At last, a truck...

It was a sad day, many months ago, when we suddenly and unexpectedly lost our workhorse of a truck. The insurance company didn't give us much for our trusty friend -- nowhere close to what she was worth to us -- so it took us a while to track down a suitable replacement that we could afford. I was starting to think that we wouldn't be able to find anything when this Dodge pickup surfaced on eBay. Relative to the Mazda when we lost her, this one is a bit bigger and more powerful and is a year younger with slightly fewer miles. With any luck, the Dakota can pick up where the Mazda left off.

This is quite the relief. It's really been driving me nuts to be without a truck this spring. After years of driving a truck, perhaps I'm spoiled -- I have to remind myself that I survived for many years before getting the Mazda and many people live their entire lives without a pickup -- or perhaps after so many years in the South, I'm finally becoming naturalized. In any case, I'm happy to be back behind the wheel of a truck again. I can move big things, get free mulch from the city (they only give it away by the truckload!), transport recycling, gasoline, oil and dirt without stinking up/messing up my car, haul lumber and other odd-sized items, get a Christmas tree home without the contortions and sap turds, and probably a bunch of other stuff that doesn't come immediately to mind (but has nothing to do with gun racks or dead game). Whew.