Odyssey to get transmission transplant

Well, the Odyssey will get a new lease on life after all. The local dealer has slashed the price of a replacement transmission to $1800 on account of our long-time service relationship. While its not a free replacement, I think its fair considering that Honda’s response when it became apparent this model had transmission issues was to extend the warranties to 100,000 miles. Since our van is at 120,000 miles ours is obviously beyond that window.
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The World Without Us

I’m in the middle of a captivating (and a bit overdue, according to the Wake library) book called The World Without Us by Alex Weisman. Weisman takes a look at how the things we take for granted in modern life would fare if we suddenly up and simply vanished. Its a thought-provoking premise.
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Rain: just what the doctor ordered

I got myself into a funk last week about the drought. I was thinking ahead to June or July when our Falls Lake water allocation is projected to run out and wondering how I’d feel and what I’d do when that finally happened. I was missing the good, soaking rains I was used to seeing. Where did they go?

Imagine my relief to hear sheets upon sheets of rain falling tonight: the good, steady rain I’d been missing so! I stood on the front porch, transfixed at the dancing raindrops. It was so beautiful!
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Raleigh’s Sign Nazis strike … selectively

I figured I’d get the jump on the real estate crowd by putting some for sale signs out on Durant Road in Friday morning rain. I got home that evening and they were gone: probably stolen by the City of Raleigh’s Sign Nazis.

We got another pair from the agent who put our house on MLS. I promptly put them out Friday night. By 8:30 this morning they were also gone.
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Busy packing weekend

Kelly was feeling mildly better yesterday, so she opted to entertain the kids while I spent all day loading more stuff from the garage into our PODS container. I managed to fill about ten boxes from things off our shelves. Then I broke down the three empty floor-to-ceiling shelves and made them ready to pack as well. While the shelves were helpful to have, now that they’re gone there is definitely more space in the garage.

I’m feeling a little wiped today, though. I’m hoping against hope that it isn’t my turn to get sick.

Make room for the Rooma

While the day had its challenges – we all had cabin fever, Kelly and Hallie on the mend from colds/flu – there were some highlights. We made a fresh loaf of bread this morning and then went to Durant Nature Park to shake the cabin fever stuff. The kids rode their bikes to and from the park and we hiked all the way around the lower lake, marveling at the telephone pole-sized tree trunks the beavers have been sawing through.

I was also thrilled when the Fedex guy brought us our newest addition to the family: a Roomba Discovery. A coworker had alerted me to reconditioned Roombas being sold on Woot that afternoon, so I jumped on it. A hundred bucks plus shipping later and it arrived – quickly, I might add.
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House blues

We’re in the phase where the house has to be ready to be shown at a moment’s notice. I was hoping we’d be out of this phase by now but we haven’t been as fortunate as we’d hoped. The first couple we saw opted not to make an offer: spooked by the railroad tracks. Since their friends live a stone’s throw away and they don’t seem to mind, I wonder how they reached that conclusion.
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