Friday Randomness
Apparently last week’s theme was day by day (Music Monday, Wordless Wednesday, etc.) and this week was recipes. Did I plan this? Not really, but it worked. Where to start? Oh, I know. In hell.
Politics
Maya has been sucked into the ‘Trump is Dead’ internet speculation, and starts each day telling us the current conspiracy theories. Allow me to show you a corner of my recently cleaned out closet.
Tucked in with my bulkiest sweaters…ready and waiting. It’s been there since January.
Painful Things
The latest school shooting, this time in Minnesota, reminded me of this poem. So frustrating, so heartbreaking, so infuriating, so avoidable. I love a lot about my country, but there is a lot here to despise as well.
Local Protest Photos
Last week’s protest was just down the street from our house, very convenient. The signs on the pedestrian bridge say “Be Brave” and “Free DC”.
It was a hot day, so a lot of us avoided the bridge and instead stayed in the shade, which is where I met Miss Getti Spaghetti, who was very friendly and loved having a good scratch behind her ears. She looks like Hannah!
Blog Friends
I have some of your phone numbers and love texting with you once in a while. If you’re cool with that idea, send me an email with your cell phone number, and I will text you! J_asregadoo at yahoo dot com.
Memorial Day Weekend
Last weekend was pretty good. Saturday was the protest for me, car shopping for Ted. He has been wanting an EV for a long time, but we’ve been having trouble finding one that we both liked and could afford. I hate car shopping, so I was delighted that I did not have to go with him. He took his brother, and they had a great time. They test drove the Ford Mach E, and a week or so ago they drove the Chevy Blazer EV. I enjoyed NOT having to go test drive vehicles, and instead relaxing at home.
Sunday started with a trip to the Farmers’ Market, then my cousin’s daughter, Grace, came by for dinner. She is almost 18, and has just moved up from SoCal to attend UC Berkeley. One thing I love about Grace is that she is using both sides of her brain so well. Like many of our blogging friends, she is both STEM and arts inclined. I feel like I am NOT that way, so it always impresses me when someone is. She went to an arts High School, and is pursuing Astrophysics in college. Amazing. Anyway, she is a delight and we enjoyed her company and are looking forward to getting to know her more. She brought us the beautiful bouquet above.
Meet Beezus!
Monday was Labor Day, and we all had the day off. Ted was pretty sure he wanted to buy the Chevy Blazer EV, but he also kind of wanted the Ford Mach E. So we went to see if we could manage either of them. We went and test drove the Blazer, and he decided he was not in love. I do not want to spend that kind of money and commit if we’re not in love. So we came home and thought about it. I did my yoga, and Ted thought. He decided he didn’t want either the Ford or the Chevy, so what now? I asked, what about a used Toyota EV? We love Toyota cars. Well, from the picture above, you can see what happened. Meet Beezus, the 2024 bZ4X. She is a welcome addition to our home. Buying a used car felt a lot better to both of us, and she has less than 10k miles. Our cars are both old, 2005 and 2008, and it was time. We’re very happy about Beezus, though not so happy about having a car payment after so many years without. She was only 35% charged when we took her home, so I took her to the grocery store nearby that has at least 20 chargers in its parking lot, and did a quick charge. I was in the store for maybe 1/2 hour, not sure exactly, but she charged to 86% in that time. Just like your phone, you’re not supposed to charge to 100%, so that was perfect.
How much did that cost me, you are surely wondering, the equivalent of 1/2 a tank of gas? I have no idea. I did this on Tuesday afternoon, and as of Thursday night, no charge has come through my EVgo app or onto my credit card. It’s a mystery. Perhaps like a drug dealer, your first hit is free.
Decluttering
Part of my decluttering project has been going through my mom’s things. I’ve weeded those down over the years, she died in 2008. But it takes time to be able to say, ‘she loved this, but it’s not for me’, because at first it just feels like you’re throwing the person away. At least, that’s how it felt to me. Anyway, among her things I found this ‘cirtificate’, which proves that I am not a hugger, which was hard for her (at least she had Richard, who is a hugger) and that even at 14, I was a terrible speller. Also, clearly I felt terrible for not hugging her when asked.
