A WHAT ?

We did something very unusual Monday.  Something we have only done one other time. We bought a new car.

We traded the Honda CRV for a new Toyota Prius Hybrid

No, it isn't IH red.

Nothing is perfect.

The Honda has been a good car.  We bought it 3 1/2 years ago and really haven't done much more than routine maintenance.  It never quite got the gas mileage I had hoped for, but it was pretty consistent about 24 MPG. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

Recently it has been developing a couple quirks.  I kept feeling a ... not a vibration, more like a buzz. To me it felt like a rough bearing but I never could find it.  We've been smelling antifreeze inside the car and the windows have been fogging up slightly. And the transmission has been shifting much more reluctantly.

I had a pretty good idea what the antifreeze odor / window fogging meant.

I did a little online research.  It became evident you don't want to try replacing the heater core at home.  Especially in a Honda. 

It would have been difficult before air bags.  These days it is dangerous.

Monday we had planting caught up and it had rained, so Sue and I went to Terre Haute to the Honda dealer to get a repair estimate on the heater core and transmission.  They would be glad to diagnose our problem and give us an estimate.  It would be at least $58 for each item they looked at, possibly more.

Well, I don't want to take advantage of anyone.

"OK, go ahead."

"The first opportunity will be tomorrow morning if you wish to make an appointment."

I went ahead and made an appointment. I finally pinned him down a little on possible costs.

"I've NEVER replaced a heater core in a Honda."

Yeah, right.  "Well, what are we talking would you guess?"

He estimated labor at $1000 plus any parts. That kind of matched what I had read online.

I asked about the transmission.  Could it be as simple as just changing a filter?  He didn't think that would do it based on my description of what was happening.  He said the transmission would be at least $2500, possibly as much as $6000.

I thanked him and told him we'd be back tomorrow. And I intended to.

Sue and I got to talking about it.  We were looking at dropping probably at least $4000 in a car with 160,000 miles that wasn't worth $4000.

Was that the best choice?

So after dropping things off at Goodwill we went next door and wandered around the Burger lot.  Nice salesman/drummer (Yeah, he knew where we were from.  He played a gig at the 

 Corner Bistro last weekend!) showed us several cars to get an idea of what was available.

Sue's only real sticking point is seating.  She wants to sit more like a chair and with with your legs straight out in front of you like you are on the floor. So we looked at and tried sitting in several.

We left there and wondered through various lots.  Sue was ... amazed is not the right word ... to see a Cadillac with a sale price tag of over $70,000 in the window.  I was intrigued by the sales lot arrangements at some places.  A couple made it almost impossible to drive around and look at the vehicles. It's like they were trying to convince me not to shop there.

I said I only had one criteria: Not black or dark. I have a black grain truck and that is not a good choice in Illinois in the summer.  We pulled in the Chevy lot and she started laughing One row was nothing but black, charcoal gray, and dark blue or green.

We ended up all the way out of town at Toyota. I'd never even been on the lot before. We stopped and looked at a couple used Rav4's.  They were sitting next to a Prius C ( the smaller version of a Prius ).  Salesman came out and talked with us, got the key to a Rav4 so we could sit in it. I said "Hey! While you are doing that grab the key to a Prius.  I've heard a lot about them but never sat in one."

When he came back he talked us into taking a Prius for a drive.  I liked it, Sue was not to enthused.  Then he mentioned the Prius Sedan. OK, why not? 

Sue liked it.

It drives nice, it's quiet, gets fantastic mileage, has a good reputation.

We came back, talked to the salesman, left and ate lunch, played with some numbers, scratched our heads... Oh, and Sue said if we get one it has to be this or this color.

We went back, found the right color, got a trade in quote, and took a big leap.

Was it too much money?  Of course.

Can I afford it? Probably. I sure hope so. Because we're going to have this one a LONG time.

Oh, and no, it doesn't have all the geek features.  I'd kind of liked the backup camera but can't have everything.

Wonder if my TopCon 350 autosteer will adapt to a Prius?

