Three Beautiful Things 08-25-2025: Corolla Questions, Donating the Sube, Heat Withers Me

 1. Debbie bought a new Toyota Corolla in large part so she could help transport our grandchildren, Jack and Ellie, and to be able to independently get from one place back East to another and not have to rely on whether she could borrow other family members' cars. Already she's taken advantage of this independence by driving Jack to Woodbridge, VA so he could see his cousins and his Aunt Molly and Uncle Hiram and so she could spend more time with Diaz family and get around in Virginia and Maryland during her visit. 

Questions linger about when Debbie wants the new car to be in Kellogg and how to get it here. (It's also possible that Debbie will return to Kellogg, leave the Corolla in New York, and have it there waiting for her whenever she returns.)

Wanting to investigate several options, I used a website online to invite car shipping companies across the USA to either call, text, or email me with estimates of how much it would cost to ship the car from NY to Kellogg. 

I got a lot of responses and the prices ranged from about 800 dollars to about 1700 dollars.

2. That was interesting to find out.

My next concern was what to do with the Subaru.

I called Debbie and we agreed that if Debbie returns to Kellogg without the Corolla, we can manage with just one car, and that at some point, however we do it, we'll bring the Corolla here. 

We agreed that it was time to let go of the Subaru. 

I spent a pretty good amount of time today getting the process rolling for donating the Subaru to the Cat Rescue and Adoption Network in Springfield, OR, a non-profit that my longtime friend and tireless advocate for and rescuer and carer of cats Debi Mc has done a ton of work with. It's an organization she holds in the highest esteem. 

So, no doubt, by week's end, a tow truck will come to the house, load up this car that's served us beautifully for 21 years, and take it to auction or to a vendor or somewhere else to be purchased and to contribute to the efforts of the Cat and Rescue and Adoption Network. 

3.  To prepare the Sube for donation, I removed the license plates, took out the few personal items that were in the car, and loaded the car's snow tires in very back of the car, hoping they can accompany the car and help out the next owner. Although these were small tasks, simple ones, I had to come back in the house three different times while carrying them out in order to cool off, reinforcing the fact that I have become even more intolerant of heat  than I was, say, a year ago. The heat nauseates me.