Saturday, December 20th, 2008
I guess it really isn’t the morning after the snow, because it’s still snowing. I think it’s supposed to stop today, but I heard last night that we can expect 4-6 more inches tomorrow. Holly, the Norwegian Elkhound (snow dog), just loves it.
Norwegian Elkhound
The minute she feels snow under the pads of her feet, she rolls around like crazy, giving those weird snorts that dogs give.
Typically, I would be a little upset at the whole situation. I was hoping to avoid any snow at all this year. But truthfully, I am having a blast. I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have to scrape anything off the cars and try to shovel around them. That was always a miserable task. Also, I don’t have to shovel the end of the driveway. I used to really hate that part of the ordeal.
Remember when I was telling you about how I thought we could shovel the entire driveway instead of buying a snowblower? Yeah, I must have been on crack. There is no way in the world I would have been physically able to shovel this driveway. No way at all. Even if I had a team of my best friends on the job, half of them would have quit.
By this point, I don’t have to tell you that the snowblower is da bomb. I was so proud of it this morning, I asked Laura to come outside and take some action shots of me. She took a whole bunch, but these are my more fashionable.
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Clearing the first area of snow with the snowblower.
Jay, pulling the snowblower out of the garage.
Sure beats a shovel.
Snowblower eating the snow for breakfast.
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I did learn a few things while clearing the driveway this morning. First, blow the snow in the same direction as the wind. I nearly froze half my face by going against the wind once. Second, self propelled snowblowers are awesome. I loved watching those snow tires grab that pavement. No slip, no slide, no nothing.
That’s all I learned.
Go enjoy the snow. I’m outty.
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Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Man, It’s been a rough week.
I did a little complaining recently. I called a few people who are close to me and vented my frustration about the goings on of our world. They politely listened for a while, but both came to the same conclusion. They said, “Well Jay, things could be worse. You could be doing this or that, etc…” I guess that’s why I call people, so they can tell me to shut up and put things in perspective. I need that every once in a while.
I still think about life way too much.
Sometimes I just sit here with my head in my hands. I would just like the answer to one question: when did it all change?
In 2000, right after a graduated from Binghamton University for the second time, I had a plan. My plan was to release myself from all attachments with the real world and walk the Appalachian Trail. I was going to set my school loans on auto-pilot with my bank and fly as free as a bird. All I have ever really wanted was freedom; freedom from thought, freedom from today’s world, freedom from being dragged down by anything and everything.
I figured that walking the trail would really change my life. I was not interested in repeating the 9-5 job I sat through the year before while living in Atlanta. That was painful. All I was looking for was a way out…something different that wouldn’t trap me in the good ol’ American way of living day in and day out like the rest of the population.
Did I ever walk the Appalachian Trail? What do you think? Considering the fact that it takes about 10 months to complete and I never mentioned it before, I think not. I have actually walked a few miles on it here and there, but towards the end of each hike, I looked forward to driving back to the house, taking a nice shower and drinking a glass of wine. I don’t think I am exactly wired for growing a beard down to my waist and sleeping with the bears. The thought of a bear picking my tent up and eating it kind of freaks me out.
Let me tell you what bothers me about life as I know it – Worry.
Every day, I concern myself with each and every thing that probably concerns all of you. I think about money and security and politics and friends and life and everything else. I walk around in a fog, trying to make sense of every decision I make. It’s rare that I break out of that fog to have a clear thought. Maybe that’s why I like tennis so much, because I don’t think about anything else besides having fun. Although, I do like mowing the lawn for the same reason.
So, when did I change from the care free Jay to the constantly worrying Jay? I can tell you the exact day.
I have mentioned the fact that I moved to Atlanta a few times in the past. I lived there for a year, but the way I talk about it, it’s like I have a “Braves” tattoo on my right arm. Really, it was only a year, but it was a fun year.
I moved down when I was 24 years old. I packed up my 1989 Honda Accord with all of my belongings and hit the road. Basically, I just repacked the same items that I unpacked about a month ago after graduation.
I remember that drive down. I had one of those luggage containers strapped to the top of the car packed to the gills. Everything else I owned was spread out inside…on the back seat, on the front seat and in the trunk. There was no room for anything else.
On the highway, I remember the pleasure of wondering what my new life was going to be like. I didn’t know one person, the area or anything else about the entire state of Georgia. I usually do my best in these types of situations. As Rob always says, “You need to be like an Chameleon. Just change colors and fit right in.” Well, I did that and started off having a very good time.
