Well, it's been a busy week since my last Thursday post of likes! We bought a new car! For Mike and I that is a big deal because our current car is 18 years old, and his pickup is older than that... We keep our cars forever.
Isn't it pretty?! It is a Mazda CX-50. We had a choice of red or white, and Mike just kept looking at the red and finally said that was the one.
When you haven't had a new car since 2006, there's a lot to learn!
My phone is now paired with it, and yesterday I was driving along, when a ding came through the car speaker and up popped a message on the car's screen that said "text from 'so-and-so' " Who knew?!
A friend recommended this book, and it has turned out to be a really good story! I've never read a WWII historical fiction book that is told from a German citizen's point of view like this one is. The main character does not agree with what Hitler has done to the country and is trying to do through the war, so he works with the Resistance.
Younger son wanted to try making some Greek food the other night, so he came up with some grilled chicken in pita pockets, and made a tzatziki sauce that was really tasty! I had heard of tzatziki, but never tasted it - it's made with plain yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon, mint, and dill, and I'm not sure what else. Besides being yummy on the chicken, it's really good with veggies dipped in it.
LeeAnna's question of the week is about our summer routines - do they change with the season even though we are adults and not kids getting out of school for the summer? I have been lucky to have a school year schedule most of my life because I was a teacher in my working career, so getting out for summer was a big deal! Even now, I feel that excitement of the change of seasons and expectations.
I do enjoy the opportunity to be outside more - playing golf, hiking, working in the yard and garden. I'm a small scale gardener, but keep trying every year with varying degrees of success!
Can you see the difference in my two tomato plants in this photo? One is going great - tons of cherry tomatoes on it - and the other has hardly grown at all and, in fact, is looking pretty sickly. I wonder why?! I've treated them both the same! (I think...)
The garden on the other side of the house is looking good. Flowers are happy and the cucumbers are huge! I've already harvested one and eaten it! (You might remember, some pesky varmint ate the green beans this year - I had to give up on them...) But there will be cucumbers!
Hope you're having a great week!
Woo-hoo, Diann! Snazzy red car, indeed! We're like you--drive them until they're finished. Although it looks like we hit 350,000+ miles a lot sooner than you do. Nice to have a phone sync up to the car!!! I've never heard of tzatziki but it looks and sounds delicious! Good thing you have 2 tomato plants and one is covering for the other!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on garden this year. Besides delicious cukes & cherry tomatoes, you've also got some pretty potted flowers. Makes summertime bearable. The book sounds interesting since it's told from a different point of view. Have a great rest of your week!
ReplyDeleteOOPS! Almost forgot -- Congratulations on your new car!!!! I believe in driving a car until the bitter end too. It's always sad to say good-bye to the "old reliable"! Nowadays, even the bare-bones cars have WAAAAYYY more features than the older ones. I drive a 2014 Explorer and I was thrilled with seater-heaters. Now I wish I had seater-coolers and steering wheel warmer. It'll be awhile until I get something newer because I only have 68,000 miles on it and I shoot for at least 200,000! Might actually be my last car since I'm not getting any younger! Lol! Enjoy your new ride!
ReplyDeletePretty new car, congrats. You are so right that things are really different in vehicles now! We too seem to keep our vehicles for a long time. I have road noise in my SUV other than that it is great shape. Wish my cucumbers were doing good as yours.
ReplyDeleteyears ago we used to keep a car for a couple years and trade up then after awhile they seemed to make them better and we hang on to them. We got our new car a couple years ago and I'm still trying to figure it out at times!! I love Tzatziki sauce - I first had it on a Greek Gyro sandwich and loved it ever since but I have not made it.
ReplyDeleteLook at you all sassy in that red Mazda!! Very nice. Red is my favorite color in a vehicle. I've had a red Honda and a red Platinum Ford F-150 (we both regret trading that one!) Sorry about your one tomato (I've had that happen too) but the other one looks amazing. I never seem to get a cucumber picked before it gets too big. I've always thought tzatziki sounded good but never tried it - that looks delicious! Your son is quite the chef, so versatile! My summer routine consists of counting down until fall - lol!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new car! I love that colour!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new vehicle. It is fabulous. I would have chosen red too . We have keep our vehicles till they wear out too. There is a lot to learn with the new ones. My tomatoes are doing the same thing- how strange. I wonder if it is the type of plants. I have never hear of tzatziki dip but it sounds delicious. Have a wonderful evening and a great weekend. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteLove your new red car! Good for you to set up the tech part of the car and now you can be surprised at tech in action! Tzatziki is delicious. How awesome your son is so adventurous with his meal preparation! I don't know what to say about the tomato plant. Did that pot house a tomato plant last year? Sometimes, growing in the same pot for a second year can cause no growth.
ReplyDeleteSweet new ride! My car is paired with my phone too, and it still startles me a bit when I get a call. The ring goes through the radio speakers, mutes the radio at the same time, and all I have to do is touch a button on the steering wheel to answer it. It is really convenient, and I like that feature a lot.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new car! We hang onto our cars forever too. My Guy is still driving the 1999 Jeep we bought when we had Grad Girl. Summer looked different when Grad Girl was growing up, now it's not too different in terms of schedule. It's just too hot to do much outside.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty color for the car! I've not heard of tzatziki either, but it looks delicious. What a strange difference in your tomatoes. I know dirt can make a big difference, but it looks like you have the same in both pots!
ReplyDeleteSome 'pesky varmint' chewed and broke off all my tiny cosmos that I'd scattered in an empty part of one of our raised beds. I saw it just now after my walk and boy it makes me mad. I was so excited for the carpet of colour they were going to give. Hopefully a bunch more (I threw the whole packet in there) will sprout and survive. Oh my, I thought we kept our cars for quite a while, 7 - 8 years, except for my darling VW Passat which was 11. The technology on all vehicles (not just EVs) is incredible these days. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt's exciting to get a new car and the red means you'll be able to spot it in parking lots better. We always drive cars into the ground as they say. In my former life, one car driven by us forever then passed on to Beth. I still don't know all the technical stuff our car offers. Meanwhile, fun growing things isn't it! I've heard of that sauce too and probably had it and liked it with schwarmas. So wonderful when someone else can cook!
ReplyDeleteHave fun with the new car! I think it's time for a road trip!
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