Also a book that I made in second grade, about a horse named Beauty who was banished from his herd, only to be captured by Indians, from whom he quickly escaped, reunited with his herd, and was never seen again. A happy ending for sure, who wants to hang out with people? A few years later I gave it to my mom as a gift to cherish for all her life. I don’t ever remember calling her ‘Mother’, but I guess I was trying it on, like cursive and my new last name. We went from her married name back to her maiden name when I was about 10, so I signed everything ‘Julie Ward’, even birthday and Mother’s Day cards. I was a weird kid.
Another treasure, a story that Maya wrote for my mom, ‘Granny and her Magic Sootcase’. Maya was learning to read and write phonetically at the time, so the spelling is pretty interesting in this book. It’s about a time when Granny came to California to visit from Juneau*, and she brought the following items with her in her magic sootcase: The mountains, a whale, the forest, Uncle Richard, Auntie Kathy, and their three cats. It’s pretty cute, with Granny exclaiming things like, “Oh My! This Mountain is MUCH too large for your little house!”
*Cute Maya story from when she was maybe 2 1/2…one of my sisters was visiting from Portland, and as we were dropping her off at the airport in Oakland, Maya recognized the building, and said, matter of factly, “This is Juneau, Alaska. My Granny lives here.” Too funny, I was kind of stunned. I think it was only a year later that we got on the plane and went to visit Juneau in person, so she got to see the difference between the Oakland Airport and Juneau, Alaska, and also to admire the very large mountains, a humpback whale, the forest, 3 cats, etc.
I haven’t decided whether I’m keeping the little box on the left, but the owl one is definitely staying.
I put a couple of books in our local LFL, I decided not to keep the music box that I was obsessed with as a kid, and I gave away this lovely driftwood jewelry box that I bought for my mom at an art fair probably 20 years ago, along with some earrings (mine) and brooches (mom’s).
I also put together a big bag of things to shred from managing my Grandma’s house after she died but my Great Aunt was still living there, and organized some photos. That felt like a win.
Money
Another win – I have followed Birchie’s example and am signing up for checking accounts with direct deposit in order to get their bonus offers. My first one just came in, which means a free $400 just slid over into my vacation fun account. I feel bad closing the account, but it’s time to open another one, right? I have 3 right now, including that one. Well, 4 if you include my primary one that I pay bills out of. I’ll admit this is likely not something everyone will enjoy, and it has gotten me confused once or twice, but I think it’s worth it to fund a big trip that I hope to be taking next autumn. So it’s a win.
Any wins in your life lately?
28 Comments
Birchie
Welcome Beezus!!! It’s got to feel so good to move into a 2024 car. I really liked the Prius that I rented in BC.
Cha-ching on your new account bonus!!! I was lazy and followed your recommendation and opened an account at the same bank and just got my payout. I also have another bonus that should pay out at the end of September, and then I think my career in opening new accounts is done because with any luck I’ll be leaving my job and will no longer have direct deposit (normally a requirement to get the new bonuses). It’s true that it can be a little bit of a pain to set up new accounts and change your direct deposit, but I’ve gotten $3k in new account bonuses in the past few years, and I don’t mind that one bit.
J
Wow, $3,000, that’s amazing. I’m hooked. Going to research which bank is next on Monday.
Elisabeth
I am so impressed with your continued downsizing, Julie. It really is so inspirational! All the gold stars!
A new-to-you vehicle. That’s wonderful! And it aligns with your environmental aims, surely cost much less than new, and had VERY low mileage. Plus, that bright red colour is a delight for the eyes and will be so easy to spot in a parking lot.
And free money is always a great deal. Woot, woot. I’m so glad the account bonus worked out for you.
J
Thanks Elisabeth! I am finding this decluttering to be such a mind shift. I doubt my house will ever have a minimalist vibe, I’m not even looking for that. But to just have it be less FULL will be nice.
nance
Knock, Knock.
Who’s there?
President Trump.
Oh, fuck. Still?
**********************
Question: Can you not just plug in your car at home? We plug my (yay, Toyota!) Prius in and charge it, thus bypassing any need for using commercial rechargers. Mine is a hybrid, however. But still.
