The car was missing if I pushed more than most gently on the throttle, so I took it in for repair ... they said likely new spark plugs or wires, put them on and it worked better ... ... but ... ... there was low pressure in one cylinder and they thought that it needed to have the valves ground ... ... educated guess probably $600. - 700. When I took it in the following week they lent me a van while they were working on mine - gas gauge didn't work, probably about 1/4 tank ... so I put in $10.00 worth. Friend had said he'd like some straw for his garden and I figured that I could get several bales into the van, and only one or two into my little car ... and the back hatch has to be opeend by baler twine. Loaded a bunch of tarps into the van to collect the straw bits, it's old and breaks easily. I've been watching the female canine of a friend who's having surgery for a growth on his neck, and a boisterous canine and a half dozen bales of straw in the same van aren't a recipe for a good game. The tarps covered most of the necessary area, so I was able to get it reasonably well cleaned out without too great effort. When I went to check on the car ... it seems that a valve was a bit bent, so more work necessary. When they were finished, bill was about $1,200. So I can't let the car die for quite a while, yet! I don't think that I've seen the lady since - she'll get a kick out of the dilemma, I expect! Her uncle who died at 91 had been a major executive in a large Canadian supermarket chain ... ... she recently installed real granite counter tops and top of island which includes counter for eating and bar stools, in her kitchen: shiny ... and shiny bits that appear deep into the structure. Was it on the video that I was characterized as, " ... a sweet old dude"? She says that I remind her of her grandfather. Time to bring this literary masterpiece to a close, I think. ole joyfuelled ... was that gas?

Skunks and highways don't mix well ... and when they've tried, usually there's a reminder for later travellers for a time. Coons don't, either. Or dogs, for that matter ... and this f c doesn't mind running angleways over the road, ahead of the car: she hasn't been trained how to manage, around cars. (Skunks, either, for that matter). I took the course that stockbokers take, thirty years ago ... but there was some downturn in the markets and brokers weren't hiring. I got on with a mutual fund broker a couple of years later ... compensation totally by commission ... but after a year I hadn't sold enough to suit the second tier guy above me ... so was "decommissioned". Some years ago a parishuioner in the post office one day thought it a bit odd that his clergy person subscribed to "The Financial Post" ... ... and I allowed as how it was my impression that bread cost me the same price that it cost him. So I worked for years as a personal financial consultant selling no financial products - folks didn't need to watch me closely, to see whether I was talking out of the side of my mouth that dealt with what was good for them ... ... or the side of my mouth dealing substantially with what was good for me. When I worked for the mutual fund broker, there was a guy there who'd been a fee-only planner for some time prior to that, and he said that was a good way to starve ... and I somewhat agree. People claim that they'd like unbiased advice ... but wonder why they should pay me ... for advice that they can get elsewhere ... for free. "Free", huh? Most financial planners are actually sales-peiople ... for insurance or mutual funds ... or, in recent years, stockbrokers, as well. I'm in London, need to get my diuretic prescription refilled, and meet the mutual fund guy in a half hour, so ... ... see you all later. ole joyfuelled

It was on the Wednesday before New Year that the car had a really hard time starting ... then was noisy, indicating that more work was needed on the exhaust ... and it was missing, only a few of the cylinders operating, so it was somewhat weaker, and I didn't try to drive in fifth gear on Wednesday, as I visited the garage, who said that they were not too busy and to bring it in tomorrow. I visited son and we had some discussion about getting his car going and my possibly borrowing it for a few days. It was overnight going to Thursday that the catheter blocked, and in the early hours of the morning I wondered whether I could get through emerg and get to the garage about opening time ... but it turned out that some complicating factors meant that I didn't get going till time to go directly to the garage. Then I took a cab to emerg, and after the new catheter was installed I walked back to the garage ... and they told me that the car couldn't be used - they didn't want me to even drive it home. The car did me a favour, as I was about 55-45 about replacing, or fixing, it - and it made the decision for me. I stayed with son till Sunday, walked a few blocks to downtown and caught a bus that dropped me right in front of the church, ten minutes before church time. One of the generous parishioners drove me home. I spent a quiet New Year's eve, contemplating the year ahead, along with my future. It was a few degrees above zero F. through most of the week with snow on several days, and a fairly heavy wind through most days of the week. The neighbour has a small building with a boiler near his house that sends hot water in to heat the house, and the smoke from that fairly high stack has been sent flying over the field at a fairly stiff pace ... which discouraged me from showing my nose outdoors, let alone hitch-hilking. As cars drive through patches of snow on the road and a dusting of snow flies up - the wind sends it scooting into the nearby field at speed (not quite a fast as the car). My landlord's son lives in the near edge of the city, his truck was parked near the shop on Wednesday, and he agreed to drive me to the city when he went home that afternoon and I was all packed and ready to go at five ... but he didn't show. I'd visited my neighbour to call my son (as my phone isn't working) to tell him of my expected trip to the city, but the next morning it was pretty windy and cold and I didn't walk the third of a mile or so to warn him that the plan had fallen through: old guys aren't supposed to leave people who care about them hanging like that, you know. During that week of enforced isolation, with little of consequence to do, I did quite a lot of checking to find my credit card ... without success. I'm to take oranges and bananas regularly related to one of my medicines, was out of bananas for much of the week and was running really low on orange juice and milk. On this week Tuesday I was to have a blood test for my urologist, the weather was mild(er!), with no snow forecast and little wind, so I decided to head for town. Left home just after 2, walked a half mile to a rather busier corner, was soon picked up and the family was going right near where I was to have the blood test and I needed to get some money from the bank to pay the body shop for opening the hood of son's van. Took a bus to near son's place and we got his van mobile this (Wednesday) afternoon. Let me assure you, in no uncertain terms, that I was over the moon to have our own wheels under me as I drove the six blocks from the body shop to son's place. I'm to take son and friend shopping in the morning, to go to the Old Farts' coffee and conversation, after two missed weeks ... ... and the next item on the agenda is to look for serviceable (rather ole) wheels for ole joyful! Wish me luck. ole joyful

Apologies for the delayed follow-up — we are very happy with our cabinets. Attached are a few pictures. The kitchen is the “wings” color and the bar is the “peppercorn” color. We think the colors paired well with our counter tops (Bedrosians Encore in Calacatta Ravena) and are planning on using something like Bedrosians Cloe for the backsplashes. The cabinets are really nicely made. Our installer remarked at the quality, and they are on par with custom, handmade cabinets we used in another house. We did have a few minor issues — two trim pieces arrived in the wrong color — but Tuscan Hills customer service was awesome in dealing with the issue. We considered a number of cabinet companies, and am glad we chose Tuscan Hills. Highly recommended. Hope this helps!