Murphy is fine. Sophie is fine. Sophie also somehow dropped a pound in two weeks, which makes me think her weigh-in 2 weeks ago was read wrong, as she remains the solid little bumblebee. The dogs are fine, but once again, my checkbook is feeling woozy. Today Sophie had to go for a recheck on the anal gland issue (doing fine) and her annual rabies piece of paper and tag I never put on their collars, because the jingling drives me nuts, and Bordetella med, and poop inspection. And, also, Trifexis. Trifexis is a heartworm/flea/other worms thing, and I now swear by it. This is Florida; we fight some epic, year-round flea wars here. I've been through infestations, I've had the horrific experience of giving Murphy a flea bath and watching dozens and dozens of fleas swarm onto his tiny face to escape the shampoo. So Trifexis costs like diamonds, but it has truly kept us flea-free in the flea capital of the world. Still, $355 at the vet, and $216 was the Trifexis. Yeah. This is why I don't have a nicer car. Baby the Subaru was the best investment ever, because she's really going to have to go for at least 200,000 miles.
5 comments:
Barring accidents, Baby will do it without a whimper.
We had a Subaru Liberty that truly was a "family car".
Erich and Corrine bought it as a 2 yo second hand vehicle in 1993. In 1999 when their second child was born it was 'too small'. Within the family business, Ernst & I were technically due for a car update, but instead we took over the Subie, and they upgraded to a 6 cyl family car (GMH). In 2007, as part of the changes in retiring, Ernst and I bought a Holden Astra (diesel), and gifted the Subie to my then 87 yo father, and he used it happily for nearly two years, until he needed (dementia and Alzheimer's) to go into care. The Subie came back to us and was a great help for the 2.5 years up to my father's death.
We retained it until earlier this year. Total lifetime in our family -- 22 years, total age 24. It is still going strong around the neighbourhood, as a teen boy's first vehicle.
Mileage (converted for your convenience) 240,000 plus.
I loved the bit about it being 'too small' - I used to cart around 2 children, a stroller, and all the stuff, in a Fiat 500.
Gae, in Callala Bay
I hauled two kids around in a Dodge Colt hatchback, about the same size as the Fiat 500! Of course, today it really is different; kids are strapped into massive carseats that could be launched into space. My daughter traded in her cute little 2 dr. Honda Civic shortly before Miss D arrived, when she realized that she'd have to be a contortionist to get the child in and out of a huge and rear-facing carseat in the backseat. She traded it in on a boxy little Chevy HHR, but is comfortable and kid friendly. :-)
How did our kids ever SURVIVE -- there were literally no child restraints available when Erich and Anne were littlies (66 & 68). But they were restrained, all the same. Ernst designed and made webbing harnesses for them. No flying through the windscreen for our pair.
Gae, in Callala Bay
Carseats were around by the time my kids were born in '80 and '83, but they still faced forward and really didn't have much padding. I remember rolling up blankets to tuck around my newborns, so they wouldn't sag and flop around in the oversized, one-size-fits-all carseat. My granddaughters are strapped into massive reclining chairs that look like they could survive a crash from outer space, and are so custom-fitted, you have to buy more than one to get the child to kindergarten, and then they are supposed to ride in a booster basically forever!
The car seat for tinies that gave me the greatest horrors,in the 50's and 60's, was a sort of vinyl 'bucket' with leg holes, that hooked over the back rest of the front seat. Gave the kid a great view through the front windscreen.
Always looked too scarily like a slingshot for my taste. A good sharp stop and the kid would be through the windscreen.
We had ADULT seat belts, at least in the front of the car, but not yet compulsory -- too many old cars to retrofit, many not safe to retrofit.
Ernst devised harnesses for E & A because we could not accept being safely belted in, and the children loose.
Gae, in Callala BayproveWel 50
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