If you live by yourself and have animals

[CoyoteChris]

Well congratulations! Lots of great advice here .. lovely color

Admittedly a bit of a learning curve.. I am slowly getting used to the systems, making my way thru the 6 inch stack of instruction books.. I DO read them. Am enjoying the ride, safety features but am passing on downloading phone contents to the screen and Sirius subscription.. NPR radio is good enough for me! The keyless entry/fob was familiar to me since the rental car had one. I prefer a key but it is what it is. I just dropped my dog off at the groomer and the “look in the back seat” prompt came up. Found myself talking back “I know there is a dog back there “. Laughingly mentioned it to a friend a few minutes ago; she said it was for mothers who forget their kids are in the back seat.. I cannot imagine. I had the chance to get a used Subaru Forester but decided against it; it seemed like a tank but even the Crosstrek is bigger than I am used to
Enjoy!

ITA. I already have a Forester so I wanted something a bit smaller. I just ignore the Sirius messages till they go away. I listen to NPR or shows like Cartalk or my CDs now on a thumb drive on long trips. Radios are distracting IMHO and you are glad your airline pilot doesnt have one, right? He/she and their copilot are not even allowed to talk to each other once the plane is moving unless its business until they reach 10,000 ft.
Many harried people leave dogs and children in cars, sometimes with disasterous consequences. Yes, the Starlink/eyesite books are thick but there is some good info there. And the app can be wonderful at times....I dont use the phone option unless someone calls me and I am driving in a quiet place. If my child bride texts me, I can answer with one of about 20 short answers. If I take this car on trips, I will , for my own mental health, have to buy a faraday bag and put the spare Fob in a hiding place. Then, besides its 6 inch red "remove before flight" tag, it will get something like a credential lanyard and be fastened to one of my belt loops with a quick release clasp. Fobs are like air...you dont miss them till after they are gone. LOL! Subaru actually sells Fob insurance, if you can believe that. I put the rear head rests in the basement, and lay down a rug. Rug can be quickly folded back if someone is brave enough to ride with me.

 

[NanaPat]

Two weeks this Friday.. color choices were limited: grey w grey interior, grey w black interior (orange stitching) and red; I chose the first. I said to the salesman.. anecdotally colors to avoid.. White is hard to see in a snowstorm, black at night and grey in fog.. I will avoid driving when it’s foggy.

Just returned from a drive to/from California, which included many two-lane (with occasional passing lanes) winding and hilly roads. Visibility was an issue, partly because of too much sun!

As a result of this drive, I have a PSA announcement regarding car colors. My husband and I both preferred, by far, following a RED car. They were much easier to see than any other color. Occasionally we would see a bright blue transport truck in the opposite lane, and they were also very visible, but there weren't many blue cars. So red it was!

 

[Diana Delafield]

Just returned from a drive to/from California, which included many two-lane (with occasional passing lanes) winding and hilly roads. Visibility was an issue, partly because of too much sun!

As a result of this drive, I have a PSA announcement regarding car colors. My husband and I both preferred, by far, following a RED car. They were much easier to see than any other color. Occasionally we would see a bright blue transport truck in the opposite lane, and they were also very visible, but there weren't many blue cars. So red it was!

My sister-in-law always buys red cars. She lives in rural Alberta, drives through snow, shaded bush areas, open stretches of highway in hot summer, going in to Edmonton to teach university in early mornings and home after evening faculty functions. She says bright red is the only colour she'll drive, the safest in a multitude of weather and lighting conditions.

 

[elbkup]

Just returned from a drive to/from California, which included many two-lane (with occasional passing lanes) winding and hilly roads. Visibility was an issue, partly because of too much sun!

As a result of this drive, I have a PSA announcement regarding car colors. My husband and I both preferred, by far, following a RED car. They were much easier to see than any other color. Occasionally we would see a bright blue transport truck in the opposite lane, and they were also very visible, but there weren't many blue cars. So red it was!

Another “take” on red cars.. interesting! I was told (so many years ago) red cars driven by young women were most stopped by police.. and I believed it!

 

[iluvtodd]

My favorite car colors are red & silvery gray. My current car is a red Toyota Corolla.

 

[elbkup]

My favorite car colors are red & silvery gray. My current car is a red Toyota Corolla.

