Electric Car, Fall, News

Fall Flurry

68 Comments

September is shaping up to be quite the month. There are two birthdays—mine and Clif’s—and while our celebrations are simple, they are always so much fun. My birthday is next Monday, and Dee, Clif and l will all be playing hooky, taking time off from work, having lunch at a local noodle shop—how I love noodles—going to a movie (surprise, surprise!) and depending on the weather, enjoying tea and cookies by the Kennebec River. Finally, ice cream on the way home. Phew, sounds like quite the day. Clif’s birthday is at the end of the month, and of course the birthday boy will get to pick his birthday outings.

Between my birthday and Clif’s, Shannon, Mike, and their dog Holly will be joining us for more birthday brouhaha. Our philosophy has always been: celebrate early, celebrate often.

At the end of the month, I will be getting together with two lovely blogging friends—Judy from New England and Thread and Dot from The New Vintage Kitchen. What a treat that will be! We will be meeting at Stonewall Kitchen in York, which is about a 200 mile round trip from my home. That will give our EV Bolt a good workout. Will I be able to get there and back again without stopping at the Kennebunk Travel Plaza to charge the Bolt? I’m thinking I will, but stay tuned.

Speaking of the Bolt…how I have come to love our zippy little car. I’ve gone here and there locally, and what a pleasure it is to drive the Bolt. Best of all, we charge the car from home and therefore never have to go to a gas station. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I don’t miss that smelly experience. Not one bit. The final cherry on the sundae? It costs half as much to charge the Bolt as it did to put gas in our Honda Fit.

On a more serious matter, I was chosen for jury duty, and the trial will be held on September 16, 17, and 18. I found the jury selection process fascinating, and I was so moved by the judge’s ending speech to us, where she reminded everyone that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty, that we need listen closely to the evidence and keep an open mind. This I will make every effort to do. After the trial and verdict, I’ll write more about my experience.

Finally, after some testing of the camera on my phone, Clif, Clif the computer guy has determined it is the hardware that’s at fault. Therefore, next month, when this phone is paid off, I will be getting a new one, and once more there will be pictures on my blog. I have only had this phone for three years, and, yes, it burns my biscuit that it stopped working the way it should so soon. We are not ones who replace things at the drop of a hat. We like to things to last.

But, to borrow from Tony Soprano, what are you gonna do?

Note: I will be taking the week of September 15th off from blogging. Between my birthday and the trial, I know I won’t be able to keep up with reading blogs and commenting. I will back on September 22.

 

 

 

 

68 thoughts on “Fall Flurry”

  1. Happy Birthday to all! The bd event sounds fun to me. Glad a new phone is in the making, but sorry it is coming sooner than you had wished. I been having to trade phones about every 3 years. What to say…!

  2. Enjoy your birthday and although ‘enjoy’ might not be the right word for jury service I’m sure you’ll find it an interesting experience.

  3. What a busy month for you! Happy birthday to you and Clif (bon appetit), and I hope the jury process goes smoothly, as well as your new phone selection!

  4. Happy Birthday month to you and Clif both! Congrats on the Bolt — isn’t it grand, saving money and enjoying the driving experience again? I know you’ll find the jury experience interesting (at least, I always did!). Is this a criminal or a civil case?

  5. Happy almost-birthday, Laurie. It sounds like you have some perfect activities planned. Followed by s serious civic duty ahead. That should be a very interesting experience.

  6. Have a wonderful birthday, Laurie.

    I love this: Our philosophy has always been: celebrate early, celebrate often.

    And a bloggers meetup. Such fun. It reminds me I should reach out to fellow blogger about an hours drive from here.

    Have a wonderful time

    1. Yes, a full and fulfilling month. So far, I have found the process of jury selection fascinating. Now, onward to the trial. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

  9. Wishing you and Clif a happy birthday Laurie 🎉 and I hope the jury duty will go smoothly too 💜🙏 xxx

  10. Happy birthdays in advance, Laurie. I will be very interested in your thoughts on your jury service when they come. The powers that be are having discussions about the need for juries in all trials here.

