Eventually all of the trucks pulled into a long dirt driveway and as I passed I took a look at some of the equipment that was being hauled. One of the things was a huge conveyor belt device that I could only imagine would be used for silo unloading. I don’t know what all of the other machines were, or how they are used. Sometimes I fantasize about living on a farm and driving big farm equipment.  But then I think about the old sit-com “Green Acres” and start to chuckle – I don’t think my wife would take kindly to living the farm life at all!

The Internet is a great way to find items, so it only makes sense to look for the perfect motorcycle or ATV or any type of transportation for that matter. I used to have a motorcycle but times got hard and I started running out of time for riding it and keeping it up each riding season and ended up selling it. That was before the Internet had made buying and selling items so much easier, I’m sure I would have taken advantage of it and probably would have made out much better than I did back then.

They make great picnic blankets in a pinch, and help keep your wood pile from being buried in the snow during the winter.  A loosely draped one over top of the emergency generator can keep it dry while it is running in bad weather.  They can help keep the seats of your car clean (or the trunk) when you need to transport something messy.  I keep one over my jet-ski in the back yard to protect it from the elements.  Don’t know what to give a guy that has everything?  Give him a tarp – he’ll use it!

We all made it just fine without car seats in our toddler and childhood years – I wonder why the Government has decided to force us to use car seats for such a long time? I think the parents should have some discretion in how they want to transport their own kids.

When it comes to Nascar, I can’t ever remember missing a race. There is just something about checking out the race for the Sprint Cup and cheering on my favorite driver, Jimmie Johnson. I know he has had a few problems in the past, but he is going to come through strong in the end and maybe win it all. I have been one of his fans for a few years now and even have a parking plaque in the garage that says only #48 fans can park here. I know its pretty cheesy, but I just love the guy.

The best way to watch Nascar is on the satellite tv in Oregon with popcorn, nachos, drinks along with family and friends. The more people there to watch and cheer the better. A few of my friends weren’t really big Nascar fans, but after a few of the race parties, they have become converts. No one else roots for Jimmie Johnson, but at least we all have something in common and something else to talk about. Hopefully, next season, someone else will volunteer their house for a party or two.

I think that what finally convinced her to let me have it is the fact that she is thinking about moving into an assisted living place and she needs to start cleaning out her place and getting rid of things that can’t go with her.  And let’s face it, even though the california car insurance premiums she’s been paying won’t break her budget anytime soon, why should she continue to pay for it if all it is going to do is sit in her garage?

So I’m planning on taking out some classic car insurance on it myself and find a trucking company to truck it home for me.  I’m really excited to finally get my hands on it!

So the next logical choice would be to get rid of the Subaru. We’ve had it for 12 years and have put a lot of miles of it. It was a good little car for the first 5 or 6 years, but now it is always needing some kind of attention or repair.

I don’t think we want another Subaru. I’d like to look at some of the newer SUVs or maybe even a passenger car. It would be nice to have a good mid size car that we could use for short trips as well as around town. So today I’m looking at web sites and trying to figure out what makes sense for our needs and lifestyle.

Not everything is great and I’m not bragging. We’ve had to tighten our belts and makes some sacrifices, but this is just an economic downturn that can’t last forever. I’ve watched my spending and made a bigger effort to pay off the credit card balances.

One thing that is especially bothersome if the rising cost of car repairs. Every month that goes by we seem to have one type of car trouble or another. I’m starting to believe that trading in one of the old cars is going to make more sense than pouring more money down the drain trying to keep it running.

I decided to run a few numbers and check my credit score to see if buying a new car this year is something I can afford.The budget is tight, but a planned expense of a monthly car payment sometimes is easier to deal with than frequent unplanned repair expenses.

Using the internet, I can check FreeScore.com and find out if my credit is good enough for one of the qualified buyer programs that doesn’t charge any interest on a car loan. I don’t want any rude surprised when I talk to the finance guy at the dealership after I’ve decided on what car I want to buy.