This morning I am not farming

One of the things Dad taught me was if you are asked to be a pallbearer your only response is "I'd be honored". Doesn't matter if you are planting, harvesting, or not really in the mood. The only excuse is if you are physically incapable or some other extraordinary circumstances.

So please understand today I'm not going with Mom to have eye surgery, planting corn, working ground, or any of a hundred other things that what I am doing is honoring Dad's wishes and ideas.  When Fern called Saturday morning my only possible response was "I'd be honored".


Last week we lost a friend who could be considered a quiet pillar in the church.  Quiet because that was just his nature.  I may be mistaken, but I never remember him teaching a Sunday School class, or singing a special, or any of the "up front" things that go on in a church.  Perhaps he did and I just don't remember it, or it was before I became active in the church.  But he was a pillar because he was always there.  And you knew if something needed done he'd be in the middle of it if at all possible.

I think I am correct when I say they were the oldest couple in church, and when he died he was the oldest active member.


When you talked with this mild mannered older gentleman it was easy to miss some important facts. Charles joined the U.S. Marine Corps on December 27, 1943.  He served with the first amphibian unit driven into battle in WWII. He saw action in Saipan, the Marianas Islands, Tinian and Iwo Jima. You may remember that epic photo from WWII of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi in the island of Iwo Jimo.  Yes, Charles was there.


To most of us he was just an old farm boy.

I hope to live my life in such a way to someday be carried by 6 good men who consider it an honor to be asked.

A few more ...

I was mowing where the Conner house was yesterday and thought "WHAT WAS THAT?"

 

I discovered I had driven over two before I saw them.

  I never saw mushrooms growing under a cedar tree! Maybe I should look there more often!

I guess those weren't ALL dandelions

LODD WUCFPD

Management Style

What is your management style?

I was pondering on this, and I'm still not sure I have the thought fully developed. I once told someone I was a lousy "Boss". I hate saying "Go here .. do that" I think the buzz word for that is micro-management. Some people prefer that style. They want to be involved in every little detail. Personally, if I have to tells someone each thing to do I may as well just do it myself.

I prefer to give someone a mission. Tell them what needs done and let them do it. I have been fortunate to work for people who operated the same way. Give an employee the tools and training he needs, tell him what needs done, and stand back and let him do it.

There will be learning moments along the way. Most of us learn from mistakes. I prefer to learn from other folks mistakes., it's cheaper and easier. It's like the guy who went to work and the first day made a mistake that cost the company $18,000 to fix. He came in the office that night and said "I guess I'm fired?"

"FIRED?" his employer responded. "We just spent $18,000 educating you."

That was what was good about working for Wabash Valley. I think I was there for 2 years before I made a mistake the boss hadn't made. No yelling or screaming. Just "Well, let's fix it."

So when you slid off a snow covered driveway the response was simply "So now what do we do?"

I work better as an assistant. I may not be the best doing something, but I am usually pretty good about getting you the things you need when you need them to keep you going.

Kind of following the classic example of RADAR O'Rielly

So where am I going with all this? Nowhere in particular. I'm just pondering.

Later Y'all

Another Milestone

If you call me on the phone right now you will probably find I have difficulty talking.  Becky posted on Facebook:

"Guess whose Tummy Tube is out thanks to Dr. Davis! I am so happy!!!! David is now TUBE FREE!"

 Oh WOW! That's enough to cause PaPaw to cloud up and get teary eyed. It's been a long time from this point

to this photo almost exactly 8 years ago I titled "no oxygen"  It was dated 3/27/2005

A lot of people have helped David along the way

 I couldn't even begin to name them all

 It's been a wild ride

 We've celebrated every triumph

 David has had a lot of support from friends

 And he has developed his own style

 But it has all been done with family

Sorry, I'm having trouble seeing the keyboard.

There is still a long road ahead, and David is going to face a few challenges the rest of us don't even think about.  And I hope Adam never feels left out because David needed some extra attention.

It may not be as big a step as it seems to me.  But taking out the tube to David's Grandpa seems like a victory worth celebrating