Of Men And Dogs.

 I'm sure this topic has been discussed before by others.   And I am willing to bet even I have written about it in the past.  (Though I could not find the post.) But I like the comparison that men are like dogs.  

Of course this will require some explanation.

Being compared to a dog is usually not a compliment.  "A dog of the Army,"" He is nothing but a dirty dog... "  "All bark, No bite.:  And so on and so forth...  The Comparisons are endless and can be even more degrading.  So let's talk about the bad stuff first.    

Dogs smell bad.   True. Usually when they are wet.  ( and they usually  love the water!)  They love the roll around in the mud and dead things.   They eat, bark, bite, run around, hump your leg, sniff your butt, and then fall asleep.   They also destroy things when they are stressed,  Chew on your favorite remote, and defecate in your yard... Usually in your flower bed.   Not really things that you want to brag about. 

So why keep them around?  What good could they possibly offer?   

Dogs give unconditional love.  They are protective and will defend their family.  They curl up and keep you warm on cold nights.  They will hunt, fetch, and, if trained properly,  assist you with living.  They can shepherd flocks of animals  and protect small children with precision and discipline. They will alert you to anything they understand as a threat.  Did I mention they give love unconditionally?  They find and save people. They  track down fugitives, detect bombs, and defend police officers and soldiers.  They pull sleds across the tundra, keep farms free of vermin, and protect against predators.And they can be trained to do amazing things. 

And all that for a small price of a lick on your face or muddy paw prints on the clean kitchen floor.  

And then there is the loyalty.    Dogs are loyal.   They understand their role and place in the family and society.   Sometimes to their detriment.  It is sad to see a dog who is loyal to a bad owner... Because the Dog often pays the price.  I used to say there is no such thing as a bad dog,  only a bad owner who mistreated or abused the dog to the point where the dog is broken.  Mean!   Savage... Unless the dog is rabid,  their bad actions can be traced to a bad human.

I find being compared to a dog as a good thing.  I was born in the year of the dog and thought that a dog would be a good "spirit animal" if I were to ever take one.  Not a wolf, mind you.   (No Alpha or Beta or Omega for me...) Just a dog.   Slobbery, lovable, fluffy dog. I have my flaws, but mostly want to help out those around me.  And Love those who are near and dear to me.  Single minded in purpose!

I love dogs.   I love what they represent.   And will take all of the bad with the overwhelmingly good things they have to offer.   Not all things in life can be measured by a price tag.   A monetary value...  Some things are more valuable that you could ever imagine.   And we never realize it until they are gone. 

So I will continue to pet all the dogs I can as I run through the park.   I will greet them and share my stories with their owners; and give their lovable mutts a scratch on the rump or ears.  And enjoy the muddy paws and slobbery tongue as they attempt to reciprocate the gesture.  ( The dog... not the owner!) For dogs are love.  And I think that many men are the same way,   if people would take a little time to get to know and understand them. Rather than simply lumping them into a huge group  and equating them with the lowest and worst examples.  That would be like equating all dogs to Cujo!  

So think about the comparison before lumping dogs and men together.   Because the truth is, it might be seen as more of a compliment rather than an insult.  

A Farewell To My Beautiful Subaru...

 It is a sad day today.   Today, I say goodbye to one of my most trusted friends.   My Loyal steed!  My Faithful Ride and Follower....     My Silver Bullet Subaru.

 It was a great run!   12 years!   Well over 200,000 miles of our own memories!   We traveled the Midwest and even into the deep South. I learned to service, maintain, and even fix many of the problems that a vehicle of that age and use eventually develops.   He was fun to work on and a joy to drive.  There is only one word to describe the time we had him...  Love.

Misty Dawn after 300K.

He will define the Iowa experience.   He had to replace Misty Dawn Subie...  And that was not an easy task.   She also had over 300,000 miles and was a trooper until the end.  But I learned a valuable lesson from her:   When she begins to tell you when her time is nearly up... You should probably listen.  

Never made it to 400,000...

Small things at first.   Seat belt malfunctions, trunk latch sticks, funny sound from the front end,  Blower fails,   AC begins to struggle....    Then,  POOF!   She dies forever at the bank. 

