Decisions, decisions

Today our van is getting fixed. Is is a nice full-sized van, 1992 Chevy G-20, but lately it has been in the shop, sometimes I feel, more than on the road.

The air conditioner is not working. And now it is making strange rattling and chirping noises in the back. But only at low speeds, and usually when the engine is cold. So, if it's not a hot day, and I can get on the highway to travel somewhere, I can enjoy a comfortable, relatively noiseless ride.

Did I mention that it has over 140,000 miles on it? It's been a good van--seeing us across the country (or at least south to Illinois and Tennessee) numerous times. It's been a good towing vehicle for our travel trailer. It's big and comfortable, so when we have loud teenagers riding along, they are not hanging over our shoulders with their laughter and chatter.

But is it time for something else? Christina will need to have a ride to school every day starting the end of this month. We are hoping to carpool, but that means we need to be willing to drive another student(s) too. The van is rather a sled in the snow, and I have wished for 4-wheel or at least front wheel drive for years on snowy slippery days.

Tim is thinking of a new vehicle too. With his remodeling work, he never seems to be able to find or fit all the tools he needs into his pickup truck. He's been looking at cargo cube vans, ones where he could have shelves and organize and find his tools readily.

He'd like to get the cargo van and then give me his pick-up, a Toyota Tundra. The Tundra does have 4-wheel drive, seats six (it is an extended cab) and is pretty reliable. I've just never seen myself tooling around town with teenagers in a pickup.

So, we have decisions to make. Keep putting money into the van? Get something new for Tim? Time will tell. I hope we have the wisdom to decide what to do and the patience to listen to each other and our differing (sometimes) points of view.

Till next time,


Suzi