General Discussion, Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Stella

Scenic summer panorama of the Market Square (Kauppatori) at the Old Town pier in Helsinki, Finland

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136 Responses to General Discussion, Wednesday, July 18, 2018

  2. Lucille says:
    July 18, 2018 at 12:22 am

    Earth & Beautiful Ocean | Nature Ocean HD

    Liked by 4 people

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  3. TheOriginalG-d&Country says:
    July 18, 2018 at 12:35 am

    Today we start a new series showing beach and sea paintings juxtaposed with glass sea creatures made by Leopold Blaschka (1822 – 1895) & his son Rudolph (1857 –-1939) who are known for thier production of biological models such as these glass sea creatures and also Harvard University’s Glass Flowers. They were Dresden, Germany glass artists native to the Czech – German borderland.

    Below is a painting by Lucelle Raad showing a boy and his dog peering into a “treasure” they have found and he put into a pail:

    Perhaps it is similar to one of these Blaschka glass pieces:

    This is a closeup of the above Velella velella, common name By the wind sailor:

    and this is a closeup of the Stomaster canariensis jellyfish:

    Have a great day everyone! 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

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  4. Lucille says:
    July 18, 2018 at 3:53 am

    Summer days…memories of yesteryear…

    Liked by 4 people

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  6. sandandsea2015 says:
    July 18, 2018 at 8:58 am

    Stella, Can you help with my post above? Breakfast isn’t showing. Thank you!!!

    Liked by 2 people

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  8. stella says:
    July 18, 2018 at 10:18 am

    I’m watching the movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife”. Has anyone else seen it?

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1730768/

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. lovely says:
    July 18, 2018 at 10:35 am

    I know we as a whole at Stella’s have a lot in common, we also have a lot that makes us different, I put together a short list of never about myself and thought it would be fun to see how many people also have lists of “never” that most other people here seem to have experienced. It’s just a list of facts not a “I haven’t done it for a moral reason.” Just fun.

    I’ve never been to Disneyland or Disney World (or had a desire to go).

    I’ve never seen Gone With the Wind, all of The Wizard of Oz movie, any episode of Star Trek (though I did see the movie Khan) or a complete episode of MASH.

    I’ve never been out of the Americas.

    I’ve never eaten gumbo.

    I’ve never been in a fistfight.

    I have no memory of my parents every yelling at me.

    I do not know a second language.

    I’ve only subscribed to a magazine once and then cancelled it because of its Liberal agenda. (Readers Digest)

    I have never liked choir music.

    I have never been offended by catcalls or whistles.

    We decided to toss our TV and I was TV free for 14 years. Now I have a TV 😏.

    I’ve never liked zoos, circuses or clowns.

    ***

    Me when I was about 3?

    Liked by 4 people

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    • sandandsea2015 says:
      July 18, 2018 at 11:42 am

      What an adorable picture!!!! I’ll have to think on my list and come back. Fun idea! We share many “never haves”.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • auscitizenmom says:
        July 18, 2018 at 6:48 pm

        I have never been arrested.

        I have never been skiing.

        I have never been ice fishing.

        I have never jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, with or without a chute.

        I have never been to an Army/Navy game or a Notre Dame/Navy game.

        I have never had a daughter.

        I have never liked clowns.

        I have NEVER liked rap music.

        I have never milked a cow or a goat.

        I have never been to Europe.

        I have never been to Alaska.

        I have never come to grips with this fast changing technology.

        I have never canned anything.

        Liked by 2 people

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    • Menagerie says:
      July 18, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      Fun! Be back later with mine.

      Liked by 2 people

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    • Menagerie says:
      July 18, 2018 at 5:59 pm

      I have never been arrested.

      I have never liked rap or hip hop music.

      I have never lived on a farm.

      I have never killed, plucked and fried my own chicken.

      I have never lived anywhere but the South, Georgia and Tennessee.

      I have never been on a cruise.

      I have never learned to speak a foreign language, although I would really like to.

      I have never managed to keep a plant alive more than a year, inside or outside.

      I have never had a daughter.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • lovely says:
        July 18, 2018 at 6:29 pm

        I have never had a son.