Silver Bullet never left us stranded.  He even made it 15 miles on three cylinders when he blew a head gasket!  In many cases,  when he did break down, I was able to get him running again with simple tools and a little help from a passer by.  It was nice knowing that I had a certain level of experience working on Subie and confidence to fix him with simple tools that I usually had in the trunk.  ( 17mm, 13 mm, and 10mm would solve most problems that I encountered.) I did my own brakes, Changed my own oil, and even did my own body work when the Rust was beginning to eat away at the rear hubs!

The Cancer returns...

The Damage spreads inside.

But the body work did not last.   And the cancer that is rust came back even more destructive that before.   The actual frame began to fail, and the rear bearings would need to be replaced every couple of years.   And then the tire alignments for the back would never be tuned properly.. so tires were a yearly replacement as well.      And then the brakes..  well,  you get the picture.    Midwest snow and salt are hard on vehicles...   Even Subarus.  

So,  With title in hand,   I started him up and drove him on the "Long Walk."   The "Last Ride."  The Final Destination...   It was similar to taking a cat to the Vet, knowing that she/her will not be coming back home with you.  Yes, it was almost that sad!

But I got a decent check for him.  More than the dealership was offering.   And more than if I had simply abandoned it or donated it to some unsuspecting family in need.    I would have felt bad if Subie would have died after just a few weeks with a family who could not afford to repair him.   OR been purchased for a person who had no intent on treating him with cautious gloves or love. In other words, I did not want him being a "beater car."   I feel he deserved more respect than that.   (You would not give an elderly cat to someone who would abuse them, would you?)

There is a slim possibility that someone in the future might discover him and pull him out as a whole to rebuild him.   Even if they gut him and use him as a rally chassis for racing... I feel that would be a better way for him to find his final resting place.  Because Subarus Rally!

And one final note:   I just found out that the Subaru Legacy is scheduled to end production in 2025!   WHAT?    So not only is it the final days for  my trusted and faithful Subie...  It is the beginning of the end for all of the Legacys out there!  I did not read the article completely, but it appears that people want SUV's more than sedans these days.   Of which... I am now a part of that statistic.  

So A Final Farewell to my beautiful Subaru!   He will be missed and remembered for all of those travels we did together.  The Ice Storms we weathered.... And those hard times we endured.  The rear bumper is a testament to our love and memories.   Cheryl suggested I remove his Subaru Symbol to have something to keep from him.   But I decided to leave him fully together so he can rest as one complete unit. And I have plenty of pictures and stories already.    Besides,  the only thing I really want to keep are the memories.   Those are the things that have no weight or space, and you can take them with you everywhere you go in life.  

And isn't that what life is all about?   Collecting memories as we travel along through our time here on Earth...  People fill and clutter their world with meaningless stuff,  only to truly treasure the memories that are attached to only a few items.   And when those items are taken away or lost,   you still have the memories.   They can't take those away from me.   

Because life is too short to get weighed down by stuff.   And every second counts!

Cheryl's Birthday.

 Cheryl came to Kenosha to celebrate her Birthday this weekend.  How fun!   She actually came up Wednesday afternoon and we linked up that evening.   She chose a Hotel in Racine near the water so we could do endless beach combing over the next several days.   How fun!

 In addition to spending several hours on the beach,   we also have been sampling the local culture of Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee.   For example:   We had breakfast at Frank's Diner.   This place has been around for nearly 100 years!   And it was a fun place to visit.  The food was good,  prices fair, and the atmosphere was awesome. Very similar to a Waffle House!   With my cup of coffee never reaching less than half full before a waitress came to fill it back up.   Service that used to be standard at every cafe, restaurant or diner back in the day.   What ever happened to those days?  

We visited several beaches in Kenosha on Thursday and I found a number of rocks that I may paint up and leave in the park some day in the future.   Other people arrange them in patterns and mosaics in the sand.   Our main target for each visit was beach glass.  And we managed to find a pretty good stash along the way.   

We also dropped in to the Clubhouse for "Thirsty Thursday" and visited with John, Vicki, and Brie for a bit.   It was a peaceful and fun end for the day.  (Bummer I didn't get a pic of the three of us before we left.)  