Aside from that, your new car is wonderful and stylish. I have found Toyotas to be very reliable and, until our 2007 Highlander hybrid was totalled by a careless driver in 2021, it was running in tiptop shape, never needing anything but tires. (Also, Dr. Ted looks handsome in red.)
I smiled when I scrolled down and saw the big smiling dogface. I smiled even more when you said, “She looks just like Hannah” because you didn’t have to explain who Hannah was; we all just know, and the fact that we do makes me feel happy and content and just…well, happy.
Finally, I think you already have my phone number from ages ago when we were meeting up during my visit to California with Mikey. If not, I’ll send you an email.
(And I never kept a photo of my cat(s) in that pocket, but now I might!)
J
LOL on your knock knock joke!
Regarding plugging in our car, we live at the back of a townhome complex, far from the parking lot, and we do not have a garage. But the infrastructure here is really good, and we don’t often go far, so it’s OK.
I looked through my old emails and found your number. Yay! It wasn’t in my phone, but that was a long time ago and I don’t think I even had a smart phone at the time, I was a late adopter.
PocoBrat
That is a lot of winning–Congrats on the beautiful flowers, a nearby niece, the new car, a new doggie friend, a successful protest, and vacation $$$!
That ICE meme and the gun poem are so on the nose!
(Have you seen Brian Bilston’s Refugees poem? https://www.up.edu/garaventa/files/fildg%20files/refugees.pdf )
J
Oh Maya, that poem. I’ve read it before but had forgotten, and reading it through was so painful, then hopeful. Thank you.
Margaret
That’s a very cool car and I think you made the right decision. Although I love my Subaru, I have owned two Toyotas and they’re great cars. Going through someone’s stuff is a fascinating trip into the past. As you know, I’ve been doing too much of it these past few months; I’ve had to make those same decisions about what to keep, donate or throw away. Very hard!
J
Yes, and you are in the early stages of your grief. So hard to go through the last items, things you kept in the first round, and the second. I’m just trying to make my life feel less cluttered, and this is one way to do that.
M
Oh, you’re doing a great job with the decluttering! I need to take heed and follow your lead! I have been doing well but could do better, for sure, and you’re encouraging me to push through.
I love your new car — that’s awesome! My first car, gifted to me by my parents when I graduated from HS, was a Toyota Celica — and I loved it!. I kept it for 14years to get a bigger car. I have a soft spot for Toyotas.
Oh, and I know what it’s like to have old cars. Until 2years ago, our cars were bought in 2001 and 2005 and are both from our living in TX where everything is big so we bought big to protect ourselves on the roads. We sold the Silverado truck (2001) and got our first EV. We still have our 2005 Suburban and it’s still going strong but I’m itching for a new car to haul the bikes going to Big Bear. Suburban is too heavy going down those hills….but we have 2 new cars (we bought our son a new car for his college graduation). Do we really need another when our old trusty Suburban is still working well? I’m working on my husband to agree. LOL Our 2 new cars are EV and we love that we’re not paying the gas prices here in CA — we installed a home charger and is even more convenient not to have to worry about charging/gassing up. So our next car purchase will definitely be an EV again.
J
Great to hear such glowing reviews of your EVs! The difference in driving our 2024 EV and our 2005 Camry is like night and day. But we hope to keep the Camry for many years to come. I don’t want two car payments, and now that we’re hitting 60, the world of being a one car family is in sight.
Nicole MacPherson
My main takeaway from all of this is that you’re not a hugger. THIS IS GOOD INFORMATION TO HAVE. I am SO much of a hugger, I will literally hug everyone and anyone, and so I always like to be warned if someone is not. I am never offended if I know in advance, in fact, I MUST KNOW BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE HUG MONSTER ATTACKS. So if we ever meet just remind me again of this. Otherwise shit is going to get awkward.
J
Nicole, I must clarify! I am a hugger as in, YAY! Nicole! Excited to meet you! But my mom was very kinestetic and her hugs always went on way too long and her happiest times would be if she could cuddle on the couch with us. My brother was happy to do that, I was not. It makes me kind of sad now, because I like cuddling with my daughter, and I’m sorry I didn’t give my mom that.
Diane
I was down in Georgetown this week and had my first National Guard sighting. They were kind of just walking around – they even made a joke with someone in our group (we were dressed as pirates for a pirate cruise). It’s really bizarre how unremarkable it was. Bizarre and scary.
