get the Last Cast-Iron Street Light painted before we had to set off to Sarasota. Got it 80% finished (GREAT Warm Paintin' Weather...no Rain is sight!) Zoomed off with 1 hr to get to Sarasota...8o MPH on the Interstate... Got as far as Riverview..engine made noises/heat guage went thru da roof. Pulled it over...about 3 mi. away from Nearest Gas Station...AND I'd forgotten my Cell.

DID get a Hitch after 10 minutes of walkin'...did have enuf to buy 4 Gal's of Water, in plastic bottles..AND call my Chum/Apologize for bein' No-Shows, & then Triple-A.

Counted 150 cars that passed me by On The Way Back, INCLUDIN' a Tampa Police Car...'til finally a Nice Mexican Family picked me up/delivered me to da Car..where Do was waiting. AAA guy showed up...we discovered the AAA Card of the Year WASN'T AAA-Plus, so after 25 Miles it was $4 a Mile. I, of course, glared at La Femme for Her Oversight...(They'd billed us for a card that'd expired/she'd goofed I'd thought.) $72 wortha fun, got a ride back from Closed Jag Repair (Wouldn't re-start,even With Water...busted Hose to the Heater, said AAA Guy.) in our Van that likes to drive with Oil Light Lit..so we gave up on a Sarasota Re-Run early in the late aftynoon, alas. (DID get Street Light painted..at least!)

BUt AAA Guy DID tell me the White Van just needs a Battery Replaced (La Femme kept insisting it had a NEW Battery...but New Battery has One Dead Cell/won't crank it/I thought it could just sit since we got a Very Functional Vermillion Van, too...& Starters run $200+ which we Don't Have at the moment. So..I take Reciept + Dead Battery back today & we at least get back to TWO Vehicles a-runnin'...while I hie off to get the Jag Quote later today.. AFTER I chat with New Accountant & see Why we gotta send IRS $3K+ when we made Same as Last Year & IRS got Zilch. Ah..life stays Exciting Around Here, lemmie tellya!

We once went to Aruba...sand blew in our faces ALL Day Long..15 MPH...'Trade Winds" they never tellya about. So...for about $100, ya take a flight to Caracas, Venezuela, and have a BLAST~!
(Just don't let ANYONE at the Airport take your bags for ya...ya won't SEE 'em again, unless you're good at the 100-yard Dash~)

Hey..Good Luck at seein' That 50th...(We'uns got 13 years to go..Damn, we're OLD!) & EVERY YEAR seems More Fun-Filled, Too!

If the Jag Mechanic says More'n $3K, he can Have It for $2K & we'll pay that bomb off...& stick with the 2 dillapidated Vans...at least Toyotas got an Idiot Light when the buggers run HOT!

Big Monday Hugs...I'm off to exchange Batteries & get Fresh Amberbocks--Definitely a Fun Week Ahead! You Too, sounds like!

Thanks for The Kind Visit & Words,
Big Hugs,
Stan