Saturday, March 5, 2011

Feeling Blue

You wouldn't think getting a new car would be cause to be sad, but it kind of is. Part of me kind of feels like I'm putting down a trusted dog.

My 1999 Ford Windstar has been a faithful friend. When I got it back in the day, I could have called it Baby, but refrained for that was my old car, so I named her Bonnie Blue Butler (you know, from Gone with the Wind). Most of the time we called her Blue or Butler Blue even. Anyway, I never had an accident in her. And she brought my babies Home safely. Every Time.
We lost a tire or two while on our cross country trip in 2007, but both easily taken car of. She made the trips from coast to coast in her 12 years with us, and we all returned home safely.



On our most recent big trip, my most precious cargo before we set out to western New York.

It's kind of been hard to be too cheerful about getting a new car because Ford decided to trash this car. I am very excited about my new car, but at the same time, it's so sad to say goodbye to this car who has been such a faithful friend getting us home safely every time. Even when Ford says she's disintegrated to the point they are Totaling her and not even willing to fix it, I still find it hard to believe because this car has been so good to us. There have been a lot of scary times in our lives, since we bought this car, and sitting in this car, I felt safe. Lots of big car around me to keep me and all my boys safe; Safe in a snowstorm, safe in a rain storm, safe in practically tornadic winds, safe in a strange place, safe on a rainy night when the tent was flooding and coyotes (or wolves) are howling in the distance.
I feel guilty, so often this car kept us safe, and here I am throwing her to the Totaller because Ford said so.

Thanks Blue. Thanks for getting us home safe and sound, so many times. I know people don't get sappy about cars, but I get sappy about everything, even objects when they've been loyal, or maybe I've watched Cars too many times.

In other news, consequently, the boys and I went out to Eastside Enterprise Car Sales today (during a house showing). The boys couldn't wait for me to even move carseats in before testing out the new car. Chris wanted to sit in the passenger seat, while Sam was ecstatic to sit in a seat without a Carseat.



It's a great new car, the color so much prettier in real life, it's like a Royal Blue. Very nice. Not sure what we're going to name this one though, something Butler-y. And male. It's a boy car, his nose is not as dainty as my previous car, but more Bulldog ish. Though the day we bought it we saw Gordon Hayward play, maybe I'll call him Gordon...or G-dawg. Do you name your car? We always did. Is Gordon a good car's name?

Right next door to the car place was the Heidelburg Cafe. Now for those than don't know the east side, it's a little german cafe dabbling in traditional german fare like breads, sausages, and and all the german tchtchke crap you can imagine. It's almost like a hole in the wall, mom and pop joint with pretty murals painted on the outside of the building. They even painted the trashcans! I can remember going there multiple times with my Grandfather. Every time they came to town, Grandpa wanted to go down there, early the first morning, where he'd buy bark bread and german boob magazines (at least that's what Lisa and I called them, you know how the Europeans are more comfortable with nudity on their beaches, well it's in their magazines too) I remember laughing at these 'models' who didn't shave their pits. Eww.
But going there now, it seemed so homey. It's a lovely little cafe, small tables if you want to eat (though we never did with Grandpa, and I didn't stop today) and little candies from all over Europe available to buy, and of course their scrumptious baked goods...

Bad idea to send me there hungry....with Hungry boys.

I picked up a few goodies: sausages, pretzels and mustard, and my favorite, schwarzwelderkirschtorte, black forest cherry cake, I don't think I got a piece often, if ever, maybe once. And I had to trysomething else called The Legendary Bee Sting (whatever that is in German) two cake layers with bavarian creme (from Bavaria Duh!) topped with a crunchy layer of honey and roasted almonds like a creme brulee. Had to get one of those..you know, For Science. Oh My. As I stood waiting at the counter while the boys enchanted all the Omas and Opas eating at the cafe, I remembered, Grandpa would let us sometimes pick a candy. I don't know if it was everytime, or once, but I told Chris my Grandpa would let me pick a candy from this shop, so they could too. I told the boys they could pick one, and faster than I could say it they were grabbing chocolate umbrellas; tiny plastic umbrella handles with a colored tin foil umbrella shaped chocolates. Sam started peeling the paper off before I could buy it. They stuffed those chocolates in their mouths, so excited, and sam wasn't swallowing, so chocolate slime just dripped down him. I think he got more on him than in him. There was an opa in line behind us there with his granddaughter giggling at Sam. He told the girl to grab a couple more umbrellas for the boys. Chris was like, "I can't take candy from you, you're a stranger". Meanwhile I'm trying to pay and pack and make sure the gal got the candies they ate. I said, say Thank You, and take it, it came off the shelf, it's ok, Mommy is right here, it's an ok candy to take.
I smiled, laughed and nearly cried as we left the Cafe Heidelburg. The boys had a great time. Just like I had when I went with my Grandpa.



It's rare I have such fond memories about my Grandpa, but those were good ones. I can't remember not having fun when we'd go. Lisa said she didn't remember, maybe she was too young, maybe only Grandpa and I went. That's possible too. But it was fun.

And on our way home, Chris was yelling at me to listen to more Danny Kaye Stories, a CD my sister burned for me years ago I found in the pile of CDs pulled from the minivan. And Chris loves them. This one was always one of our favorites.



And I swear my family talked like this. We would quote this crazy german accent, and laugh hysterically. There was an oma in the shop who was talking like this today, and I smiled, but wavered between laughing and crying all the way home.

I tell you, Words of Wisdom

"What iz right for one iz right olzo for ze ozer von."

And if you like that one, you'll love this one. It gets Chris laughing so hard, I want to cry, just Thanking God for the miracle of his great laughter.



Lisa and I would play this record over and over and over again. Funny how now my son wants the CD over and over and over again. Full Circle.



Smiling all the way home, it seems our new car is going to be a good one too, getting us home safely for the first time too. Though a little less than spotless considering we had the dog in the car the whole time, not ideal, but Eric didn't want to take her either. So the car was clean for 10 minutes, but really it's going to be our family vehicle, and our family LIVES in the car, dog too. At least I refrained from eating french fries in the car on the first day. ;)

And once again we are full circle from one faithful lovely blue minivan to a new one. Bittersweet. Seems also that it is hard to be sad missing days gone by when listening to lot of Danny Kaye songs and stories.



Hoo hoo ha, hoo hoo ha, abba dabba hoo hoo ha!

4 comments:

SuperSillyAunt said...

I think you should name your van Danny-K. That way you'll always remember the fun you had the day you got him. And we'll have to be careful...your van's a boy and mine's a girl. We can't leave them parked next to each other or we'll have little van babies ;o)

Elizabeth said...

Great looking van! And we love the Heidelburg Cafe too...don't get over to that side of town nearly often enough to go. Doug loves their kielbasa.

Andrea said...

I think you should call it Hampton (after Hampton Drive on Butler's campus). :)

Cathy said...

Eric says "maybe we should name the car Toobigyo?"