From Life's In-Basket

Life has been flowing almost too fast to stop and blog. But there are some events that should not be passed by.

At the end of a three-year lease I had to turn in my valued RAV4. Roy took some pictures to commemorate the end of such an important era in my life. The video of the hours I spent on Oct. 18 cleaning this buggy inside and out I cannot share at this time, but here is a still pic caught on his cell phone of my hug good-bye, in the parking lot of Bernardi Toyota in Framingham. Mass.

The turn-in at the dealer's was swift and low-pressure. But days later I received a bill charging me $372+  for EACH of two scratches, and $358+ for the missing cargo cover. I have fired off a letter of complaint, not for the conditions, but for the prices charged.

We recently had two door panels and a whole fender replaced on our Honda Civic, for less than twice the price of the repair of those two scratches. And cargo covers, new and Toyota-made, are available all over the Internet for less than one-third of what Toyota is charging me.

The missing cargo cover is my Mystery of the Year. We have searched high, low, and mezzanine both here and in my gold-plated storage unit in Maine  -- no cargo cover to be found. And my two pairs of snowshoes and poles are likewise missing. These things exist somewhere. Where?

I don't want to leave you with this leasing downer. Let's see what I can find to show you.

Old cemetery in North Wayland, Mass.

This illustrates what we accept as the passage of time. A body is planted, a stone is set to mark its place. A seed falls, a tree grows. And as it grows it embraces and then embodies everything its roots can absorb. Wonderful.