  11. Birthdays need to be properly observed; you and I are on the same page with that. Curses to the phone but, on the bright side, I now have a new phrase and intend to liberally utilise “that really burns my biscuit” forever more 😁

  12. Enjoy your busy and interesting month! I’ll look forward to hearing about everything, especially the jury duty. I’ve been called but never chosen. And have fun at all the appropriate events. Travel safely in your little Bolt.

  13. Happy Birthday and good luck with the jury! I was seated on a jury for a 3-day criminal trial once and i remember being SO impressed with how the judge spoke to us. They convey an air of duty and patriotism in you to the point that everyone really seemed to try their best to reach a verdict in the jury room. That was 30 years ago though, I wonder if the cultural/political divide is an issue for juries today.

    1. Thanks, Mary! So far, I have also been impressed with the judge, with her tone and her words of advice. I, too, wonder if the cultural/ political divide will be an issue for the jury. We sure live in interesting times, don’t we?

      1. Yes. Can’t wait to hear about your experience. Our defendant was charged with “assault with attempt to rob.” We found him Not Guilty, but that was not how I started out feeling. We really talked through it as a group.

  16. You do have a lot going on, Laurie. I look forward to hearing about the birthday celebrations, jury duty, and your time with blogging friends. I’m glad you’re enjoying the Bolt. It sounds like fun. Sorry to hear about your phones demise. The rapidly obsoleting tech is maddening.

    1. Maddening is right! But looking forward to the birthday celebrations and the get together with Judy and Dot. So far, jury duty has been very interesting, and the trial hasn’t even begun.

  17. Your intended birthday celebration sounds fun. Enjoy your day to the full! I am looking forward to reading about your jury duty experience.

    1. Thanks, Anne! So far the curry process has been very interesting. In another comment, you mentioned there are no jurries in South Africa. Do the judges decide whether a defendant is guilty or innocent?

  19. Birthday greetings to you both! Your special day sounds like a fun one. 🎂 I hope the jury duty continues to be an interesting learning experience. Glad you’re still loving the car but sorry about the phone. Those things are expensive. I’m definitely looking forward to our meeting with Dorothy. Fun stuff.

  20. Your month sounds like the perfect mix of familiar joys and interesting, if unfamiliar, experiences. Happy birthdays to all; I know you’ll enjoy your special celebrations, as well as the chance to do some socializing with out-of-town friends!

  21. Happy birthday, Laurie. Looks like you’re going to have a great day. And good to know that you’ll be getting a new phone, but not good that the old one stopped working so soon. Incidentally, I couldn’t help chuckling when you wrote with regard to the phone’s breakdown that “it burns my biscuit”. I’ve never heard that before, but the meaning seems clear. May your biscuits, whether technological or edible, never burn again!

  24. Enjoy your Birthday celebrations and the family visit.

    I have never been called for jury service and I think I am now past the age limit. I hope it is an interesting experience.

  32. My nephew was on jury service recently. The case involved a crime family, drugs, gold bullion and an African hedgehog. The hedgehog had to be carried around by the accused because it had to be kept at a certain temperature. Anyhow the judge spent half a day ensuring the hedgehog was now in a safe and appropriate place. Hopefully you have an interesting trial.

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  34. I remember that you have “birthday season” at your house. Happy Birthday, Laurie. I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoyed the noodles!

    I found jury duty fascinating, and had the same experience with the judge. We, the people, take it seriously, and in a way, it’s an honor to be so trusted. I know that it’s over now, and look forward to hearing about it.

    1. Thank you, thank you! The noodles were tasty.

      You put it beautifully about jury duty and how it is an honor to be so trusted. In our case, a guilty decision most certainly will involve jail time. Will be writing about it today on my blog.

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