Upon arrival at Morgan Falls Station, our awesome apartment complex, I was crazy excited. While I was waiting for the folks to finish up the apartment, I walked around a bit. I visited the 3 swimming pools, the work out centers, the tennis courts and the nature trails. It was nicer than anything I had expected. I recall wondering how $800 per month was paying for all this. Then, I remembered that things were a little different in the South. Up here, you get a tiny apartment above some old lady’s garage for $800 a month, and that’s a good deal. Down there, it’s like living at Club Med.
Needless to say, I was pleased. After I got settled in and had the phone hooked up, I called Rob. I was a non-stop talker. I told him about all the cool stuff that was there and about all the things we were going to do. I could tell that he was getting fidgety because he kept asking questions. We even got to the point of discussing what time it got dark in Atlanta. There is about a half hour difference between down there and up North. We used the scientific method of, “Is it dark now? What about now?”
After a few weeks of driving around a midnight (because there was so much traffic during the day) and getting to know people, I had really gotten used to it. I had a few friends and was playing tennis like it was nobody’s business. I didn’t have a job, so what else was there to do? I felt like I was living in a resort.
At the same time, my parents were planning their big move to Wilmington, NC. My sister Laurie had her first child and I guess my parents thought that watching water drip off their cars in the morning was a better idea than scraping ice off of them, like they did up North for all those years. The stars were aligned and they made the jump. They broke out of the New York shackles and started moving to North Carolina.
For the years that I attended Binghamton University and up to the time I moved to Atlanta, my parents took care of my big, beautiful Golden Retriever. I acquired this hairy beast a few years earlier, while I was attending Westchester Community College. It’s funny, because before getting a dog, I really gave no thought to what was going to happen to him for the rest of his life. I figured I would give him to my parents after I moved out and that would be that.
One day, while sitting on the floor (I had no furniture) of my Atlanta apartment, I received a phone call from my mother. “Jay, your father is driving a big truck down to the new house in Wilmington and he is bringing your dog with him.” she said. I replied, “Oh good, he will really like it in your new house.” “No Jay.” she said, “You are going to drive over and get him. He is your dog.”
Well, this came as sort of a surprise to me. Why in the world would someone want to hand over a perfectly good dog to someone as irresponsible as I was? As my mother put it, she couldn’t bear to see the dog laying on the kitchen floor looking up at her. His eyes broke her heart. She knew that he needed to run in the woods and swim in the river. He was a Golden, after all.
The day my father arrived at the new house in Wilmington, I was there to pick up the beast. I made the 7 hour drive and was quite excited to see my dog again.
I remember pulling in and seeing him tied to a small tree at the end of the driveway, waiting for me to give him a big hug. I leapt out of the car and ran over to him. I untied him and we instantly became entangled in a long embrace. That was my dog.
After a few hours of hanging out and going to the ocean, we left to head back to Atlanta. Again, I hadn’t given much thought as to what would happen next.
After my new roommate and I arrived back at the apartment, we did a little hanging out. Things were great. We went for a walk and I showed him all the stuff he was going to do for the next chapter of his life. It really was a grand ol’ time.
That night, a friend of mine called and asked if I wanted to go out to do something. I immediately said yes. Then, I looked down and saw my dog looking up at me. I paused and said something that I am not sure I have ever said to anyone in my life before that moment…”Wait, actually, I can’t.” I didn’t offer any reason for not being able to go out that night, but I definitely knew that something big in my life had shifted.
At that very moment, while standing there talking on the phone that night, I think I actually became responsible.
I know that sounds like the strangest thing you probably have ever read, but it’s true. I feel strange writing it. The reason I didn’t go out that night is because it was my dog’s first night in his new home and I didn’t feel right about leaving him there all alone.
All of a sudden, I started giving all types of thought to how my dog would feel if I did certain things. I knew I had to take him for a walk in the morning and that I had to be back after work to feed him and take him for another walk, but what really struck me was how I was unable to go visit friends in other cities and stay over their houses or apartments. I wasn’t ready to say no to trips to fun places, like the one that Rob made down to the Okefenokee Swamp in Southern Georgia. That one hurt because I really wanted to go there. I had to keep thinking about my dog and how I didn’t want to put him in a boarding kennel in a town I hardly even knew myself.
As it turned out, my consideration for everything and everyone snowballed from there. I began making sure more and more things were okay. I started saving my money and getting ready for the move back to New York to go to grad school. I stopped going out and doing stupid things that wouldn’t help me get to that goal. I never called in sick to work and I paid off that huge balance I had on my credit card. I don’t even want to talk about how much my soul has tightened up after I graduated from graduate school after the move back to New York. They basically train you how to become a herb.