SO many different reds tho.. the cross trek red offered me was fire engine red gorgeous car but I love the gray

 

[CoyoteChris]

Just returned from a drive to/from California, which included many two-lane (with occasional passing lanes) winding and hilly roads. Visibility was an issue, partly because of too much sun!

As a result of this drive, I have a PSA announcement regarding car colors. My husband and I both preferred, by far, following a RED car. They were much easier to see than any other color. Occasionally we would see a bright blue transport truck in the opposite lane, and they were also very visible, but there weren't many blue cars. So red it was!

I used to buy only red cars and red motorcycles, but I like this blue. But at the end of the day, hi viz, the color of my motorcycle coat in my avatar, is the bomb and many fire trucks now use it.
Sadly, many people dont see cars or bikes for other reasons than the color. Drivers in the urban sections of America and harried, stressed, in a hurry, or just plain old or just dont care about others.... I have lived 61 years on bikes cause I know this and drive like this.

 

[elbkup]

Back on track with animal discussion…
Mid July a large water monitor lizard named Goose escaped from a residence in Webster MA - 30 miles from my home in CT - and evaded capture for more than a week. It was finally caught last Saturday and will be housed in a Reptile Sanctuary in Massachusetts. It managed to get to Thompson CT (closer to my Town) then reversed direction where it was caught in Douglas MA. This animal was illegally kept in a private home before going on the lam.. below are news stories about Goose’s escape and capture.

Elusive water monitor from Webster safely captured after 2 weeks on the lam

Police in Webster, Massachusetts, say an elusive water monitor named “Goose” has been safely captured after more than two weeks on the lam.

www.nbcboston.com

‘Goose’ the illegally owned monitor lizard captured after sightings in CT

The wandering water monitor lizard, who was spotted in Connecticut, was captured by animal control in Webster, MA on Saturday.

www.wfsb.com

 

[Diana Delafield]

Back on track with animal discussion…
Mid July a large water monitor lizard named Goose escaped from a residence in Webster MA - 30 miles from my home in CT - and evaded capture for more than a week. It was finally caught July 30 and will be housed in a Reptile Sanctuary in Massachusetts. It managed to get to Thompson CT (closer to my Town) then reversed direction where it was caught in Douglas MA. This animal was illegally kept in a private home before going on the lam.. below are news stories about Goose’s escape and capture.

Elusive water monitor from Webster safely captured after 2 weeks on the lam

Police in Webster, Massachusetts, say an elusive water monitor named “Goose” has been safely captured after more than two weeks on the lam.

www.nbcboston.com

‘Goose’ the illegally owned monitor lizard captured after sightings in CT

The wandering water monitor lizard, who was spotted in Connecticut, was captured by animal control in Webster, MA on Saturday.

www.wfsb.com

Well, I wouldn't have wanted to see him trundling across my lawn, but I think it helped his cause that someone had given him a cute name. (Presumably he hisses like a goose?) Good PR for him.

 

[elbkup]

Well, I wouldn't have wanted to see him trundling across my lawn, but I think it helped his cause that someone had given him a cute name. (Presumably he hisses like a goose?) Good PR for him.

Me neither! A juvenile at 4-4.5 feet long it can grow to 9 feet (!!)
Estimated that it traveled about 30 miles during free range so it could have made it to my back yard On the Black Market it would have fetched between $6 - $9 K due to rarity… why??! Relatively easy to catch b/c it is somewhat domesticated. Sanctuary offering it a home is a nonprofit doing this since 1996 and provides this much needed service to the area. They have 400+ reptiles in their care. Wonderful people

 

[elbkup]

PS. Speaking of strange animals on lawns, I found this Mama looking for a place to lay her eggs the Spring after I moved here. She was huge! Got the dogs inside, took this photo from a distance then watched her trundle off into the verge. Have never seen one this big again but do see babies occasionally. I keep a small border spade in the car to remove them from the road and return them to the brush. That and a sturdy slip lead to catch loose dogs, often the case, mine included. Neighbors are usually out looking for them

 

[Diana Delafield]