        I have lived all over including Texas, North Carolina, California, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin.

        And I was over 50 before I kept my first plant alive for over a year.

        Otherwise I share your never list 🙂 !

        Liked by 2 people

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    • auscitizenmom says:
      July 18, 2018 at 6:16 pm

      Can we still be friends if we don’t share anything? 😦

      Liked by 2 people

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    • sandandsea2015 says:
      July 18, 2018 at 7:25 pm

      I have never gone surfing, even though I lived near a beach.

      I have never eaten lobster, oysters, or crawfish, even though I grew up on the coast, practically in the bayous of Louisiana!

      I have never lived on a farm, milked a cow, collected eggs, or bailed hay.

      I’ve never been on a farm, so I haven’t been around pigs, but had an incredibly unfortunate encounter on my one and only visit to Indiana, of being behind a tractor trailer full of them. 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

      I have never been to prom.

      I never went to high school graduation. I couldn’t stand high school, so I picked up my diploma from the registrar afterwards.

      I have never had a boy.

      I have never had a tattoo. (I will confess, I came really close to getting a tattoo of overlapping pink hearts on my hip, but when I saw the tattoo artist, I fled the scene!)

      I have never had Botox or cosmetic alterations and am choosing to grow older gracefully.

      I’ve never had contact lenses.

      I was never allowed to wear pants or shorts as a child, only dresses, but I’ve more than made up for that in the years since!!!!

      Thank you, lovely! Great fun!

      Liked by 3 people

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    • lovely says:
      July 18, 2018 at 7:56 pm

      Speaking of never,

      Eric Clapton.

      Like

      Reply
    • Lucille says:
      July 18, 2018 at 10:41 pm

      I have never cut down a tree.
      I have never planted corn.
      I have never forgotten my best friend, Bill, who went missing in 1990.
      I have never driven a classic car.
      I have never been to the Metropolitan Opera.
      I have never read the Bible through in a year.
      I have never smoked cigarettes.
      I have never fully eaten a snail.
      I have never dated a politician.
      I have never had children.
      I have never belonged to a cult.
      I have never kicked anyone.
      I have never sculpted.
      I have never played professional soccer.
      I have never owned a Black Lab.
      I have never worked in a car factory
      I have never been married.
      I have never sworn in public.
      I have never owned a diamond larger than 1.5 carats.
      I have never given flowers to a boyfriend.
      I have never had the mumps.
      I have never sung in Las Vegas.
      I never met Elvis.

      Liked by 2 people

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    • stella says:
      July 18, 2018 at 11:23 pm

      No tattoos. No piercing except ears (one in each).
      Never been out of the Americas.
      Never jumped out of a plane (and never will). Have scuba dived though, in Mexico.
      Have never become proficient with a musical instrument.
      Have never broken a bone.
      Have never had major surgery (knock on wood). One elective outpatient procedure.
      Have never eaten snails.
      Have never been arrested.
      Have never had a son. Girl only.
      I’ve never killed a chicken, but I’ve watched one killed (several times).
      Ditto milking cows. Never did it, but watched.
      Have never changed the oil in my car, but have changed tires.

      I’ve seen all of the movies that you haven’t seen. I recommend Dr. Zhivago.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • lovely says:
        July 19, 2018 at 6:35 am

        I have Dr. Zhivago on DVD,it is my dad’s favorite movie. One of these days I will watch it. Maybe this evening.

        Have never become proficient with a musical instrument.

        Me either. And that includes my singing voice 😏.

        Liked by 1 person

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        • Menagerie says:
          July 19, 2018 at 6:59 am

          If I could choose to be gifted with a talent I don’t have, I think it would be singing, although I would also like to improve my art skills. I have some artistic talent, but I haven’t really worked hard to improve myself, except for my faux painting skills. I paint walls, cabinets, floors, furniture, and even light fixtures well, but no skills for canvas. Although I used to be decent at charcoal portraits and lettering.