 Ah well.   Pictures have been a rather rare thing for me as of late.   I simply forget to take them!   Either I'm knee deep in the water or I'm driving the new Subie. ( Currently un-named...) Either way,  I just don't have the forethought to snap one.    A huge change from the days of the Midnight Carver.  

Other than a trip to one of the Racine Bakeries,  we have been mostly searching the surf for bits and pieces of glass,  interesting chunks of granite,  and any other bits of junk that catches our eye.   Perhaps one of the more "interesting" finds was the Happy Birthday wrist band Cheryl found.   She did not even notice the "Happy Birthday" on the band until I pointed it out to her.  

 With only one day left to enjoy,   Cheryl is currently at a Jewelry making class in Racine at the Art Museum.  She will be back in about two hours... and then we will probably head back out to the beach one last time.   

The great take away for ME from this is that Zebra is starting its end of quarter Marathon at the warehouse.   Meaning:  Extended hours during the week with Saturdays being mandatory.   And no PTO for anyone until July.   That being said,   these five days have been a welcome ledge to cling to and recover before heading into the rest of June.  And June will be the last full month I have until I move on to the New Pastures of Shoreland Lutheran High school and the Lutheran Ministry in general. A moment of rest and hopefully...  Focus.   On the real important things I have coming up in my future.   And I'm thankful to Cheryl for inviting me along for the ride. 

Because time is always short.   And every second counts.

Finding Forester.

  With a name like that for the title, you might think this will be a "Finding Nemo" kind of blog post.    And it is...  Sort of.   But who is this "Forester" Character?    You might think it would be some famous person from the movies or a Character from a popular story.   And that is just what I thought when making this post.   Mostly because I thought of several actors or Characters named Forest(-er).   And because I thought it would be a good segue to the real topic at hand:  

 Finding a replacement for the Silver Bullet Subaru!

By the way,  this search has been active for months now!   And I simply could not find what I was looking for.    It can be very challenging to replace perfection!    But,  as much as I would wish it to not be so... Even a perfect car can not last forever.   And with each passing day... As 400,000 miles drew ever so far from near...  I knew that Subie was telling me it was time for him to retire.  

By the way,  This Blog Post is nearly a week overdue!   That is right,  I managed to find Subie's replacement over Memorial Day.  Turns out certain dealerships understand that hard working Americans do not have time during the week to test drive all of their offerings.   And Thus...  They stay open on weekends and holidays to cater to such a person.    Namely:  ME!   Those three day weekends were nice,  but way too short to achieve anything of importance.  Mostly they were spent catching things up!   And with the Mandatory Overtime we have been dealing with,  there was no time left to even do much of a search!   But Memorial day was  an exception. 

I could make this post longer than it has to be by boring you with all of the details.   But I mostly wanted a Subaru that was white.   And I wanted it to either be a Forester or a Legacy.   Those models were both in my style of personality,  And also tended to be within my budget.    

By the way,  Did you know Used Subarus come in only three colors?  The color you want but can't find.   The Color you DON'T want.   And Silver.

I got Silver. 

Every time I found the white forester or Legacy....  They were gone.   And I did not have deep enough pockets to make a play for a new one.   So....  When opportunity knocked,   I opened the door to a Silver 2014 Subaru Forester. 

Dave agreed to help out and join me on the test drive and purchase.   While we waited for the Sales guy to get our keys,   we killed a little time test driving the Subaru STI that was also in the lot.  ( Not about to touch that price tag!  But fun to drive.)   

So I drove home with a Forester.   A Silver one.   Same color as the Silver Bullet Subaru Legacy that has served me so well over the last 12 years.   Now I have to learn all of the things that will make this Subie unique so that I can give it a proper name. There is no sunroof, no back up camera, nor any of those little extra's that make the latest models so expensive.   But it IS a Manual Transmission!   And that makes it fun to drive.   And with only 71,000 miles on him,  I'm willing to overlook the small stuff.   Besides,  I can always install a back up camera later on my own.   

So now,  I have Silver Bullet in the driveway waiting for his fate.   I thought I might have a buyer for him, but that fell through.   Looks like he is destined for the bone yard.  And That will be its own blog post when the time finally comes.   In the mean time.   I will work on making the new Forester my own and find the proper name for him.    All in good time.   Because every second counts.