I’m loving your loopy cursive writing. I’m so sad that my kids aren’t taught cursive these days – it just has so much personality.
Why Beezus? Was there a Ramona?
J
Beezus is indeed for Beezus and Ramona, but I came up with it because she’s a BZ. 🙂
Paris also has military wandering around, with big guns on their backs, and I always find it jarring.
Ally Bean
You got a new vehicle! I know that’s something you’ve been thinking about doing for a while so I’m pleased for you. I’d like my next car to be an EV but it’s possible we may become a one vehicle family now that Z-D is fully retired so I may not be getting a new car of my own.
I like the Join ICE recruitment poster. Seems spot on. And ain’t that sad?
J
So sad!
And thank you for the kind words about our new car, we’re pretty happy with her. When it comes time to say goodbye to our Camry someday, we will have to decide whether to replace her or be a one car family.
San
Congrats on the new car! I am not really a car person and was very thankful when Jon did all the research on our Honda CRV hybrid… we contemplated an EV vehicle, but my friend has one and advised against it as your ONLY car (because what if there is an extended power outage? Then you can’t drive at all)…. so we decided on a hybrid.
Way to go on your decluttering, Julie. It must feel good to let go of things (but I can totally understand that going through your mom’s stuff took time and still is emotional. What cool treasures you found from your own childhood though!)
J
Good point on the electricity being an issue with a full EV. I hope we can get off of fossil fuels, but there are certainly considerations, right? If you had a generator you could use that, but of course it takes planning and thought, more than a gas or hybrid car.
Yes, I’ve enjoyed finding the treasures. I’ve gone through my mom’s things a few times, but now I’m finally strong enough to think, “OK, I’m going to keep this. What do I want to do with it? Where do I want to keep it?”
Lisa’s Yarns
Beezus looks sharp! That’s great you found a used vehicle with so few miles!! We really wanted to get a plug in hybrid when we were car shopping but it was impossible to find a rav4 prime at that time. We like our hybrid though. Now we could probably find one but we will stick with what we have.
Ugh the poem about guns and America. It’s is maddening. I am really hoping we can at least ban assault rifles in Mn but even that will be challenging. I think 10 other states have. We really need a national ban. I read an article last night that said that 1 in 20 people own an AR-15. How sick is that? Obv some own multiple so that is how you it’s possible that 5% of the population has one. I am so f’ing sick of the NRA and other gun rights activists pointing their fingers elsewhere. Like at mental health – which is part of the problem of course but we can reduce the number of guns and focus on providing mental health. Except you can’t provide mental health services when you are defunding health care. Gah. I am so angry about this.
J
I have a friend who is retired and had time and money to do so, and really wanted a plug in hybrid RAV4. They flew to New Jersey or something like that, and drove it home to California.
The mental health thing is so hard for just the reasons you mention, how they defund it but them blame it. And people going through a mental health crisis are MUCH more likely to be killed than to hurt someone else.
NGS
Yay for a new car! We have finally agreed on what type of car we want (a sedan; no CVT transmission) and have a handful of car types we are looking at test driving. That’s real progress in our world!
I love both of those boxes. They are adorable and precious and you should never get rid of them!
I also cannot get over how much that dog looks like Hannah. Who knew there were so many Hannah lookalikes out there?! (Honestly, I keep looking at that photo and I would SWEAR it was her if I didn’t know differently.)
J
We didn’t really agree on a car, because I didn’t really want one and Ted did…but then I started thinking about hopefully paying a car off before we are retirement age, so that pushed up the timetable a bit. Congrats on being on the same page!
They are both nice boxes, right? I may keep the owl and give the other one to my SIL for Christmas.
Ghetti really DID look like Hannah, right?
Stephany
Congrats on the new car! She’s looking SHARP.
The photo at the top of this post made me giggle. 🙂
I need to look into these new account bonuses. I’d like some free money!!
J
The free account bonuses are GREAT, but a little confusnig at first.
coco
How direct deposit work? i’m curious.
just emailed you about texting 🙂
J
I’m afraid to text you because of the international cost, will try it out and see!
Direct deposit is just your employer putting your pay into your accout rather than sending you a check.