          Liked by 2 people

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          • czarina33 says:
            July 19, 2018 at 11:27 am

            People have always asked me to stop singing! I am so bad, the choir teacher had me turn the pages for the piano player, b/c I caused other singers to be off key. Also, I sing with such enthusiasm my bad singing drowns out the others! Took piano for years, but could only play from sheet music, never any talent. Have the same drawing skills as Czar. I can, however, paint a flat wall with a roller!!😊👌

            Liked by 2 people

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          • lovely says:
            July 19, 2018 at 7:31 pm

            I think singing would be my talent of choice also. I would really like to sing well.

            I just bought some new pens for drawing, I’ve sold my paper cutting in galleries but right now I’m just taking it easy when it comes to artwork .

            Liked by 1 person

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        • stella says:
          July 19, 2018 at 8:01 am

          I have Zhivago on DVD as well; I ran across it while reorganizing my movies yesterday. I still have it on VHS, as well. I first saw it on my first date with my ex-husband, although that isn’t why I like it! It’s an engrossing story, with beautiful photography and music.

          Liked by 3 people

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  10. lovely says:
    July 18, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    I know many people wonder about Gowdy, I myself have thought it was very possible that Gowdy was the Joe Liberman of the Republican party, all posing and no action. I think there is a 98% chance that my thoughts about Gowdy were dead on wrong.

    On the flip side I think I mentioned that he was in several Forensic Files episodes and that I remembered Gowdy being very thorough, painstakingly professional, an i dotting, t crossing, tough as nails on crime prosecutor. I now believe that this latter view is the correct assessment of Trey Gowdy.

    This is a good example of Gowdy.

    Points of interest ;

    A murder detective said that a fingerprint on a water heater was definitely the print of the murderer because the murderer would have to have touched the water heater exactly where the print was located in order to hang the victim’s body.

    Trey Gowdy’s response I said ”definitely is a pretty strong word.”

    Trey Gowdy is dispassionate in pursuit of evidence and the law. He is passionate in the pursuit of justice.

    Gowdy said of the victim in a very flat dispassionate voice ”Her body was the primary and best crime scene that we had.

    Listen to him talk about the fingerprint and probable cause.

    He was on all counts correct.

    Then I found this, Gowdy was the prosecutor in this case and the episode gives some insight into Gowdy during the interview phase but in my opinion we really get to see Gowdy starting at the 19:50 mark.

    Gowdy has fire in committee but every time he lights a match the DNC and RNC have doused it it.

    No wonder he calls public hearings “Freak shows.”

    “Public hearings are a circus. That’s why I don’t like to do them. I don’t do many of them. It’s a freak show”

    And no wonder the cat is furious and leaving the restraints of his government master.

    Imagine how angry Gowdy is about the knowledge he has about Clinton, Obama, Holder, that he must must not speak because of obstructionism and legal minutia.

    Didn’t Gowdy say that he is leaving government so that he can actually pursue the law?

    Bring it.

    Gowdy says I used to have an old quote, you know what you call defendants that don’t testify at trial? Inmates” 👍🏽

    How many Obama/Clintonites have broken the law and simply defied subpoenas with no consequences?

    Just wait for it.

    ”If that f*cking bastard wins we’ll all hang from nooses!” __Hillary Clinton

    Their world is crumbling beneath their feet.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • stella says:
      July 18, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      I agree with you about Gowdy. Remember our conversation about having hunches about people? I think he’s an honest man.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • lovely says:
        July 18, 2018 at 2:29 pm

        I do. I don’t often get a gut feeling about someone unless I’ve met them. At least not n the way I was talking about as a conviction. I can’t say I had a gut feeling one way or another about Gowdy. I’ve been fooled by politicians once too often. Scott Walker comes to mind.

        I have a gut feeling about him now, bordering on conviction.

        Sometimes someone does something that defines them and they reveal themselves without realizing it, Walker being the first out in the republican nominee race and encouraging others to follow suit so that Trump would not be the nominee was a bellwether moment for me.

        Not to say I didn’t have very serious doubts about Walker beforehand, we had a billion dollar casino coming into WI, everything was for practical purposes set. Walker was fighting to have it come in, then whammo blammo Walker nixed it. His opinion changed overnight.

