When I asked about the weather in Hampstead, I was told that it hardly ever snows. Last winter there was a snow for about 4" worth before we moved here. It was just a fluke they said. Saturday night a nor'easter rolled through for twelve inches worth. There was drift between the vehicles that was four feet high! Guess that I might have to buy a proper snow shovel.
We had to take AJ, our toy fox terrier, to the vet this morning as he collapsed and was having breathing problems. Turns out he had heart failure and his lungs were filling. He did not respond to the actions taken by the vet and continued to get worse.
He was originally our daughter's dog she adopted just before she got married. Her hubby got stationed to Okinawa so the dog ended staying with us. He was a rescue dog that had had a pretty bad case of tick fever before she got him. I noticed his eyes were cloudy when he was a pup so we took him to the vet and he ended up on eye drops etc for life. The eyes did clear up. We were dealing with this when our daughter relocated and did not want to try to put him in quarantine to get him into Okinawa.
AJ kind of adopted me. He would follow me here and there. When he got older, he would come nag me to go to bed when he was ready. He liked the grandkids and they loved petting him.
AJ was one of the good ones.
RIP 1/1/2012 - 1/3/2026
Season’s Greetings
from Hampstead, North Carolina! I thought it might be nice to do a little
update. In 2024, we were thinking
about maybe buying a second house in NC to facilitate visiting the grandkids
and family. It was decided that we really liked the area after visiting several
times. We decided that 44 years in the desert was past biblical and it was
time to just pack up and move to provide us with our next great adventure! We
purchased a nice 3-bedroom home around the corner from the grandchildren in
2024 and formally finished the relocation in June of 2025. Boy, can you collect
a lot of junk in 44 years at the same home! The home in AZ finally sold/closed
in October.
The Bronco still lives! I will try to be better at posting now that we are kind of settled. We hope you have a great New Year!
I have blatantly taken this from The Smallest Minority and believe that this is well worth a couple minutes of your time.
It has been 17 years since we bought a new car. Time flies! The only vehicle in the driveway that is appreciating is the 87 Bronco. The newest is the 2006 RAV which we will keep. I guess I will give up on the 98 Astro even thought it runs fine. We want something new for travelling cross country for our upcoming road trips. I have been threatening to retire in January 2024 and start some trips.
I need something with legroom. My better half is a bit shorter than I am and needs something for her too. We went shopping yesterday. We drove a Nissan Pathfinder. I thought it was OK but wasn't thrilled. My wife disliked it as the seating left her having to turn off the heads-up display as it was right in her line of sight. We then drove a Hyundai Palisade. I have no brand loyalty. At one point there was a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, and Hyundai in the driveway at the same time.
I really liked the Palisade and I could tell that She-Who-Must-be-Obeyed really liked it. She was concerned that I would pick something that she didn't like. The passenger side had enough room that I could even take a nap there. We agreed on a model that was more than I planned but it isn't like we buy cars all the time. We settled on the SEL with the premium package with the 8 person capacity. It should be at the dealer's in May. Looks like this:
She thinks it looks great. I think that the front end is homely but what do I know? I drove an International for years!
