"..and a roof over my.....car."
My car is getting older.
Seven years ago it was pushed off the showroom floor and I drove it home.
Since then, Saturn stopped making the 2-door Ion model.
(It has two more doors - hidden - with no door handles.)
Surprises people when I open up the entire side of the car (no post between doors) and shove large boxes inside.
Clever design and one reason I bought it.
Then a few years later, Saturn went out of business.
Gone. Pffft. Dealership closed.
When I wanted service, I was told to take it back to where I bought it but now it was a Chevrolet/GM dealer.
I'm sure they trained those guys well to ALSO work on a Saturn if one showed up.
So, my car and I get along fine. It has not needed much attention and I can park it away from bird droppings and tree sap.
But, pulling up under the deck is awkward. Usually only do that if a serious storm is predicted.
Must be a better way to use that cement slab/patio for a long-gone mobile home.
I took down the bird feeder because of what they were doing ON my car.
Ingrates.
Then I looked into a steel car port. I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted.
The City of Hanahan said I would need a permit and paperwork on how it would be anchored so it would not blow away into a neighbor's yard and cause damage.
I assume they are protecting me from other people's flying sheds and car ports.
Found what I wanted on Rivers Avenue at
Leonard Aluminum Utility Buildings, Inc.
Naturally I took a picture of one they had assembled out back.
12 feet wide, 21 feet long and the poles are 5 feet high. Should do it.
You can get the idea even though, when I combined the two pictures, I showed I don't do well matching perspectives. Or relative size.
The slab is 8 feet wide by 20 feet.
Hanahan City Planners will be glad to know it will be held in place with four long Mobile home anchors that screw deep into the ground.
(Click on the photos for more details.)
My free-hand sketch shows it more accurately than my photos.
Proper perspective is better when I draw things.
Guess I'm an artist.
Labels: cement slab, Chevy dealership, feeders for ingrate birds, Inc., Leonard Aluminum Utility Buildings, Saturn Ion
Walking up a steeper hill....
It's been almost 10 years since I shopped for a treadmill.
Things have really changed.
Oh, the basics are still the same: pick a speed, start the unit and adjust the incline if that's a feature.
But all the OTHER stuff that's been added!
Flashing lights and big consoles that include cooling fans and even small image screens.
There are places to plug-in your iPod music maker or hook up your computer to download extensive pre-programmed exercise plans.
And charts and graphs and diaries built-in to track your progress.
Good grief.
I walked past all that and looked for a simple, sturdy machine to replace mine that flamed out.
I learned that what burned probably was the circuit board. Motors hardly ever fail I was told.
In fact, most treadmills come with a 5 -10 year warranty on the motor. Some companies guarantee the motor for life. Circuit boards however start at around $300 (plus installation) and could sizzle unexpectedly. Yikes.
Here's the one I chose yesterday at
Play It Again Sports near Anna Knapp Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant.
The Vision Fitness T9000 is described as an entry-level commercial machine. You know, like you see in gyms.
Heavy (350 pounds) and sturdy, it's built the way I want to use it. I have several fans and I watch a tv that's streaming Netflix movies.
A simple, non-fancy console with START and STOP buttons.
SPEED control up and down arrows and INCLINE up and down.
My former machine offered a 10% incline which I would use to get more results from my daily 30-minute fast walk.
This rugged workhorse has a 12% incline.
Starting to sound like a stress test machine at the hospital.
(Click on the pictures for more details.)
Two men and a truck will deliver it tomorrow. There's a small fee but it sure beats ME trying to get it home. In my Saturn Ion.
I'd be too tired to exercise.
Labels: burnt circuit board, lifetime motor warranty, Netflix, Play It Again Sports, Saturn Ion, Vision Fitness T9000 platform treadmill
Happy Birthday .....To Me!
Yeah, right.
It would be great to receive a new
SmartCar as a present but I was just sitting in one a former co-worker had just bought.
I think my Saturn Ion and I are destined to spend a few more years together.
But I did learn this birthday year you can receive a Presidential candidate card!
Well, not exactly FROM a party leader, but one with his (or her) picture on the front.
My brother handed me this card Sunday and - quite frankly - I'm surprised he didn't get me the other one featuring the candidate closer to my age.
Labels: birthday card, Obama, presidential candidate, Saturn Ion, SmartCar