        Rumor has it that Walker’s palm was greased with butter from the Golden Goose by the Potawatomi Casino which did not want the competition.

        The Ho-Chunk Casino would have been located between the Potawatomi Casino and Chicago and there was no way the powers that be at Potawatomi were going to allow that to happen.

        In a statement, Walker said that the state could have been liable for up to $100 million to the Potawatomi tribe, which owns a casino in Milwaukee, because of agreements between the tribe and the state.

        BS.

        Native American land is exempt from many federal laws but monopolies apply to every industry also $100 million is not that much money when it would have been offset by billions in revenue from the Ho-Chunk Casino.

        Liked by 2 people

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  12. Lucille says:
    July 18, 2018 at 3:42 pm

    I ran across a very good copy of TO CATCH A THIEF starring Cary Grand and Grace Kelly this morning and will be watching it shortly. I’ve only seen it about 25 times. LOL! Grand film in every aspect and from every angle.

    Seeing the police car, the thought popped up…why don’t many 2 or 4-door cars have the front or back doors hinged to the frame at the back anymore. Really easy to exit. Of course the only time I ever rode in such a car was when I was around six years old, and everything was easy to get out of then.

    Now I understand about the “suicide door” meme; but really, how many times is anyone going to open the doors when the car is moving at 60 miles an hour so that the body is flung out onto the pavement? Seat belts, anyone? I wonder what the stats are for deaths/injuries due to such a happening.

    1948 Delahaye…

    Rolls Royce Ghost

    Oh, the things a person thinks about when answers are easily found due to the both blessed and cursed Internet.

    Liked by 4 people

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  13. Lucille says:
    July 18, 2018 at 3:50 pm

    This conservative news analyst provides much food for thought…

    The Never-Trumpers are Never Coming Back!!!
    Dr. Steve Turley

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. lovely says:
    July 18, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    Terrific article.

    Everyone Is Smart Except Trump

    https://spectator.org/everyone-is-smart-except-trump/

    It really is quite simple. Everyone is smart except Donald J. Trump. That’s why they all are billionaires and all got elected President. Only Trump does not know what he is doing. Only Trump does not know how to negotiate with Vladimir Putin. Anderson Cooper knows how to stand up to Putin. The whole crowd at MSNBC does. All the journalists do.

    They could not stand up to Matt Lauer at NBC. They could not stand up to Charlie Rose at CBS. They could not stand up to Mark Halperin at NBC. Nor up to Leon Wieseltier at the New Republic, nor Jann Wenner at Rolling Stone, nor Michael Oreskes at NPR, at the New York Times, or at the Associated Press. But — oh, wow! — can they ever stand up to Putin! Only Trump is incapable of negotiating with the Russian tyrant.

    Liked by 4 people

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  15. lovely says:
    July 18, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    Cool cucumber cop. Also blessed, lucky, and fearless. And yes I did see him almost put his clip in backwards but nope he was calm enough to do it right and continue shooting.

    https://twitter.com/vabelle2010/status/1019356441499635712

    Liked by 2 people

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  16. stella says:
    July 18, 2018 at 7:26 pm

    AIR FORCE ONE NEWS:

    THE WHITE HOUSE
    Office of the Press Secretary
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    July 18, 2018

    Statement from the Press Secretary on Air Force One Contract

    Yesterday, the United States Air Force awarded a firm fixed price contract to The Boeing Company to design, modify, test, certify, and deliver two Presidential, mission-ready aircraft by 2024. Formal replacement efforts began in 2011 and the new aircraft will replace the current Air Force One planes that are now 31 years old. The contract sets the total price for the two completed “Air Force One” replacement aircraft at $3.9 billion, saving the taxpayers over $1.4 billion from the initially proposed $5.3 billion cost-plus contract.

    President Donald J. Trump has emphasized the need to minimize the cost of replacing the two existing Air Force One aircraft. Yesterday’s action meets that objective and reflects the President’s commitment to our military and to protecting taxpayer dollars.

    Liked by 4 people

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  17. stella says:
    July 18, 2018 at 7:30 pm

    Seen on Facebook:

    What is it really like, out there in Higher (?) Education Land?