I was most certainly becoming a worrier.
One might say, “Well Jay, aren’t those all good things?” I would agree, but I have to admit that once you grow up and become overly responsible, a little part of you disappears. How many times have you asked yourself, “Remember all those times we used to do that? Do you think we’ll ever do that again?” The answers are yes and probably not.
I was talking to Laura the other day about what I like to talk to my friends about. I told her my three top priorities are real estate, business and personal finance. Can you get any more boring than that? What ever happened to travel, drinking and where we are going to move to next?
At this point in my life, I feel that I am almost the opposite of what I wanted to be after graduate school. Sure, my little dream of walking the Trail may have been just a dream, but it was an indication of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to live my life.
At that time, I wanted two legal associations. I wanted one bank account and my student loan. That was it. Currently, I have more associations than I know what to do with. I understand that this is what happens when you buy a house and operate a business, but I must admit, at times it’s smothering.
Lately, I have been thinking about how I could get back to my ideal self, about how I could loosen up and at least become a shadow of that fun guy I think I used to be. I think I have a plan.
While I won’t precisely lay out my plan here, I will at least tell you that it has a lot to do with seasonal weather, long walks on the beach and campfires.
As you may have guessed, I gave Mickles a very good life and in return, he was a very good dog. I appreciate the fact that he spent the majority of his life with me. I would guess that he enjoyed his time in Atlanta the most. He had the field, the woods and the river. He couldn’t have asked for anything more.
I decided to post a few photos of my good friend here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them throughout the years.
Related posts
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
As you may have noticed, the last post I wrote about the 2008 BMW X5 was kind of vague. Also, I included photos of a car that was in the showroom. What I would like to introduce tonight is the car I actually bought.
It took a few days for the dealer to get their hands on what I wanted. They had to ship it down from Massachusetts. The biggest issue was that I didn’t want leather. BMW offers an interior in leatherette, so that’s what I asked for. As you might guess, they make fewer cars with leatherette than with leather.
It only took the sales guy a few hours to find a vehicle for me. The problem was getting it to Hartford. There was a weekend in between, so it took a few days.
The car they found was a 2008 BMW X5, V6, space gray metallic with black leatherette interior. The car came with the cold weather package (retractable headlight washers, ski bag, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, heated front seats), rear climate package (privacy glass, rear manual side window shades, 4-zone automatic climate control), running boards and dark bamboo trim. I also requested that the car have floor mats, a towing package and the roof rack base support system. There was a whole bunch of other stuff to choose from, but none of it really interested me. This car is one huge computer that is going to take a while to learn as it is.
Ok, who cares about all that stuff. Here are the pictures.
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2008 BMW X5 front drivers side
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2008 BMW X5 front grill
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2008 BMW X5 rear drivers side
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2008 BMW X5 side view
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2008 BMW X5 3.0 engine – alternate view
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2008 BMW X5 3.0 engine
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2008 BMW X5 logo
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2008 BMW X5 gauges
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2008 BMW X5 dashboard
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2008 BMW X5 shifter
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2008 BMW X5 radio and climate controls
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2008 BMW X5 sunroof
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2008 BMW X5 rear seats
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Jay G writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of AutoLeeg, a popular used cars for sale website.
Buying And Selling Cars with Ease
Whether you are buying a car or selling one, you know how frustrating it can be. You need to find a buyer or a car quickly, but there are so many marketing options available. Which ones are the most effective? How can you be sure you are getting a good deal or selling your car for what it is truly worth?
Choosing the Right Car
For those who are buying cars, the first step in finding the right car is to decide the type of vehicle you want. You can spend hours scouring resources full of used cars for sale, but if you do not know what you want or need, you are going to struggle to find the right vehicle. First, make sure that you find a vehicle with enough space for your regular passengers. This does not just mean enough seats. Many of the vehicles with three rows of seats have very little legroom in the rear, so if you are transporting adults on a regular basis, your passengers will not fit, even though there is a seat for them.
Next, consider the amount of trunk or storage space you need. Will you be using the vehicle for vacations, or just for driving to and from work? Also, make sure you consider the gas mileage on the vehicle. With the ever increasing cost of gas, you need a vehicle that is as fuel efficient as possible.
