Can't get a break!

 Well, I really did when taking my Ru into the dealer for struts and a ball joint. The price was quoted at nearly $2,800. But buying a new car wasn't something I was considering, since basically nothing was wrong with the one I have.

After all, we don't know what is going to happen with the economy or with things like social security or Medicare. Cheaper to fix the well running car than gamble on the immediate future.

Charlie once more took over the dealership. All the Salesforce and staff stopped to say hello.

I got to meet many customers who had to pet him and tell me about their pets. I saw tons of photos of their favorite animals.

One salesman asked to take Charlie for a little walk around the show floor. He took Charlie into an office and...as soon as I was out of his sight for about a minute, Charlie began to howl!

Nope. He is friendly and adorable, but apparently a Mama's doggy.

When the service manager came to hand me my bill he explained that the extended warranty we bought 6 years ago had covered everything. 

WOW!

Since my visit to the ER last week, I have been tracking my BP. My doctor always complains that its a bit high. She agrees that its white coat syndrome.

So since I have to see her next week, I am using a BP cuff that records the readings. My BP has actually been dropping since last week. 

Yesterday I felt like I was getting a cold. This morning I felt awful. Woserthanawful.

Anyway. Imagine my surprise at having a morning BP of 88/66. Yeah. Me too.

I'm going to start pointing at the side effects of Prolia. [The Prolia flier says that it compromises your immune system and to Avoid people with colds...errrr, um...jeeze. Can I just go sit in a box for the rest of my life???]

Let's add the random severe attacks of pain in different parts of my body that come and go. A big toe one day that felt broken. Then was fine the next day. Ankles that feel sprained for a day. This morning, I had a hard time walking without a limp.  My left knee and calf hurt too much to walk.

A jaw that hurts too badly to eat. Then nothing the next day. 

Fatigue and frustration. It's a Whack a Mole Game with a guess at where pain will show up next. Amazingly enough, the intense pain will last up to a few hours or a few days and then disappear. Bone pain, muscle pain, headache pain. Things I normally do. not. have. 

Yet I am still dragging my body out to do chores and when I can, hike with Charlie for shorter distances.

If this medication keeps me from being active, what quality of life is there?

Oh and the last I can't get a break???

The magnificent head cold put me to bed for most of the day. I'm glad I had prepped things like homemade soup ahead of time. ...and purchased some easy to make meals for times like this.

But we are getting a snowstorm! So at least that is beautiful to watch, and I hope to drag my butt out in the fresh air to enjoy the falling stuff.

I actually feel better, but really enjoy wearing a mask [wink wink]. If I can get outside and get fresh air, I will feel much better.

Sunday night we are to go back into a very deep freeze of -17 F so I have some prep to do before that happens no matter how I feel.

Charlie conquers the dealership again...

I went to get my 60K mile routine work done on my Subaru. I often take Charlie with me as the dealership offers a small doggy park and dogs are treated like royalty at the dealer's.

So Charlie wore his Christmas sweater which he hated. 

We ended up sitting on the floor of the campground display that the dealer had in the middle of the show room. 

Charlie and I preferred the Astro Turf over the chairs. When I did sit in a chair, I sat in the 'Ru Camp Chair Rockers. Sooo much more comfy than any of the waiting area chairs.

We ended up being there for 3.5 hours. I had figured on that. But since the dealer is 45 miles from home, I planned on staying. 

I had Charlie with and he can be very entertaining. He helps the time go by. Other customers come by and ask to pet him and talk to him.

Charlie knows exactly which salesperson has treats. He always makes sure we walk by his desk.

Another salesperson came up and sat down with us for a bit. He asked me to let Charlie off leash. I was hesitant, but then let Charlie go. At first he just wandered back and forth between Dave the sales guy and a customer who had come to sit with us.

He was getting all the loving he could handle.

Then one of the parts guys came out to make popcorn for the waiting room. Charlie took note and walked over to supervise.

He waited patiently to see if the guy bagging the popcorn would spill any for him. This fellow carried on a conversation with Charlie while he was putting the bags away and cleaning up. 