    A lot like this, according to S.M:

    “I stopped by the University to shoot the breeze with my former undergrad advisor today. The Argonaught (the student newspaper at UIdaho) reports that the University President’s new house is worth more than $2 million. I just looked up the average house value for Latah County (for 2016, the most recent year on record). It’s $220,873.

    The highest and second highest paid state employees receive $800,000 and $600,000 respectively. Both are coaches at Boise State University.

    Folks, what the heck is wrong with this picture? The University of Idaho’s history department is struggling to attract students. Other departments have similar issues, but athletics that give no promise of any kind of future attract the biggest salaries?

    This is the biggest problem in America. Our college degrees are nearly worthless in many countries but we’re happy with our bread and circuses. Don’t get me wrong here, I love a good football game. Many others love basketball, baseball, or some other sport, but unless you’re a major player with honest chances at the big leagues, it’s pretty much just for fun and maybe your resumé if you want to be a high school coach or something.

    In the mean time, STEM fields, useful humanities like history (yes, a bit of self-advertising here), and so forth are ignored and functionally penalized for existing. That’s not even talking about the massive cost to college tuition and the milking of the student loan system in this country.

    I’m not going to mention my student loan prices here, but suffice it to say that it’s significant. I’ll be paying off for a long time to come unless I become a librarian or archivist in a public institution. Whatever part of my debt may get forgiven is going to be reckoned as “income” by the IRS for the forgiveness year and I’ll be paying taxes on that.

    No, I’m not asking for free college. I am not even remotely in that camp. If you want something, EARN IT! I am asking for major change in the way universities and other state operated institutions are operated. Why in the heck should a COACH be the best paid public employee in 38 states? Why should a college president, dean, or department chair be the highest paid in the rest? No, not in one state is the governor or some useful public official the highest paid. Somehow this is okay while our public schools can’t even teach the basics of how our Constitution works or how mathematics can engineer a brighter technological future. Somehow this is okay while public schools are falling further and further behind the rest of the industrialized world. Common Core math has left our students behind by miles (or is it kilometers?), few know why George Washington or Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin are important, and the basics of logic, rhetoric, and grammar are lost on Americans almost universally.

    I am a teaching assistant at UIdaho. I grade some undergrad papers that are just positively journal quality. Those are rare. Most would not be worthy of a self-published newsletter. A few others are simply not college material. I used to be stunned by the level of ignorance in these papers. Now I am just stunned that the country that put a man on the moon and invented the modern public school concept has fallen this far. We have gone from teaching high school Latin and Greek to remedial English in college. Our English Department is so strapped for cash that I was cornered into one such class, only to have the professor tell me repeatedly that she did not know why I was even in there. Our priorities have been heavily misplaced. We are not where we ought to be with education. At all.

    Folks, your money has been heavily wasted by your public servants. Demand change at the grass roots level or it will only get worse. Your TAX dollars are paying for this non-sense.”

    Liked by 5 people

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  18. czarowniczy says:
    July 18, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    Ugh, and so the battle begins.
    We’re looking at buying a new car, current model year but baseline model, strictly a ‘Point A to Point B’ car. I narrowed down the choices to two carsd so I took a deep breath and a dose of cough syrup and called choice one.
    The first thing was the saleswoman they assihned me. Maybe I just don’t sound like a 70+ male with a short fuze as far as BS and games go but I got a woman who has one of those high pitched voices that I, dogs and some species of mollusks can hear – 1/2 octave below cat-caught-in-a-meat grinder. Wait, it gets better – she has that little girl, kewpie doll singsong, ‘I’m daddy’s most bestest girl’ delivery voice.
    I tell her I see the car’s offered ay ‘X’ price and I want to know vwhat the out-the-door price is as that – if I find it acceptable – is what I’ll write the check for. If the price is even $1 more when I get there I’m walking and they can keep the car. “OH NO”, “I’m told, “I have to work up the deal and talk to my manager first!” Pucker factor rises to 7.8.
    Next comes: “I need your email as I have to work up a deal, have my manager approve it and then we’ll email it to you.” OOoooooKaaaaayyyyy, here we are again, more games. “The price on the net is ‘X’ so that plus tag, title and tax should be boilerplate, no?” “Oh no, sir, my manager has to work up the numbers do the deal and approve the offer before we can forward it.” Pucker factor 8.9 and climbing.
    So I’m waiting for the ‘offer’ but we have another contact that we are going to explore at a different agency and the ‘offer’ will be our negotiating point.
    Right now I’m sitting down with a large glass of sangria.

