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148, 473 miles

Our 2006 Subaru Outback is aging, most days well, some days expensively, but all days...it's getting older.

Old isn't bad. But old can mean...being careful instead of fearlessly forging ahead.

Careful about driving too hard, too far, on a hot day. The Subie, it turns out, has a lightweight cooling system, and our climate is far from lightweight. It's heavyweight. 95-103 degrees for weeks on end. Lots of hills and stop and go traffic and opportunities to go "Sonova..is this going to be the day the steam will pour from beneath the hood, the temperature gauge will redline and I will grab my water bottle and medical bag and hoof it to the nearest...exit, or cool place?"

I stress a lot while driving Subie during the summer, I'm not gonna lie.

I worry that the car I lusted after for decades, finally appropriated during my final year of med school because it snows a lot in Santa Fe and I had to drive between there and Albuquerque several times a week..will require more investment to sustain than the value can justify.

It's a fine balance, this push pull of no car payment but investing in repairs/stress filled later life of a car and the prospect of getting a newer, better, hopefully cooler version of this four wheeled beast that costs hundreds of dollars a month.

Right now, in the eleven months leading up to the Wedding, I don't want to actually increase my overhead. We're managing while I get my practice off the ground..but there's no cash leftover for, oh, a shinier, newer version of the elderly duchess that is our Subie.

The money is earmarked for the Dress. And for general support of the Wedding. Prep. Travel. You name it, if it has the word 'wedding' associated with it, there's a premium to pay.

For now, Duchess Subie remains a member of our family.

But her daily protesting (hot flashes, squeaky belts, gradually declining compression) continues to intensify. At some point, we may be forced to acquiesce, to upgrade in the face of great financial expectations.

Which makes us like most Americans, most days, yes?

Huge hugs, and happy commuting!

Stevie


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