Abberant Appreciation
A New Life Level Of Gratitude Attainment Achievement Is Unlocked!
Our family has needed a farm truck for many years. The truck required needed to fulfill a myriad of services, from hauling livestock to being durable enough to make a cross country road trip pulling a twenty-eight foot travel trailer. We also wanted a truck, truck, something that if scratched, wouldn't cause heart palpitations to seize my form. I wanted a durable and reliable diesel pickup that wasn't too decrepit, one that I could throw hay and firewood on, and didn't have a short bed. Oh, and I didn't want to spend seventy to a hundred thousand dollars on the thing.
I have spoken of my frugal nature before, and the idea of spending even forty thousand dollars on a pickup truck caused me no end of internal turmoil. However, if one is in the market for a half way decent used diesel pickup in northern Idaho, that is where the prices tend to start. Our family could have taken the use our good credit pay for an over priced piece of steel route, but I really have no desire to keep up with those poor Joneses, and just felt with some patience and good old fashioned bargain hunting, that our situation would resolve itself.
And resolve itself the truck conundrum did! On my husband's birthday last month we found Rufus. Yes, all of our vehicles get named. Everything around us gets named and multiple nicknames, I think it is genetic. Anyway, Rufus is the farm truck of our dreams. It is a 2007 Chevrolet Duramax Diesel with an Allison transmission. It has special towing mirrors, a gooseneck hitch, airbags, and a big ol flatbed! We can stack hay on it, haul bed frames and firewood on it, and tow any and all manner of trailers required for a busy farm life. The truck is an extra cab crew bus, which let me tell you comes in handy when you have a 4-H beef leader, shooting sports leader, and a youth shooting sports coordinator for a gun range in your family. We are always hauling kids and equipment around.
Rufus has a few other interesting features as well. One is a special chip that maximizes performance. There are three modes on the chip: mild, wild, and hot. Let's just say that it feels like a jet taking off in wild mode! We still haven't tried out hot mode yet....However, my favorite feature was discovered yesterday as I drove Rufus for the first time.
I had to help run the library yesterday, and as my son had his first football game of the season in a neighboring town about an hour's drive away, my family took our little car to the outing and I was left the truck to drive up the hill to work. Now, I might have lamented about my lack of stature before, but just for those of you that don't know it, I am a touch on the short side.
Not that I am complaining about my height challenges, I am fine with being a tiny and have adapted to it rather well. Take driving trucks for instance, I have been driving big vehicles for most of my life and have always looked between the steering wheel to navigate down the road. It didn't matter how close I got the seat to the steering wheel, I was just never tall enough to see over it. #shortgirlproblems
Anyway, I plopped myself into Rufus' nice seat and as I was moving the seat forward I discovered that the power switch also lifted the seat up! As I perched like a little smug eaglet in the seat, it occurred to me what it must feel like for all the normal size people who drive. That moment of being able to see over the steering wheel left me with a warm glow of satisfaction that I am quite sure I am still emanating.
As I drifted our one ton truck around the gravel corners of our driveway I felt such a sense of gratitude toward engineers and for the greatness of living life in general. It's the small things like being able to see over the steering wheel, or finding the piece of equipment you need after a drawn out search that give you a little bit of gratitude powdered sugar-like dusting on the big sprawling pancake that is this life. Today, when someone inevitably mocks me for my lack of height, I'll just smile and wave, because at the end of the day I know that the seat lifts.
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Congrats on acquiring Rufus. We all have nicknames in my family, but the vehicles are left out in the cold. Well that's not entirely true. My first car was a giant chrysler and my friends called it the SS Minnow since it was as big as a boat. I had other names for it, but I'll refrain from mentioning them here in the name of common decency. I hated that car.
Also congrats on finally being able to see over the steering wheel. I'm sure your fellow drivers on the country roads are heartened to see a face behind the wheel instead of just two hands fumbling around.
My first car was inherited along with its name: "The Ark." It was a giant Ford. I rather liked that ugly beast though.
The LTDANGGGG!!! Ha ha!
Hmmm, I am wondering since you hated your boat of a car that perhaps you chose to do fun extra curricular activities with it like stump jumping? Heh. I am imagining some of the other nicknames as I type...
