I Can't Explain It

I just finished a great cup of coffee and I'm starting on my second as I write this. The first cup was New England decaf, as is the second, but this one I've laced with about a half bottle of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino to clear away the cobwebs. I know, I know. What's the point of drinking decaf if you're going to add a caffeinated beverage to it? Why not just start with a cup of regular coffee and be done with it. Can't say exactly. I gave up trying to make sense of everything I do years ago.

Spring has definitely sprung here at the Post. As a matter of fact, Spring started springing over a month ago, way back in late February when our little patch of buttercups out by the shed popped out. I can't explain what was going on with these hardy flowers, but they survived two different hard freezes, I'm talking low twenties, and yet still stayed strong and beautifully yellow for almost four weeks. Usually they last about half that time. Maybe "no pain, no gain" works for flowers too. This pic was made at the end of February. They had already been out a week, survived one cold snap, and still looked that way about 3+ weeks later. Again, I can't 'splain it, but I like it.

On the automobile front, I mentioned that we sold the Jaguar to Joyce's brother who reports that he is enjoying the car down in sunny Florida, especially since he can drop the top. Soon after we sold the Jag, we made another automotive change back in late October. Our main vehicle, a 2009 Toyota Avalon, was continuing to give us problems. We decided to trade and first looked at the Buick LaCrosse sedan. It was (is) a very nice car, but seemed a little less roomy inside than what we had in mind. The salesman suggested we try an Enclave.

An SUV? What? One of those big old people haulers?

Well, we never thought we'd like an SUV, but we fell in love with it. Actually, only I fell in love. Joyce is a little more realistic about cars, and didn't exactly fall in love, but really liked it. So we leased a black one and we're enjoying the heck out of it.

We've taken three fairly long trips in it already, including two to Texas. On the highway we're getting 24 mpg, which ain't too shabby for a nice large vehicle like the Enclave.  The ride is smooth and the cabin is quiet, I mean really quiet, even at 75 mph. There's also that Sirius radio thang, which we've enjoyed immensely. There's even a dedicated Bluegrass station. And among all the choices, Joyce found one under the Jazz heading called "Escape" that she loves. And we got room inside. Lots of room.

We've never owned an SUV before, but we have owned three station wagons: A '57 Ford Country Sedan, a '72 Pontiac, and a '75 Toyota Corolla. So our decision to buy an SUV was not entirely unprecedented. A station wagon is not exactly a Sport Utility Vehicle, but it's in the same general "non sporty" category in my book of categories. I realize that "Sport" is part of the name, but you know what that's all about: marketing. "Sport" is relative. An SUV is sporty if compared to a van. But compared to a BMW M coupe or a Corvette, not so much.

Now Joyce and I have always liked fairly sporty cars. So, even though our going for the Enclave was not unprecedented, it's still something of a mystery. I can't explain it. It just happened.

I like my decaf mixed with a little Mocha Frappuccino. Buttercups don't usually last over a month, especially after a couple of hard freezes, but mine did this year. I like sporty cars, but I also like the Enclave. Like I said above, you just can't make everything make sense.

Some things come straight out of your gut brain. Not everything is logical. But The Who's 1965 classic 'splains it better than I...