I called it my husband’s “midlife crisis” truck. I actually hated it for the several years I was making payments on it because we stretched ourselves really thin when we purchased it.

We finally sold it to our son, who loved it. He is a mechanic in the guard and while he was on assignment in California, in his free time, he replaced the engine, alternator, transmission, and a few other things that I don’t even know what they do.

It is a 1995 and when he got serious with his girlfriend, now wife, he decided he needed a newer truck. We bought it back from him for my husband to use in his mowing business and for our youngest son to drive back and forth to school.

It is a rugged truck. At last count it has hit and survived 7 deer.  Only 2 deer did any significant damage to it. After the last run in with a buck, we had the front end and rear end worked on.

I spoke with the mechanic over the phone and asked if we should think of replacing it. He seemed shocked and explained to me what a “good” truck it is. Except for the miles coming back from California, the engine has not had many miles added to it. The only problem was the body was rusting through in several places.

My husband got an estimate to have the body repaired a few years ago and we just didn’t have the money in savings. I told him to get another estimate. It had doubled! We now had that much in savings and I realized the price would never go down. We had the body repaired and painted. Part of it was recently repaired and painted after the run in with the deer.

When we bought the truck, in 1999, I told my husband we would not replace it until 2011. I moved that date to 2018.

My “new” truck!

My first job was selling waterbeds and next door was a shoe repair business run by a father and son. The son delivered waterbeds for my boss part-time.

When I mentioned I needed a new purse he said, “Find a leather one with a cloth lining and it will last a decade. No matter what breaks on it, I can repair it.”

I have simple tastes; I like a white purse for spring and summer and a black purse for fall and winter.

My current black purse has a cloth lining, and although the exterior is not leather, it has lasted me six years. It was a little small – now that I have to carry 2 Epipens, an inhaler, wrap-around sunglasses and an allergy mask in a protective bag.

When the tab on the zipper tore off, I replaced it with a key ring because I knew it would take some time to find a leather, cloth-lined purse. I like being able to hook the key ring in my finger and pull the zipper shut.

I replaced the torn tab piece with a key ring.