Subie's Big Day!

Subie Feeling New and Improved!

Today was a big day for the Silver Bullet Subaru.   He got his airbag replaced!  It has been a long time coming and the threatening letters for getting it done were piling up.   With work, money, cats, stockings, Flooding, Colds, Running, Races, and the impossible distance to the nearest Subaru Dealer...  It looked like we were never going to get it done.

Cheryl says, "FIX EVERYTHING!"

But that little run in with the Tornado ( Or as Cheryl calls it:  "The Subie Rocker.") got Cheryl thinking about all the millions of ways that we could die.   And ONE of those ways... was the Takata Airbag.

Does this seem dangerous?

My best way to avoid dying is to drive safely.  But apparently,  other drivers feel differently about that.   And thus:   The Airbag was born. 

Hmm,  This might be.... 

The Special thing about the Tanaka Airbag is that it EXPLODES!  Right into your face... or in this case,  the passengers.    For this reason, Subaru has issued that there should be no one in the passenger side until that airbag has been replaced.     They also  says shrapnel will come out.  And since Cheryl has no life insurance, if she dies or is horribly disfigured,  this could be a problem for me.

Testing out the new Subaru  Outback.

How do you turn it on?

Drive to Moline Illinois...  Because there is only one other Subaru dealer closer, and those guys never returned our calls.   McLaughlin Subaru was Nice enough to allow us to drive a "loaner" Subaru Outback.   I say Loaner in quotes because it really was a sales pitch/test drive.   It's ok... I'll drive it.

Where is the key?

Key fob goes here, I guess. 

First thing was figuring out how the darn thing starts!   There was no key... only this Fob.  The only place to put the Fob was in this little tray.

A Start Button?  How does it work?

I find the Big Start Button... and Push.   Nothing happens.    Apparently,  you have to have your foot on the brake if you want it to start.  ( Park is no longer good enough, I guess.)

Instructions on how to drive?
How Thoughtful!

We pause a moment to figure out the new features.  Most everything was were it should be.  The biggest addition was the huge touch screen in the center of the console.  Cheryl navigates the navigation.

Cheryl taps in the destination .

Little blue line showing the way.

We drive around for a few.   It was nice... but I like Old Silver Bullet better.   It is the way things should be, after all. 

You are where the Little arrow points.

Look out behind you.
Too bad rear cameras don't stop people
from hitting you. 

Upon returning to pic up Silver Bullet,  the Mechanics tell us that the belts are showing on one of our tires!   We had just purchased 4 new tires and were planning on getting them installed on Monday.   The revelation causes us to push up our plans.   Luckily, Reggie was available and was able to install them today.  Yeah! 

Time to get new tires.  

Other than that and the Oil Change,  I replaced the Brakes two days ago.  I might have been able to get a few more miles out of them, but I believe "preventative" maintenance is in order with Subie pushing 18 years and coming up on the Big 300!

The Flooding is narrowing our
training runs lately. 

It continues to rain today.   And I'm hoping it calms down a bit for tomorrow.   Cheryl is planning on running this weekend and does not want anything to mess with it.  I think she needs it because all this craziness has been messing with her mental health.  ( I always say that.... because it is true!)

Things You May Only Hear At Allenbrite Studio.

We are back in the stocking making business!   Meaning,  requests, customs,and, occasionally... sales.  I actually enjoy this time of year...  mostly because Cheryl does all of the work and I help out with a button or two now and then. But today I wanted to catalog one of the perks of working from home with each other.

Cheryl occasionally says things that make no sense to anyone outside the business.  Meaning:  Only I understand what she means.    This happens so often, I barely register these sayings and phrases.  But today she said something even I had to chuckle at.

"Let me look in my bag of cats."

She did not even know how odd that must sound to another person.  When I alerted her to the strange phrase, she gave me a confused look. It is n ot like we have a bag of kittens lying around the shop and Cheryl occasionally digs inside to pull one out.   She, of course, means her stocking patterns.   And "Cats" are a favorite category for pet lovers.

Is this what she means?

This got me to think about the other odd things that probably mean very little or sound confusing to strangers.

"We need more Haybale."

"Does this Dog have a tail?"

"Way to go Leo!"

JUICE! JUICE! JUICE! 

"I just want to Juice them!"

Is Stupid really stupid?
Or a differant kind of smart...

"AAH  HHAA.  I'm with Stupid."


There are many more,  mostly Sgt Frog references and a few Shin Chan. I guess it is difficult to remember them when you are trying.

Mistakes were made.  Mostly in the past... and on various
Astroids and comets....Let's check the list...

Action Bastard says: "Eat It!" 

Other than that, Subie goes in to get that annoying Airbag replaces tomorrow.  I have been trying to tick away the little things that have been bothering me about since the job finally ended.   One was replace and service the brakes.  Check!   Next week will be replacing the tires.  As for today,  I took apart and oiled up the locking mechanism for the trunk.   Fun time!

I get a New Airbag! 

Hope everyone is having a good week so far.   Yesterday was Hot but today is back into the Autumn Chill.   I like the cooler temps better.   Thanks for stopping in.

Running For Giant Puffballs

Today, Cheryl and I took a chance on the Kewash trail.   It has been a while since we last visited it, and since Cheryl had a busy day, it was close enough to visit and be home at the alloted time.

