Car Shopping

I am not a fan of car shopping. However, our 2006 Town and Country mini-van is making way too many trips to the shop these days. The things that are going wrong are just not cost effective to fix in an 8 year old vehicle.

My husband insists on a vehicle with an "American" label (even if half the parts are made in other countries). He also insists on going out of town to look at every possible choice. I am having trouble getting him to realize, with the transparency of the internet, there is no need to do this.

I have already done some research. I know what I want, where I want to get it, and who I want to buy it from.

Alas, I am certain that it is not going to be that simple.

I Can't See Clearly Now

Don't worry, I can still see to drive, cook, read on my iPad, etc.

After 12 years of taking varying doses of steroids, my new neuromuscular doc is wanting to wean me off of them. They were masking some problems that need attention and I may be able to finally lose some more weight. This is good.

The bad is increased pain from a number of injuries, arthritis, etc. I can deal with those.

Where I am feeling the change the most is in my art endeavors. I have had trouble seeing a pencil line for some time, so I have avoided trying to sketch what I want to paint. As the steroids decrease, my vision worsens, and my ability to see that pencil line is almost impossible. My hands are stiffer and shake a bit more.

Once again, I am having to modify the way I "do art." I am trying different tools and methods to see what I can do with what I have now.

I am not sure what this will mean for the marketability of my art or my ability to continue teaching the classes I love at the Senior Center.

I guess I will be stepping outside my comfort zone and finding out!

Stay tuned!