Ruby Phoned Home Today

Darby finally found an apartment in Oakville. She had planned to find one a few months after starting her new job, but soon discovered that the commute was a little tiring. The apartment hunting alone is a whole other story, but she finally found a really great one and is now in the throws of trying to get furniture, kitchen ware and decor gathered together before her actual moving day. As luck would have it, Nat and I still had our previous kidney-shaped coffee table, its’ matching side table and a floor lamp that we wanted to donate to Darby’s cause, and she was more than willing to take them off our hands.

As Nat and I were returning to Niagara Motors on Thursday to pick up our new vehicle, I had the brilliant idea of delivering the furniture to Darby and her Mom while we still had possession of the Van. So Nat and I loaded up our cargo and drove into St. Catharines early Thursday morning where Claudia was waiting. The ladies said they were really excited about our donation, as Darby would now have a coffee table, end table and floor lamp to go along with her newly purchased Sofa to complete the ensemble. With what Nat and I could see of Darby’s decor, we could tell the apartment was going to be stunning and fun!!

After a quick (and I do mean quick) catch-up with Claudia about their trip to Las Vegas, Nat and I headed home for a quick lunch and then Nat had to make his phone call to his nephew in England. They had planned to have an actual telephone conversation so Nat could ask his nephew exactly how things were going with his sister, Jenny. Finally some relatively good news, as Jenny now seemed to be on an even keel with the pain medication, that her depression was being treated and was told she could probably go for home visits for a few hours when she felt ready. She’s still going to have a biopsy, but only until she can keep on an even path for a few days. Nat and I both took sighs of relief and hope and pray that this good news continues.

Right after Nat’s phone call, we were headed back into Virgil and Niagara Motors to pick up our new beauty. A 2014 Buick Encore with all kinds of gadgetry and technical wizardry that will take Nat and I quite a few days to get use to. We were at the dealership, naturally, for an hour or so getting the paper work signed and a demonstration of how to work some of the gadgets that we’ve never had before. The salesman paired our cell phone via Bluetooth with the vehicle, so we now have “hands free” calling, and demonstrated the Satellite Radio we would have the use of for 3 months. Our heads were now spinning at everything the salesman was demonstrating and we knew we’d forget it all as soon as we arrived home. We told ourselves that we’d have to sit in the vehicle while at home and read the Manual to refresh ourselves.

Pulling into the garage, we were still in disbelief that we had actually done this. A totally, totally new and different vehicle from anything we’ve had in the past. Each of our cars – the Buick LeSabre, Jimmy and the Uplander – have all been brown or variations thereof. Ruby in all her red glory was such a departure for us and she looked great and even took up less space in the garage – bonus!

Friday, Nat and I were back into our usual routine. It had been a busy week and we decided to just pick up a few groceries that were necessary and then take it easy the rest of the day. As Nat took Ruby down the road I could see it on his face – that smile he gets when he’s quietly pleased – he was loving this woman!

Today, Saturday, was my day. I had a few errands I wanted to run at Niagara Square but was just a bit hesitant. Somehow one gets a little extra cautious and overly protective of a brand new vehicle. You want to keep it shiny and new for as long as possible. So, as the rains were coming down this morning, I decided to do my errands in the afternoon when it got dry. Afterall I didn’t want to take Ruby out into the cold and damp right away. As I sat in the driver’s seat, Nat reminded me again about a couple of items – the new spot for the windshield wiper, the buttons for the air-conditioner and how to adjust the seat and steering wheel. Little short me needs a wee bit of a boost sometimes. I was loving the new automatic stick-shift on the floor. Reminder of days of yore when I drove a standard and loved it. Still miss standard-drive today but this I could handle. A cute little sporty stick shift on the floor, a couple of cup holders, a small covered compartment all aligned behind one another. Vrooommmm, Vroooommmm!!

I made it to Niagara Square all in one piece. I did feel, however, that I was a bit further back from the windshield than I was use to. I felt like I should have the back of the driver’s seat a bit further ahead to give me just a bit of that “wee boost” to see more of the windshield. I managed to buy a few good deals at my favourite store, TanJay, Alia, where summer bargains were now to be had as the new Fall line-up had arrived. I then wandered into Michael’s Craft Store for a wicker basket that could hold magazines and sit on the living room floor to compliment some other wicker pieces. Having found exactly what I wanted, I headed back to our new beauty and as is my usual practise, I called Nat to let him know I was on my way home. We have a habit of always checking in with each other whenever one of us is out and about. I felt now was a perfect time to adjust the driver’s seat to my liking and test out the “hands free” calling. I started the engine, turned on the radio (volume down) and pressed the Call button;  Ruby asked for directions. Call Home, I asked of Ruby wherein she did and I was soon connected to Nat and having a bit of a giggle. Nat had replied that “Yes, Ruby called home”.