Farewell thee, my friend

There comes a time when all things out grow their usefulness.  When a peony first blooms and smells sweet, and you cut it, plunge it into cold water and then take it inside, where for a day of so it smells wonderful.  Then it loses that beautiful scent, and the petals begin to go, and finally it wilts.

Into the trash it goes.  Fare thee well, sweet one.

Or a car, once shiney and news is driven until it becomes unreliable, or driven until one grows tired of it and its time to say "How much can I get for it?"

To the auto auction, old friend!  Hope they don't make a taxi out of you!

Or Cookie.  Once so slim, head full of hair and a sex drive that could not be put asunder.  Now, on the downside of the bell-curve of life, he has become invisible to the next generation, and it could be in as little as twenty years before his husband says "You leak, you smell bad and I am tired of looking for your teeth.  To the nursing home for you!"

Enjoy the soft food, and the coming of the grim reaper in the warehouse of the old.

Well, I am not near there, yet.

But alas, today we went to the grocery and ended up with a brand new Dyson Ball vacuum.

We have owned Dyson's since 2000, and loved every one of them. Our first was the "low reach" model, geranium in color, with a special floor attachment.  Loved it!

Then in 2011, it was replaced by a Dyson Animal Ball.  Loved it as well.  It was perfect of the house in Columbus, but it was too small for the houses in Baltimore.  The canister needed constant emptying, and the cord was too short to do multiple rooms.  And the extended hose was way too short for the stairs.

So today we wanted to pick up some K-Cups for the coffee maker and the husband wandered past the Dyson display at Bed Bondage and Beyond and there was one hell of deal.  The new larger model, Animal level, essentially, $120 off, PLUS and extra 20% off of that.

We talked about, hmmm, hoooo'd and hawed about it, and agreed, lets do it.

It was more vacuum for less than what we paid for the current one.

Still, this being the third Dyson, we have noticed that there are some things have changed over the years, and one of them is that not all of the changes are for the better.  The plastic seems cheaper, and the way things connect isn't quite as elegant.

And we can sell the current Dyson for a good price.   While walking the dog we stopped and chatted with a few neighbors we knew and new one we hadn't met.  I did mention to one of the neighbors that we were selling the older model Dyson and that it would be priced very fairly and her response was that she would ask the women that she worked with.  Another neighbor said that "Consuelo uses our Electrolux and our Kirby...maybe she needs a vacuum for her hacienda.  I'll ask."

Seriously?

Walking away I said to the husband "Could that have been anymore..."

"...all that was missing are the siesta's and the taco truck," quipped my man.

We're having a yard sale this month, so it might end up being in that if it doesn't sell on NextDoor.

Still, its going to be one of those partings where you say good bye to something that has cared for you and you have taken care of it.

I wonder if Consuelo is looking to ditch the neighbor for someone who who values her above a stereotype....