Mr. Research

Paul has had a "cookie jar fund" since his retirement in 2008.  Seeded by a gift of money from his fellow faculty members, he has added to the stash of cash whenever possible. And, unfortunately, we have had to dip into it occasionally as well.

He has been saving to buy a different canoe. We had an aluminum canoe for years, but it was just too heavy for us (me) to lift off the top of the truck and carry to the lake. So, we sold it last summer to some good friends and that money went into the fund. However,  we then missed being able to get out on a lake while on a camping trip. We stared at quite a few bodies of water in the past year lamenting our loss. We knew we had to fix the "problem." 

Paul will admit he likes to research until he is struck by

He checked Craig's List daily. He read whatever he could find to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each product. He wrote pages of notes.  I can't tell you how many canoes he has told me about.  Last week, he finally found the canoe he thought might be just right. It sold. There was another one the next day. But, oh dear!  His fund was a little short.

I knew it was time to come to the rescue. I just happened to have a little

stashed away myself. Just in case. It seemed like this was the right time to deliver him from his searching process. We counted our money together on our dining room table and literally "scraped together" enough to complete the deal. So, early Saturday morning, we went and brought home our nice "new" canoe. Paul can tell you everything you would like to know about its construction. I like the pretty color.

We easily removed it from the top of the car and placed it in the yard. It is so much lighter! And then, Paul turned to me and quoted his favorite "Wind In The Willows" line.

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing –
half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

And we just had to laugh at our good fortune. Summer jobs are completed. Time to get that canoe in the water!