Giant Puffball.

Just a little too old. 

I was rather excited to go there as well.   Last year around this time, we discovered a bunch of Giant Puffballs!   Mushrooms that are the size of basketballs are always exciting.  While Cheryl ran down the trail, I kept my eyes open for large white spherically shaped objects in the median. 

At least as large as my foot!

Cheryl sees More! 

Several right by the trail!

We found a few.  But they were already past their prime.  My guess is all the rain we have had this year has thrown a gear into the normal production process.  At least they were easy enough to find.   We found a couple righ next to the trail when we rode our bikes out here a couple of weeks ago.  Those were old as well.  Too bad.

Really past their prime though. 

Not very white anymore. 

Cheryl has been a little stressed as of late.   Seems running, scoring, and now stockings are beginning to take their toll on her mental state.  I should add in that both of us caught a pleasant cold at that Hawkeye 5K.  (Another reason to avoid 5K's...  and other People!)  The cold, for me, is mostly in my nose; and I hope it goes away soon enough.   Cheryl just started to feel the symptoms.   She may have a differant reacion than me though.... seeing as she is so "healthy" while I'm ....not.

This morning's find, hidden off trail. 

Cheryl works out with the cat.

We both probably felt it as soon as the race was finished.   Instead of feeling all excited to finally be inside Big Grove Tap Room,   we both felt "Meh..."  That pretty much sums up the mood around here lately.  It could be the cold, it could be the change in season.  It could be surviving that last Pearson Project.

Hiro does sit-ups like I do. 

Mostly, I just lay there. 

But now,  Cheryl has ETS and SAT.  And, just for fun, she turned ou the stocking shop to see what would happen.   Well,  we turned it on and a day later sold 10!   As usual, we are ill prepared for that level of sales.   Mostly because we thought we were going to be done with it this year.  All of our supplies are stored away, bagged, missing, lacking, thrown out, or Cheryl gave them away to Goodwill!   We hung on to the Felt, buttons and machines...  thankfully.  So it will be one of those "rolling starts" once again.

Cheryl remains Active!  

I would have taken pictures, but the battery on my phone died and Cheryl was no going to wait around for me to recharge it.  I understand.

Look at her go!  All that energy!

She makes it look easy. 

So.... no puffballs,  very little running, and more work than we know what to do.   There are only so many hours in a day and Cheryl's mental state can only handle a fraction of that... So something has to give.  Since scoring has been on the menu all summer, I'm sugesting we dump the scoring and go after the stocking money,   Besides, the stocking money is better... usually.   And stockings only last a couple of months and they they are done.   Similar to harvesting corn.   Makes sense to me... now if only I can convince Cheryl...

Holding Hummingbirds and Stinkhorns.

Two Hummers "DUEL!"

A few moments after I my lastt posting,  the hummingbirds began to behave "oddly".   I have never seen hummingbird mating rituals or war dances.  I simply assume when they dive bomb each other that they are not being "nice".  Otherwise, everything seems normal.

Loser is left "hanging".

But after all hat screaching yesterday, ( even the cat got up and noticed!) I watched as two birds mounted each other on the feeder.   I thought this might be a little late in the year for "love", but I guess that was not what was going on.

Literally!  Upside down and shivering. 

One of the birds had tipped the other one over!

He plops into my hand. 

The "loser" hung upside down for almost 30 minutes ( Maybe even an hour! According to Cheryl.)  We did not know what exactly was going on.   Finally,  I went outside to check him/her out. 

He didn't take long to get right again.

It was cold and rainy and the bird was shivering.   I thought I would help right it up, but instead it flopped in my hand.   They are very tiny.

Cute little thing. 

I warmed him up a bit and took several dozen pictures.   I don't get the opportunity to handle a hummingbird very often.   I think he was just exhaused from hanging and after a few moments, he flew off.

My warm hand must have felt nice.

My guess is that is how they do "battle".   Knock each other down until they are upside down.   Since they can not fly upside down, they either hang or, after a hour, fall.  Luckily for this one, I was there to catch it.  Even if he were to fall,  the landing would have been soft.  I have a pile of mulched up grass clippings there to soften the impact.

Misty morning bike ride.

Yesterday's Stinkhorn.  "Common"

After a misty bike ride this morning,  Cheryl and I checked out the Stinkhorn from yesterday on the bike trail.   Someone had knocked it over, but it had not changed much.   It certainly was not the veiled one as we had hoped.

Cheryl says, "Stinky!" 

Another one growing in our yard.

Cheryl noted that the smell of this one was slightly more "awful" than the dog stinkhorn.   When I gave it a sniff, it smelled like mushrooms dipped in polyeurothane!   ( A familiar scent from my woodworking days) Not very pleasant at all.

Some Dog Stinkhorns as well! 

Old one. Flies sampling the last spores.

New one, Still covered in "Spore Slime."

Upon arriving home, I found another stinkhorn growing in our yard along with several Dog stinkhorns in the neighbor's woodchips.  The Dog Stinkhorns still have the pleasant smell of watermellon,    These guys were particularly fragrent. 

As for the Common Stinkhorn,   it does not matter how it smells to us, only how the flies like it.  And, judging from the amount buzzing around these two, I'm assuming they find that smell irresistable!   Isn't nature cool?   Thanks for stopping in.