Charlie listened intently and cocked his head back and forth, ramping up the cuteness factor.

When this gent was done, Charlie strutted back to us. It was evident that he felt he owned the place by now.

He came back and looked up at Dave, the salesman. Dave couldn't resist and Charlie sat on his lap for a while.

Funny thing. Charlie preferred to be on the Astro Turf camp site to anywhere else in the place. He found a nice place to nap in the sun and just chill out. Probably because he rest of the floor was concrete and tile.

With the work done, I did get an answer to my question of concern. I got a hefty quote for more work which I sort of expected. I'll be coming back after the Holidays to replace struts and a ball joint in the front end.

When I showed hubby the estimate, he gagged and quipped, "I'm surprised you didn't just buy us a new one!" I winked and said, "Charlie and I thought the Metallic Autumn Green would be one we could live with."

I think the repair bill is better than a car payment right now. Merry Christmas to us?

Charlie and I will be going back to take over the dealership once more in January.

Whew...

We are -5 F with the wind chills at about -25 F. Looks to be a cold day with temps going up to 9 F!

How to make friends at...

the dealership when having a car serviced.

Bring a cute dog.

Subaru has a kids play room and a doggy play yard at the dealership. Charlie enjoys going to the dealer when we do oil changes and tire rotations. 

He makes good use of the yard and then we tour the show floor while I pretend that he is picking out his next Subaru. Over the years, he has posed with sales people in front of some of the displays. 

Everyone at the Service Desk had to say hello to him and pet him. He was a bundle of wagging little joy. The Service Manager said that he'd like to keep Charlie as a greeter. Oh, they would take GOOD care of him!

This time other patrons waiting asked about Charlie and the doggy amenities. They thought it was great that I'd brought a pet to bide my time. I told them that the dealership loved having pets visit. 

They all wanted to know what kind of dog Charlie was. Well, he is a mutt. His dad was a miniature dachshund and mom was a Pekinese dog.

The conversations all revolved around pets and soon I was peering at smart phone photos from all sorts of customers who were telling me what kind of dog or cat they had. Eventually we had about 7 people all in a circle talking about their pets.

One little old lady sat next to me and shared her stories of her dog who was gone. Then she showed me photos of her grandson's cats. She was now living with her grandson and he had cats. She had 8 grandchildren grown up and something like 8 or 9 great grandchildren and they all lived close.

I learned where she traveled and that she had a home on the West Coast on a beach. Another couple told me about their dog and their daughters, in that order. I learned all about their families just by listening. 

It was fun, another gent shared his thoughts about his son's Miniture Pinchers aka Minpins. He asked my advice on their crazy dogs. [Apparently he thought I was a dog mystic or something!] 

He then told me about his family -- after showing me photos of his dog. A person can learn a lot by just looking interested and curious. But I think Charlie was the ice breaker.

As their cars were ready, the patrons who visited thanked me for bringing Charlie because it was fun to converse with others rather than sit and stare at the large TV in the waiting area. They said it passed the time quickly.

As for Charlie? He was so tired from being such a good little dog that he slept the whole way home.

Adventures with Charlie

This is the look I get from Charlie when I lay his stuff out on the arm of the couch.

I have his buzzer/ringer collar, his remote, his mini leash, and some tiny treats in a plastic bag. This is how we go places. Charlie is not very tall and he can be a bit bullheaded so the collar has been a huge lifesaver.

I can call him off from chasing skunks or deer with the collar and use it to remind him to stay by my side. We entered a different phase of training with the collar. I ask Charlie to stay with me and not try run to every human he sees. Not all humans wish to pet him. He doesn't really 'get' that. He loves people and just assumes they love him.

So an Adventure to the Subaru Dealership was in order. We'd be there an hour while they did a bunch of maintenance stuff.  This dealership caters to people with pets as well as those with children. They have a nice playroom and and an open waiting room as well. There is a dog 'park' where you can let your pup off leash and he/she can run around smelling all the Pee Mail.

I browsed the 2021 models while Charlie did business. Yeah, this red is my favorite color.

