Five Things Friday #9

Pup enjoying being at the park in the sunshine

1. I was sick for the first time in ages, but then for 5 days last week I was around lots of people I wouldn't usually encounter including a 40 person birthday party for the newly 3 year old grandgirl. Nothing major, but I did cancel Pilates and delay my dentist appointment. Feeling fine now. 

2. The grandgirl was happy with her party and gifts. Mostly she was so happy to hang out with her little besties. 

3. Hummingbirds are starting their northern migration and I have seen a few tiny ones around!

4. We found a way to donate the old car to benefit The American Diabetes Association which is a great outcome. The process was super easy. We also found out how much our auto insurance will increase because of having a new car. The unknown is how much the accident will cause it to increase. Now to get comfortable driving the new car in all situations and learn how to the technology and safe driving features.

5. The sewer lines in our area are getting a new liner and every house's connection has to be redone. Our street's work started yesterday! So much digging.

New Car - We found one & bought it yesterday

A full weekend with date night babysitting, family birthday party and full on kid birthday party. In the midst of all of that we bought a car - a Honda HRV Sport. Not a hybrid but the right size, comfortable and easy for us to transition to. Hubby is very happy; I'm not into cars but delighted we found one and can move on. Now to connect with the other driver's claim person, return the rental, and dispose of our totaled old car.

Thankful after car accident

Poor old, low mileage faithful!

Wednesday was not my best day ever as you can also tell by Friday post put up on Wednesday!

I was headed to Pilates Wednesday morning and went to make a left turn at a rather blind corner and collided with a car coming down that street. I don't usually go that way but there was road construction on my usual route. We will certainly avoid that intersection from now on.

Thankful - 

- Neither of us was hurt and there were no passengers in either car.

- The other driver was calm.

- The police came in just a few minutes after I called which is an advantage of living in a small city, made sure we were ok, and clearly walked us through exchanging info and taking photos.

- We both were able to get our cars out of the busier street.

- He was able to drive away when the police were finished.

- Hubby didn't answer his phone so I called my son who was literally in his car close by, he reached Hubby & picked him up, and they came to help deal with our car. 

- I was only 1 1/2 blocks from home and we were able to drive our damaged car and park it at our house to be dealt with later. It is not worth fixing given the damage and age.

- Our son took hubby to a nearby Enterprise car rental and we now have a car to use as we are a single car family. So grocery shopping happened as usual!

- Our insurance agent is so calm, clear and helpful. He assured me I had now done everything I was supposed to do and made sure we had good coverage on the rental car.

- Woke up with no new aches or pains. I was driving very slowly thankfully.

- I'm the only one making myself feel bad about the situation! My loved one's just kept saying "I'm glad you weren't hurt" and checking on me.

I've been thinking we should get a new car, but this wasn't the strategy or timing I was going for!  I had hoped to keep the old car as a second car so neither of us was ever stranded. I am very thankful we have the money to buy a new car once we decide on one though. 

Five things Friday #8 - or should I say Wednesday - oops.

Nothing exciting or major to report!

1. We have a busy family weekend starting tonight with the picking up the older grandgirl from swim team and spending the evening with her as it is date night for our son and DIL. Little grandgirl stays at kid's night out at nursery school. Tomorrow is little one's 3rd birthday party prep and family birthday dinner. Sunday is the party. Will all be fun.

2. We've been researching the best kind of carpet to buy for pets, stairs and heavy use. Remembering the smell of new carpet outgassing, we decide to wait until the weather allows opening windows. We only have carpet upstairs, on the stairs and in the tiny bonus room downstairs that I use as exercise space.

3. Winter rain and cold weather returned on Sunday and lasted through yesterday. We are to have today and tomorrow clear; then another storm arrives.

4. Unusually for us, I had to throw away some moldy cheese, questionable jars of things in the frig, old spices, granola we didn't want to eat, etc. I guess I haven't paid close enough attention lately. Back on the little/no food waste wagon.

5. I found I really didn't like the rec center Feldenkrais class as my back hurt the whole session and the instructor did not have any alternatives to offer to solve that. Went twice; not going back after talking to my Pilates instructor who also couldn't come up with any solutions that fit the situation.

A Flowery Saturday Walk

The little bit of rain and warm weather we have had has led to lots of flowers.

Five Things Friday #7

Happy Valentine's & Galentine's Day

A mixed bag week as most are!

1. I have been able to start taking longer walks without the dog to rebuild my tolerance for that. The photo is from Monday's walk. 

2. Interestingly, the county public transit agency here is having a weekly photo challenge while walking to encourage people to not use transportation if not necessary. You send in you weekly photo and there is a drawing for ten $20 Amazon gift cards each week. At the end there is a drawing for an iPad. I don't think I would have noticed this if I wasn't looking for something "heart shaped" to photograph.

3. The new water heater is in and doing its job. Another case where we had to have code violations fixed but all is well now. And that is two costly home projects off this year's list - the dishwasher replacement being the first. Onward to replacing the cheap carpeting upstairs that was immediately snagged & unraveled by the dog's claws and hopefully finding someone to improve the stair railing.

4.  The brewery visit, lunch and tour was fun last Saturday. A much bigger microbrew operation than ones we toured in past. Hubby happily stocked up on 6 different varieties of beer. A pretty day for an outing too.

5. Our lovely false spring weather is over as rain has returned. It turned out to be a much milder event than predicted. A longer storm dropping more rain is predicted to start Sunday. Much needed but not as nice as sunshine.

What I'm Reading Wednesday #6 - The wonderful, very good, mediocre and waste of time

THE WONDERFUL - 

There are 8 books in this series so far and it fits Prompt 42: Includes a handwritten interior font (in my liberal non-literal interpretation of the prompts)

I enjoyed this series so much (5 stars!) and really wish there were more to read. Clever, thought provoking, both endearing and appalling characters plus more. 

THE VERY GOOD - 

Prompt 18: Provokes strong emotion

4 stars. I read this as part of my exploration of the Golden Age Detectives and the Queens of Crime. It made me rather dreading how the murder would happen and who was responsible.

THE MEDIOCRE - 

Prompt 20: Day of the Week in the Title - 2.5 stars

THE WASTE OF TIME -

Prompt 29: Set in the Arctic or Antarctic - 1 star

I really enjoyed her previous book - "How the Penguins Saved Veronica" but this sequel was a waste of time in my opinion.