PS. Speaking of strange animals on lawns, I found this Mama looking for a place to lay her eggs the Spring after I moved here. She was huge! Got the dogs inside, took this photo from a distance then watched her trundle off into the verge. Have never seen one this big again but do see babies occasionally. I keep a small border spade in the car to remove them from the road and return them to the brush. That and a sturdy slip lead to catch loose dogs, often the case, mine included. Neighbors are usually out looking for them


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Are you that close to water? (Or am I just ignorant of the habits of turtles/tortoises?) I thought they always laid their eggs in sandy areas. Although, come to think of it, I used to have a library colleague who had a pet tortoise named Midori. She lived in their house, came when her name was called, and was friendly to visitors. Any new guests had to be introduced to Midori, who would lumber into the room to check you out when she heard unfamiliar voices. Their cat liked to curl up on her back and be carried around, like some cats like to ride on a Roomba. Her family did have a swimming pool, with a little ramp at one end if she felt like joining them for a dip.

 

[elbkup]

Turtles are so interesting… your friend is lucky to have one share their lives.. Midori as in Ito?! the cat riding it is a hoot!
No bodies of water per se..
Wetlands, streams, marshes aplenty.. their favored habitat. They are super common in Connecticut. She is a snapper so it’s ill advised to disturb her and best to wear tough boots when tramping through woods and streams. They are much larger than regular turtles and definitely not pets. I have moved babies who have mistakenly gone into the road with the aforementioned shovel but would never touch one. The big ones are scary..

 

[Diana Delafield]

Turtles are so interesting… your friend is lucky to have one share their lives.. Midori as in Ito?! the cat riding it is a hoot!
No bodies of water per se..
Wetlands, streams, marshes aplenty.. their favored habitat. They are super common in Connecticut. She is a snapper so it’s ill advised to disturb her and best to wear tough boots when tramping through woods and streams. They are much larger than regular turtles and definitely not pets. I have moved babies who have mistakenly gone into the road with the aforementioned shovel but would never touch one. The big ones are scary..

My library colleague's wife was Japanese, and she told me Midori was then (this was more than twenty years ago) about 100 years old. She'd been a pet in her family inherited by several generations over the century. Her name means "green plants and foliage" and usually is thought of as meaning "springtime and gardens" but in her case probably referred to her diet. Tortoises are, as you know, exclusively herbivorous and land-dwelling. I think the woman said they can't swim, so Midori's little corner of their pool had a fence in the water like a babygate, giving her a shallow area to bathe in but keeping her from falling into deeper water. She just liked to do things with her family, so if they were in the pool, she wanted to come out and join them. She seemed to be quite happy to live in their house, especially in the winter, and had a big bed in what had been a pantry off their kitchen. If you were there in the evening, she'd hang out with the guests in the living room until about 10 pm, and then head off for the kitchen to put herself to bed, with everyone calling "Nightynight, Midori" as she left the party.

I think Barry was afraid I was going to start wanting one myself, but it was like dogs -- I love making friends with those who live with other people, but don't want the work of looking after one myself .

 

[elbkup]

My library colleague's wife was Japanese, and she told me Midori was then (this was more than twenty years ago) about 100 years old. She'd been a pet in her family inherited by several generations over the century. Her name means "green plants and foliage" and usually is thought of as meaning "springtime and gardens" but in her case probably referred to her diet. Tortoises are, as you know, exclusively herbivorous and land-dwelling. I think the woman said they can't swim, so Midori's little corner of their pool had a fence in the water like a babygate, giving her a shallow area to bathe in but keeping her from falling into deeper water. She just liked to do things with her family, so if they were in the pool, she wanted to come out and join them. She seemed to be quite happy to live in their house, especially in the winter, and had a big bed in what had been a pantry off their kitchen. If you were there in the evening, she'd hang out with the guests in the living room until about 10 pm, and then head off for the kitchen to put herself to bed, with everyone calling "Nightynight, Midori" as she left the party.

I think Barry was afraid I was going to start wanting one myself, but it was like dogs -- I love making friends with those who live with other people, but don't want the work of looking after one myself .

Lovely of the family to look after Midori over generations, beautiful … I know nothing of turtles or tortoises other than when paths cross then we regard them with respect and kindness. Slowing down with animal care myself now. Two cats and two dogs are my last but friends and neighbors will share later on .. like Legend the failed bomb-sniffing Lab next door who runs at me full tilt when I visit