I like the new features that are standard now on all Subaru vehicles. Alex who sold us our last two 'Rus came out to chat with me. A salesman can't help themselves but suggest and hope you'd purchase a new one. 

He ended up showing me photos of his Dachshund mixed dog and talking about dogs.

Charlie was outstanding. He walked on a leash without pulling and was not annoying when we took some tours through the showroom to drool over some of the hotrod 'Rus. 

I checked out the Forresters and went back to the Outback to peer at the new ones. I really do have a dream of one day camping out of the back of the Outback. 

Charlie wears a mask...

The waiting rooms filled up and the show room floor had quite a few people in it, so Charlie and I spent the rest of our time out in the Dog Park working on The Sit.

The air outside was nice even if we were in a city...LaCrosse. When I went to pay for the upkeep, one service guy came over and asked if he could pet Charlie and hold his leash while I paid. 

The service fellow then asked if Charlie could have a treat. Of course! He broke up a big treat and offered a piece to Charlie who took it very gently and gave the fella his big Googly Eyes of gratitude.

I'm so glad that Charlie has a friendly attitude and a pleasant demeaner. It sure makes it easier for me to take him places. 

Last note. I went out to my car and ... wow... it looked so dirty parked next to all those clean cars! Our gravel roads are so dusty and dry right now that any vehicle that moves on the roads appear as a moving dust storm.

Charlie seems to be adjusting more to his car rides. One day he may even look forward to them!

Charlie takes the Dahl Subaru Dealership by Storm

When I made the appointment on line for an oil change and tire rotation for the car at Dahl Subaru, there was a note saying that they had a mini dog park for those owners who wished to bring their canine friends with them to the service center.

I thought it would be a good trip for Charlie to try out. It was a busy city area and there would be plenty of people to see. The drive would be a bit longer than he was used to and I'd see if he had indeed gotten over his car sickness issues.

Well here is proof positive that Charlie does like car rides now. He makes sure that I am going in the proper direction from the safety of his home made car seat. He can peer out the windows but not jump out as he is held in by his harness. When he tires of watching the road, he curls up and either keeps an eye on me, or naps.

When we got to the dealership, Jason walked up to take my name and melted when he saw Charlie.
"I love him! Look at those little legs!"

I signed the paperwork to authorize the work on the vehicle and then Jason walked me to the 'dog park' or mini playground they had built attached to the dealership. Jason offered to get some fresh water for Charlie. I told him we carried his little bowl and water in my back pack.

On the way through the showroom we were stopped several times so people could meet Charlie. A couple that were inspecting a CrossTrek stopped me to show me photos of the brown daschund, and to pet Charlie of course.

Alex who has sold us two Subaru's came out to visit for a bit. He pulled out his smartphone and showed me photos of his daughter with their part daschund dog!

Another fellow stopped after parking some new vehicles and visited Charlie through the fence. A lady pushed her baby carriage up to the fence so her daughter could see Charlie.

One of the secretaries came out.
"Can I get your dog some fresh water?"
"Can I pet your dog?"

Charlie was totally engrossed by all the other dog smells. But each human deserved his personal greeting.

When the Jason from Service came back to tell me the vehicle was done, he opened the door and Charlie ran to him.

I told Jason to watch it, Charlie would slip around him and go visit everyone in the showroom and offices if he let him through.

Jason and the secretary shrugged and said, "They would love that!"
I put Charlie on his leash and he began his perp walk to the service area.

Along the way other salespeople and managers all stepped out to say hello to Charlie.
And Charlie? He just walked along as if he owned the place.

As I paid for the service at the desk, another customer walked up and asked if he could pet Charlie.

We walked to the car and Charlie looked up at me as if to say.
"Why are we leaving? There were so many nice humans in there! Let's go back!"

Charlie slept most of the way home.

I think the vote is finally in. Charlie is good for longer car rides and behaves well in strange places.

He is a keeper.
~~~~~~~~
Last note. I continue to go to this dealership because of their outstanding customer service and their employees.

Last year I'd take my husband's truck to a dealership close to home and the difference is glaring. I will never return to the one close to home for anything.