Straws

Change!

The little car that we bought in 1998 has decided to retire. Attila had been driving it to work and back until last Thursday, when the brake lines failed completely, just as he arrived home. Unfortunately that was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”, as they say. We have had thirteen years of continuous service from this little car, a Toyota Tercel. It is time to say goodbye.

It is also time to say hello to sharing a car; the car we purchased new in 2009. There are no other transportation options. There is no public transportation here. Taxi service begins at $30 per trip and the meter runs from there. Walking and cycling are not feasible options based on distance, the types of roads we travel and the fact that I am a senior citizen and cannot suddenly take up cycling 40 km, twice a day. Walking to and from work would not leave me without enough time to sleep at night. We thought about ATV’s but they are not allowed on the roads in this area.

Sharing is a good thing in many ways. It is more economical. Attila and I enjoy seeing each other at the beginning and end of each work day. At the same time sharing is difficult. Atilla and I work at locations 40 km apart. Our schedules are dictated by our employers, and do not offer any flexibility. Our already demanding six-day-a-week work schedule has become even more complicated.

Time will tell though. The universe undertakes gift giving in convoluted and mysterious ways. This may or may not be a gift. Don’t you just love a mystery?

So, for now we are adjusting our set, that is our lifestyle, to graciously accommodate the loss of our second vehicle.

It snowed yesterday, several inches. It snowed overnight last night, several inches. It is supposed to snow today. Winter is grasping at straws (straw, seems to be a theme for me today). The snow will be gone by tomorrow.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

-1 °C
Pressure: 101.0 kPa
Temperature: -0.7°C
Dewpoint: -0.7°C
Humidity: 100 %

Quote 

“It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent.”
W. Somerset Maugham
1874 – 1965
Of Human Bondage, 1915