Trading Cars

I try to be a good sport. While our oldest son was driving back and forth to Iowa City during Christmas break, I agreed to share my car. I drive a little blue Focus, and it gets wonderful gas mileage. With the Focus, the gas wouldn't cost so much and he would be able to spend more time at home in Boone between his work days. It seemed like a little thing-- to drive someone else's car for a few weeks.

But I'm a little-car kind of gal. My little Focus isn't fancy, but it just fits me. My car is like my purse and I love being able to know right where everything is without looking. The radio stations are programmed just the way I like them, I can punch in the code to my keyless entry without thinking, and the seat is always pushed clear forward the way it should be. Even driving around in snow is not a problem because that car is predictable.

Using the boys' Explorer is another story. I have to mentally recall the date of an important event in Hawkeye history to unlock it. Adjusting the seat takes me 8 tries before my feet properly reach the pedals. The radio controls are a mystery to me. When Ben had the system installed, I'm sure it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I can't figure out how to change the station without pulling over and parking first. Getting out of that vehicle reinforces the fact that it's just too big for me. I shouldn't have to aim my foot for the running board as I descend. I have a feeling me sliding down out of the car looked like something people wished they could capture on video.

The doors unlock, sometimes. Actually, it's just the driver's door that can be persnickety. Just getting in the car after some long days at school required me to climb in the back door and crawl between the seats. You'd think the storage in the back of a vehicle like that would be handy, but I usually forgot to check the contents before I went shopping. Lifting the door to load groceries at Fareway would often reveal something that made me roll my eyes and the carry-out boy snicker. Boys.

Now that it's mid-January, Joe is back in Iowa City with the Explorer and I have my little car back! Driving around town isn't easy this time of year, but at least there are no surprises.