An Unexpected Bill Comes Knocking At Our Door

We got an unpleasant surprise this morning. Veronica went out the door to head to work. The next thing I know she is back inside telling me that the car would not start.
So I go outside and tried to get it started.
The only thing that I could muster out of the thing was a constant clicking sound.I had Veronica get in the car, put it in neutral while I pushed the darn thing out of our carport/garage area.
I am not sure who got the worse end of getting the RAV moved.
Veronica had no power steering nor any brakes while she was trying to maneuver the vehicle to a safe area and I had to push it around.
Luckily, neither one of us injured ourselves getting the vehicle where it needed to go.
To be quite honest.....while pushing the vehicle, I was waiting to hear that familiar "pop" that usually occurs when my back goes out.
Thankfully that did not happen. Especially this close to our vacation happening.
I ended up getting a AAA tow truck service to come fetch the vehicle. Only cost us $6 to tow it about 7 miles or so.
Just got a call from the local AAA approved automobile service center.
As it turns out, the alternator went out on the vehicle. This would be the 2nd time we have had to replace the alternator on this RAV.
The mechanic told me that the heat really wreaks havoc on the electrical system of these vehicles.
I figured that while the vehicle was in the shop, I would go ahead and get some other maintenance done.
We were planning on getting the maintenance done after we returned from our vacation but this was as good a time as any, especially since the vehicle was already there in the shop.
The estimate for the new alternator and all of the other maintenance that I wanted done came to just North of $500.00
I really can't complain too much.....well actually I guess that I could but who would listen.
Our 2000 Toyota RAV4 is paid off and only has approximately 62,000 miles on it.
With proper maintenance and a little luck, this vehicle will last us for quite some time  in the future.
I am hoping that this will be the last unexpected bill to show up between now and the start of our vacation.

General Update

I have not been blogging much lately, as you can tell by the rather large gaps in time between posting dates.
There really has not been much going on lately.
I went to my doctors appointment and got great news on all of my blood work. All of the numbers were where they were supposed to be.
My T level was up on the high normal side so we are tweaking the amount of Androgel that I use daily.
My weight was where it had been on my last visit. No new loss...that was somewhat depressing but I got some new medication that should help with taking those last 8-10 pounds off.
I had previously mentioned that I was having problems with my upper right leg.
It seems that I strained my hip flexor muscles.
I was given some stretching exercises and told to ice the area down...no heat, which is what I had been using all along.
The problem still lingers on but hopefully it will get better as time goes by.
Today I had a great workout.
I did 5 miles this morning and then did 4 miles on my recumbent bicycle.
I took a brief break and then did another 11 miles on the bike.
I just got back from walking another 2 miles...making it 7 for the day and I will do another 4 miles on the bike, making that 15 for the day.
Not bad for an old geezer.
We are down to about 27 days until we leave for our next adventure...the Baltic Capitals cruise on the NCL Sun.
Veronica and I packed up 1 suitcase so far. We still have several more to go.
Won't be long now.
  

My Darlings Birthday

Today is Veronica's birthday. She turns 50 today. I know that it is a tough one for her but honey....the best is yet to come!
If you get a chance, please visit her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday.....
D-Vine By D-Zine Art Studio
As for me...Happy Birthday darling!!! I love you more as each day passes!!!