Spring in Tiny Town

It's Spring!

Around here most people watch for the first robin returning. I, myself, think the first dead skunk in the road is a more accurate sign. The real first sign of spring in our home is selling an old vehicle or buying another one. Note that I did not say buying a NEW one. We both prefer older vehicles and I will buy a "beater", then drive it till the doors fall off, rather than get a new car or truck. I probably haven't spent as much on all the cars and motorcycles I have had in my life as some people do getting ONE new car or truck.

The mate and I were out driving last Saturday, on the way to get supplies, when the mate spotted a little, red Chevy Tracker. It went right over my head that he might be interested in owning it...he LOVED the huge Dodge Ram he was driving. We didn't pay much for it and it ran great with on the fly four wheel drive. It also sucked down gas like an inside-out Artiesian.

When he stopped on the way back I was a little surprised as I thought that HE thought that I might like the tiny thing. I was just starting to tell him I wasn't interested in getting rid of my Chevy S10 pick up when he jumped out of Big Red and ran over to look inside the itty bitty red four wheel drive truck.

Well, hmmm! I got out and he told me that he was very interested. I walked up the long, muddy drive to see if someone was home. I eventually raised the people who owned it from their afternoon naps and got them to find the key to let us test drive it.

We were only half a mile from home. The mate took off for the house as all the tires were soft. The handy air compressor in the garage took care of that. He came back and said he wanted it.

Having known him a long time now, I had already dickered them down 200.00 and was ready to whip out the cash when he drove in - except they couldn't find the title! We shook hands all around and agreed it was sold. They would get a replacement title on Monday.

Until we sold the truck we were a little strapped so I decided to take my bike ('82 V-45 Honda Magna) out to a friend's place that is on a main road and sell it to defray the cost of the new itty red truck. It sold. I still have the '79 GL1000 Goldwing in the garage that Mate is fixing up for me, so I am not "bikeless" Big Red is parked out there, too. When it sells we will just better than break even. The gas we will save will square things up, in about 6 months, for the new tires he put on it.

So, now he has the itty red truck that will seat 4 (if two of them are under 4' tall) and I have the S10 so we can still haul stuff, like broken down bikes.

The robins were one week earlier than the truck, 3 weeks behind the first skunk and 2 weeks behind the red winged black birds. But it is spring at our house now, first vehicle of the year.