Your congratulations are noted, even if they are a touch on the mocking side. I may be lacking height but I am surely not lacking in the ability to take a bit of mockery department, well played, sir, well played, lol!
Me mocking? Never!
Congrats on the new-to-you wheels!! It should perform all the duties required of it!!
Thank ye kindly! I am so happy to have the right piece of equipment for the three hundred thousand jobs that I have for it, lol!
I was trying to upvote this post 24 hours ago when something went wrong and STEEM crashed. Hopefully just a coincidence. Fingers crossed.
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It worked! And thank you so very much for your upvote, right kind of ya!
That is a relief. I didn't want to break STEEM again.
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Friend, how are you? how is the family? I love how you name your truck and other things because that is how you are part of the family and you get to take a huge affection, do not drive but I admire the women who do it requires a lot of pressure to be pending of so many things while you do it, your experience with the great Rufus was great and your stature does not matter you were brave and you did not stop, you handled the great Rufus and that is the important thing that you feel good.
Regards!
Hi there! I am doing fantastic, as is the family. How are you doing way down south? Well I hope:)
There are times I wish that I didn't have to drive, especially when I am navigating some congested traffic, but here in the western United States there are huge distances to travel between things, so we are totally used to hauling ourselves around in vehicles. I have been driving trucks since I was ten years old, lol!
Thank you so much for your kind words and enthusiasm, I love hearing from you:)
You drive from a very young age, I am very nervous to do it.
I appreciate your support every day
Cool you found a truck ideally suited to you!
Our current truck was a $500 job with no engine. We had an engine. The body was in perfect shape, unusual for a truck in New England of that vintage.
BUT it was a king cab, like yours. And my husband has found that long wheel base to be more trouble than it's worth. So we will be looking for a new truck, roughly same vintage, in the near future. So far, it looks to be a long search....
Ooh, your truck sounds intriguing! And I completely feel for you when it comes to the search. It took me YEARS to find Rufus, and that was largely because of all of my requirements, but when it comes to trucks I think it's okay to be super picky. We have an old 74 Ford pickup that I adore and would have used forever, only problem is Majestic is a two-wheel drive, and I know as a fellow snow lands dweller that you totally understand why that is an issue!
Hope your future truck shows up sooner rather than later:)
Yup, we need a truck that can plow lots of snow. We have a 1/4 mile driveway....
Hello how are you? Thank you for introducing me to Rufus. He is very strong and very strong, in Venezuela we would say that you are a warrior woman for daring to handle the beast Rufus. Good post catch your attention counting every detail
Greetings from Venezuela!
Good evening! I am doing fantastic, I sure hope that you are?
I am glad you like Rufus, I have to say that I like that I would be thought of a as a warrior woman in Venezuela for driving him, that whole idea makes me smile:)
Hope you had a wonderful day my friend!
Yep I have always enjoyed the shopping process. Well maybe not when I was 16 or so, but as I matured, I came to appreciate delayed gratification. There is indeed a joy at finding the needed piece for a less than painful price. Enjoy!
PS... With my 1992 F250 7.3 litre International diesel, I came to understand the value of spending a bit of cash for antigel when it got brutally cold. Just saying. Your truck is a lot newer and may not need it.
Ooh, Rufus is as nifty as any rig I've seen. Talk about handy around the farm. Great deal, I HATE buying vehicles, since they are only second to a new house to buy. Yikes. My first little P.U. was named Pfherrt, since it made that sound going downhill. Now I have Pfherrt II, but he's pretty quiet. Cant' imagine having a vehicle with no moniker. But I suppose it does happen.
So glad you now can see better. Did it take some getting used to? I have the opposite problem, my head is too close to the ceiling in some cars, and some I can't even fit in with the pedals. Especially with boots on. Logger's were the WORST...that heel. Though thinking about it, you would be at advantage over me on a 'low bridge' mishap. Always gotta find that proverbial silver lining, eh? (Wonder what mine is...?) Well, hope all is well in G land. Have fun hauling massive things around the state. Yours in the big 'ol pancake, The Basic Skillet
Hello @generikat, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!