Once you have an idea in mind as to the type of vehicle you want to buy, consider visiting an automotive dealership that has used cars for sale and test driving a few. This will give you a chance to check out the actual space inside the vehicle, get a feel for the engine, and see how comfortable the controls feel. Narrow down your search after visiting the dealership before you begin searching auto classifieds for a vehicle. However, be sure that you do not buy on this first visit. Car dealers can be pushy and make you feel like the deal they are offering is the best possible deal you will find, so you need to be tough to avoid this pressure. You will want to take time to search on your own for the truly best deal.
Sources for Used Cars
You can find the right car through a dealership, by shopping online, or through a private seller. The route you take depends on your preferences and the asking price of the vehicle. You can find cars for sale from private parties, in newspaper and magazine classifieds or by shopping online. Most people find that the Internet allows them to comparison shop and get a better price on the car they want to buy. Shopping online also helps buyers see a larger selection of autos, since they are limited to the inventory on hand when shopping at a dealership. Most dealerships also register with online classifieds, making the Internet the most convenient place to begin when buying a used car. There are many online automotive classifieds that are great tools to use when shopping for a used vehicle.
Financing Your Purchase
You can finance your purchase through a lender whether you purchase from a private party or a dealership. The best way to ensure that you get the car you really want is to get pre-approved for financing before you begin actively shopping. This will, of course, require that you have a car in mind so that you know the approximate amount of money that you need. Once you have chosen a vehicle and know the price, approach a lender and apply for a car loan. Once you are approved, you will be given a pre-approval notice that you can show a seller if you are ready to make a purchase. If other buyers who do not have pre-approval are interested in the vehicle, the seller will be more likely to choose you because you have the money ready to go.
How to Determine a Car’s Value
Whether you are buying or selling cars, you need a way to determine the value of the vehicle. You can use many tools to help you set determine the value of a particular vehicle. One way to do this is to look in automotive classifieds to see what the asking price of similar vehicles is. Of course, you have no way of knowing based on classifieds alone whether or not the price a particular seller is asking is too high, but this can give you a general feel for the current market.
One tool you will want to use when determining the value of a vehicle is Kelley Blue Book. This guide, which is available online, allows you to see the average listing or selling price of a vehicle that is the same make, model, year, and condition as the vehicle you are either buying or selling. Keep in mind that Kelley Blue Book is a national guide, so the fair price in your location may be slightly lower or higher than the Blue Book value. The bottom line about the value of a car is that it is worth what the buyers in the market are willing to pay. If you are selling a car and have it priced just below Blue Book value, yet no one is willing to pay that, you have the car priced too high for your market.
How to Advertise a Used Car for Sale
Sellers have basically three options to use to advertise their cars. The first is to place a sign in the window and drive the car around town or park it in a visible location. The second option is to advertise in paper classifieds, such as automotive publications or the local newspaper. This can be an effective way to sell a vehicle, but it can also be quite pricey. The third option is the use online classifieds.
Sellers can benefit greatly from using the Internet to help them sell their cars. Just as shopping online provides the buyer with more cars to choose from, selling online provides a wider customer base. There are many free and low cost automotive classifieds websites that advertise used cars for sale. This makes the marketing simple, as the owners of the classifieds sites will promote their sites and draw in the buyers. All the buyer has to do is set the price, submit the information, and then sit back and wait for the vehicle to sell.
Finalizing the Sale
Whether you are a buyer or a seller, finalizing the sale of a used car is basically the same. Once the buyer and seller have agreed to a selling price, the buyer will present the money, usually in the form of a check, to the seller. The seller will then sign the title over to the buyer. At this point, the vehicle is considered sold, and the buyer can drive away in his new vehicle.
Related posts
Monday, September 15th, 2008
This article was written by Jay G on behalf of MotoClassifieds.US, a popular auto classifieds website.
Is selling a car privately a hassle? Not anymore. We already know about the popularity of classifieds sections in newspapers and magazines, but with the advent of websites devoted completely to online auto classifieds, things have gotten much easier. Gone are the days of having to wait until Monday morning to catch a customer service representative on the phone to place your ad.
Auto Classifieds – What are the Benefits? Do They Work?
That’s a pretty good question. For as long as I have been alive (and that’s 34 years), I have seen “Used Car For Sale†ads at every corner. These days, it’s one of the most popular online classified genres, not to mention being very popular with newspapers, magazines, radio and television.
Let me start this off with a short story. I had an “auto related†experience a few months ago.