    Liked by 3 people

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    • lovely says:
      July 18, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      I went to a local car dealership. I knew they were pond scum before I went but I just wanted to drive the car I was interested in before I drove to Milwaukee to buy it. I was narrowing my top 3 choices down at this point. I planned to meet my friend at the dealership but i showed up before him. The car salesmen totally ignored me. Not one approached me.

      Sweet!

      My friend came in a different door and a salesman met him before he could even reach me to say hello.

      The dealership had the model below the one I wanted to buy but that was ok. I took it for a drive and I really liked it, my friend gave me a thumbs up, I told the salesman I would like to drive the model up and I would stop back in two days with my daughter.

      Slimy stereotypical salesman says the equivalent of “Sure thing.”

      I show up a couple days later with my daughter and of course the car I want to drive isn’t there. 😐. I asked the Slimy Salesman why he doesn’t have the car I requested. He said I seemed unsure about whether or not I would show up. BS.

      Anyhow I drove the model below what I wanted again and left.

      Slimy salesman is emailing me everyday.

      Then he calls me.

      He asks me if I am still in the market for a car.

      Me “No.”

      Him “Can I ask you did you buy one?”

      Me “Yes”

      After some silence.

      Him “What car did you decide on?”

      Me “The car you never had for me to drive.”

      Him “Sputter, sputter, sputter.”

      I hang up.

      😎

      Liked by 4 people

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      • sandandsea2015 says:
        July 18, 2018 at 8:51 pm

        LOL!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

        Liked by 1 person

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      • czarowniczy says:
        July 18, 2018 at 11:19 pm

        Yeah. We have a contact at Ford we’ll play against the Chevy but if push comes to shove I can get a new engine, tranny, axle, whatever for my old truck and keep it going for years. I plan on keeping the truck as you can’t live out here without one and have no intention of paying the prices they want for a $#@&* truck nowadays.
        Salesstaff here have to be crazy, with three dealerships, a median wage of $41K in the county (there’s a LOT of high earners to skew the #s) and a population of just over 55K they can’t really be selling all that many cars and trucks to be asses.
        Then again it could be like NOLA where the dealers sell cars then sell the notes bundled bad with good so that when the skels forfeit (and thev dealers know they will) someone else gets stuck with the tab.
        We’ll see how this pans out but, as I told Betty Boop, I’m not staying awake at night mooning over a new car.

        Liked by 2 people

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        • lovely says:
          July 19, 2018 at 6:38 am

          I’m sure you’ll get the best deal. There is some website that you can go on that shows the dealerships cost of the car, the cost employees pay for cars, family discounts and what the average person pays for the car you are interested in. I can get the website from my friend if you’re interested or you may already know about it.

          Like

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    • sandandsea2015 says:
      July 18, 2018 at 8:49 pm

      Car buying is exhausting, even if there’s no haggling. We just co-signed a car loan for our DD and we knew exactly the car we purchasing, and the cost, but it took six hours to get it all done. :/
      I hope you have better luck.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • stella says:
      July 18, 2018 at 9:54 pm

      I’m about to do this too, and I can hardly wait. /s

      I think I’m going for a lease this time, though.

      What vehicles have you decided on, if you don’t mind me asking?

      Like

      Reply
      • auscitizenmom says:
        July 18, 2018 at 10:10 pm

        My friend leased a car this time and is now sorry she did. Her sister talked her into it and then about 6 mo. later her sister got upset because she was driving over the limit of miles and had to pay so much for the extra miles. I can’t remember all the reasons my friend is unhappy. But, not owning the car at the end of the lease was the biggest.

        Like

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        • stella says:
          July 18, 2018 at 10:13 pm

          I drive way under 10,000 miles a year, so that won’t be a problem for me. I’ve never leased before, but I know people who love it, so I’m willing to give it a try, and it is cheaper.

          Like

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      • czarowniczy says:
        July 18, 2018 at 11:06 pm

        Chevy Cruze (Saturn clone) or Ford Focus.
        We have a ’17 Focus and it’s speedy and economical. Ain’t the most comfortable but it’s comfortable enough for what we use it for. We put nearly 300 miles a week on the Focus and it’s been reliable.
        I lean to rhe Cruze as we had Saturns and they were safe and run forever – we still have a ’97 we bought new we use for backup.
        We don’t use them for trips, just for the 8 to 20 mile one way trips to the store and Czarina’s thrice weekly runs to her part time job so the $30,000 street cruiser’s a waste.

        Liked by 1 person

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        • stella says:
          July 18, 2018 at 11:10 pm

          That’s what I’m thinking too. Thanks for sharing! My biggest problem is that it has been so long since I’ve had a new car, I have no idea what I want.

          Like

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          • czarowniczy says:
            July 18, 2018 at 11:21 pm

            The 2019 Focus will be out in early ’19. It’s supposed to be redesigned and price schedules are close to what the 18s are. Possible downside is that the new tech in them isn’t 100% tested in the Focus bed.
            Ford’s releasing the Focus in China and Europe before they do here – no reason why.

            Liked by 1 person

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          • czarina33 says:
            July 19, 2018 at 12:22 pm

            Speaking as a rehab specialist, the first thing you want is a stong, safe cage around you, with excellent safety ratings from Consumer Reports. Protect your brain & body. Next things I must have are air conditioning & electric windows & locks. Prefer light color inside & out (ac & light colors are b/c it is the South). Fuel economy since who knows what gas will cost in the future; I drive 70 miles round trip to work &180 miles round trip evey time I go to NO for friends, haircuts, dining, etc. Except for the Dodge Dart which I test drove with a 300# linebacker salesman who took up more than half of the front seat space, they all seemed comfortable to sit in for the long drive. Usually buy near the bottom of the line so long as it is quick to handle & gets up to expressway speed in a hurry, since I drive I-10 & I-59 alot. I am not paying for expensive details, fancy interiors or bells & whistles, so the sales staff are very disappointed in me.

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  19. auscitizenmom says:
    July 18, 2018 at 9:02 pm

    lilbirdee12’s prayer:

    Our Heavenly Father, Your children come to you tonight to ask for healing and peace throughout our country so that we may return to being One Nation Under God. Guide us to be leaders in Your Kingdom, spreading Your Love and Salvation to all. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil.

    Lord, we ask for a blanket of protection over all our troops and law enforcement who serve to defend and protect us. Bless our representatives with the strength and wisdom they need to achieve the path You have chosen for us.

    Please place Your Guardian Angels of Protection around Donald Trump and Mike Pence and their families as they seek to lead America back to You.

    Grant us patience, Lord, as the evil ones try to anger us and cause us to fall.
    Spread blessings over Israel and Netanyahu.

    We humbly ask that You please comfort those who are grieving and in pain.
    Thank you Father, for Your Love and the gift of Life.

    In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

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  20. auscitizenmom says:
    July 18, 2018 at 10:19 pm

    I am watching “True Grit”, not my favorite John Wayne movie, so I have only seen it a few times. The interesting thing is, I just watched the first 15 min. of it and I don’t think I ever saw the first of it before. LOL I was never crazy about Kim Darby. But, she is ok. I always hated her haircut, because it didn’t fit in that era, I didn’t think.

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  21. auscitizenmom says:
    July 19, 2018 at 8:47 am

    Take your grandson with you. Stuff him beforehand with all kinds of candy. It might shorten the time you have to spend there. We went to buy a truck once. We knew the games they play. So, we told the guy the max we would spend and the third time he came back from discussing it with the manager, I stood up and said we had to get the baby home and I was tired. Then we walked out the door. You won’t believe how fast they had those paper written up and ready for us to sign.

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