In early January of this year, I was in the market for a new car. Since I have driven a Honda Accord as my two previous cars and a Honda Prelude as the one before that, I pretty much knew what I was going to buy. I dabbled with the thought of getting a BMW 5 Series, but I wasn’t ready for something so expensive. Maybe I’ll get the Beamer next time.
On January 3, I visited my local Honda dealer and was quite ready to drive home in something new. That day, I drove on the lot in a 1998 Honda Accord V6 and was planning on driving off the lot in a 2008 Honda Accord V6. Obviously, I was going to trade my car in. Before my trip to the dealer, I looked up the value of my 1998 Accord on KBB. They valued the car at around $3,500. I was slightly shocked, because I thought the car was worth more than that. I mean, this was my baby. This was the car I had taken such good care of over the years. But, if that is what the car was valued at, who was I to argue?
Upon choosing the make and model of the Accord I wanted to purchase, I entered negotiations with the salesperson. I was told that the dealership would give me $1,500 to trade in my 1998 Accord. As you could imagine, I got red in the face and threatened to walk out. They raised the price to $2,000, but I still argued for a bit. After a while, I realized they weren’t going to budge from that price, so I caved. Sound familiar? Has something like this ever happened to you?
Now, can you guess what everyone said to me after I told them of my experience? I’m sure you can. They said, “You know, you could’ve gotten a heck of a lot more money for your car if you had sold it yourself.†Gee, really? Of course I could’ve. I mean, everyone knows that dealers don’t give you as much as the car is worth. Why is that? It’s because of all the costs associated with prepping a car to sell on their lot. If it’s an older car, they can’t even sell it and it goes to auction. To be honest, I am not even sure what the dealerships do with some of the cars they take as trade-ins. I have heard stories about people getting $1 for the car they gave to the dealer.
So, I’ll admit that I could’ve made more money if I had sold my car privately. The question is why I, and so many others, lose money to trade their cars in. The answer to that question probably has something to do with convenience. We don’t want to deal with the hassle of a private sale.
Is selling a car privately a hassle? Not anymore. As I stated above, we already know about the popularity of classifieds sections in newspapers and magazines, but with the advent of websites devoted completely to online auto classifieds, things have gotten much easier. Gone are the days of having to wait until Monday morning to catch a customer service representative on the phone to place your ad. You can now access an auto classifieds website any time you want, from the comfort of your own home. You can write a description, upload a photo, add any features you want and pay by credit card within a matter of minutes. Some websites even offer the entire service for free. Either way, your ad will be live when you are finished. It will also be accessible to anyone from anywhere.
Now that we have that cleared up, let’s go over some of the benefits of selling your used car online:
- Convenience. Auto classified websites offer “any time, any place†type of convenience.
- Reach. By place your car ads online, you will virtually be reaching buyers across the globe. Too many people? Don’t worry; these websites have tools to narrow down a potential buyer’s search.
- Account management. You can place, edit and delete your ad any time you wish with your own private account management tool.
- Popularity. These days, more and more buyers are turning to the web to search for their new rides. Many of them don’t even (and never have) read the newspaper.
- Multiple ads. Many auto classifieds websites allow sellers to place multiple ads, oftentimes for a discounted price, or for even no cost at all.
- Help. Many websites have online tutorials or help pages that assist you in selling your car.
- Multiple venues. When you advertise your car on one classified website, oftentimes your ad will show on related websites as well. It’s these “viral†relationships that get much more exposure for your ad.
As you can see, there are many benefits to placing your used car for sale online. Do the online ads work? Well, that first depends on the ad itself. If you write a strong description, show a good photo and offer a fair price, I wouldn’t see why not. If everything is lined up, I would think you would have a successful sale within a matter of days or weeks.
Related posts
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Wind Power Superhighway for West Texas
Texas likes to do everything big, including wind farms and investing in clean energy. The states has been given the thumbs up for a $4.9 billion plan to set up transmission lines to carry the wind power generated in West Texas to surrounding urban areas.
When Good Science Goes Bad: 3 Ideas that Went Really Wrong
The history of scientific discovery is full of missteps. Sometimes iffy ideas lead to stronger theories. Other times, a good idea becomes a bad idea. And still others seem like they were always bad ideas.
What to Do if You Encounter a Bear
“Run for your life†may seem like common sense if a grizzly approaches you, but such action is highly unlikely to foil an attack.
A Modest Eco-Friendly Stimulus Proposal: Cash For Clunkers
Princeton economist Alan Blinder proposes that ‘Cash for Clunkers’ programs under which the government buys up some of the oldest, most polluting vehicles and scraps them, should be expanded nationwide.
The Physics-Defying Promise of Endless Cheap Energy
An entrepreneur with $60 million in venture funding says he’s found an endless source of cheap energy. Trouble is, it violates the laws of quantum physics.
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Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Top Scientist: Put Oil Firm Chiefs on Trial for High Crimes
James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.
Are Artificial Reefs Good for the Environment?
It sounds like a great idea. Sink an old fleet of subway cars in the ocean. Plants & invertebrates will colonize the hulking structure. Fish will migrate there & reproduce. And before long, the replenished ecosystem thats great for recreational fishing & diving. But some scientists aren’t so sure they replenish the ecosystem.
NASA Climatologist: “Almost Too Late to Stop Global Warming”
On Monday, NASA climatologist Dr.James Hansen will testify at a House committee hearing that it is almost, but not quite, too late to start defusing what he calls the “global warming time bomb.†He will offer a plan for cuts in emissions and also a warning about the risks of further inaction.
Is the ‘Oil Drilling Debate’ Masking the Real Issue?
Should we be focusing on making oil cheap or should we focus on making it obsolete? Of course in an ideal world, gas would be cheap and increasingly obsolete. We don’t live in an ideal world. By focusing on unrealistic “quick fix†solutions, are we just scraping ourselves up a little more time to keep avoiding the real issue?
Germany ‘is world’s greenest country’
Germany has been labelled the world’s greenest country after it cut its energy use by more than any other state in 2007.
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Monday, June 16th, 2008
Seven Ways to Save Energy by Saving Water
Though many states and localities are waking up to their water shortages and taking steps to plan for “peak waterâ€, people generally continue to waste water and to ignore the energy-water link.
New Material Absorbs Light Completely And Generates Electric
A partnership between Duke University and Boston College turned out to be very beneficial for the science world, as they obtained a metamaterial that absorbs all the light it gets (yes, it becomes invisible) and that is supposed to generate energy more efficiently than the solar cells.
Civic Outsells F-150 for First Time Ever
Go little Civic, go!
How To Heat Up Solar
It seems incredible then that the U.S. Senate has again failed to pass a bill that would extend solar tax credits to build new power plants.
Prius is Now the Most Searched New Car on Cars.com
Cars.com has announced that for the first time ever, the Toyota Prius has become the most searched for new vehicle on the popular vehicle classifieds site — surpassing long time favorites such as the Accord and Camry. The Prius first appeared in the top 10 most searched vehicles list last summer.
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Thursday, May 15th, 2008
I can definitely see how people’s garages get full of stuff. I mean, it’s like a playpen in there. Right now, I have all sorts of tools and shelves…old mailboxes, you name it. The last thing I want to do is organize it to make space for a car. Well, when Winter comes, I am definitely going to do that.
The other day, I discovered a squirrel living under the hood of my car. I also discovered some mouse droppings in there as well. Can you believe it? The car has about 4,500 miles on it and this happens. I decided that it would be a good time to see if both the cars fit in the garage. A few nights were a bit cool and the vermin may have been looking for a place to snuggle. Well, this would throw them off the “under the hood scent.”
I got both of them in there, but there really wasn’t that much room to take a photo. The one above is the best I was able to get.
Laura’s car is still in there. She hasn’t driven it since we got here, which is good for her wallet…or purse…whatever.
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Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
I never thought it would take so long to unpack a garage.
It’s not that I have a lot of stuff, it’s that I refuse to just pile things up like I did in our other house. I say “other” because it’s not sold yet. There, I kind of had stuff over there, over here and then over there again. There was no organization. One thing I really want is one bad-ass tool box…like a Snap-On or something like that. I saw one I liked in Sam’s Club a while back. Who knows if it’s there anymore because we haven’t been to that store in over a year.
Well, I already did my “screw a strip of wood to the wall and then hang all my rakes and stuff off of screws trick” a few days ago. I just did another one today. I also hung both of my ladders up nice and neat. Today’s challenge was to head over to the Home Depot to get some real garage shelves.
Mission accomplished. I bought two heavy duty shelving units. They measure 48″ wide, 24″ deep and 72″ high. I would say they are very sturdy. Now, with these large shelves, I can store and organize all my stuff as neatly as I have always imagined. It’s funny what one imagines when left alone in a garage.
We have our new garbage service coming to drop off the 65 gallon trash can on Friday, so I can get rid of some of the junk I put together in the cans I brought with us. That should make some more room to work with. After that, I should have made enough room to actually pull the cars in if we needed to.
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