# 132

Here’s what we’ve been working on…

Yes, the newsletter is changing format. Without repeating everything I wrote last week…too many of our emails sent out have failed because of spam protection. You can join our Google group to continue getting the newsletter emailed to you.
Join Now!
Anyway, I hope you’ll stick with us.
I’ve said before that we measure distances out here in Oregon in driving time instead of miles, but I may have to amend that. I think I’ll start measuring distance in dollar amounts for gas. For example, I drove $45 to Eugene and back to look at a “car” for our daughter. It was another 1970-something VW Squareback. That’s why I put “car” in quotes. The more of these I see, the more I’m convinced that it should be referred to as a driving contraption. The engine is practically a motorcycle engine, and it’s located in the back. There’s no power steering or power brakes, and the pedals come up through the floorboard and look like they belong on a WWII glider. This model is her first choice for a car, but I think I’m going to have to scratch it off the list in the name of safety and practicality. Man, I am getting old.
Our son has decided not to play baseball this year. We try to let our kids make decisions for themselves, but this one hurts. Jo really liked getting out of the house and having an excuse to be social at the ballpark. We don’t want our boy to become a recluse like his dad, and count the guy at the post office as a friend.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, so be careful on the roads! Gas prices may be high, but beer is still cheap, so look both ways before you cross.

-Dylan

#131

Hello, long lost friends.
Here’s what we’ve been up to…



This newsletter is about the newsletter. If you have an AOL account, this may be the first one you’ve seen in a long while. It seems that computers have launched their master plan of taking over the world by beginning to decide what’s best for us. For the last few years, the newsletter has been sent out in batches of about 50 using the BCC line for your addresses. BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy, and it keeps everyone else on the list from seeing your email address. The problem is that this is also one of the ways that people send out millions of emails offering cheap Viagra and fake Rolexes. So even though you signed up to get my emails, some computer somewhere has been throwing them in an electronic dumpster.
To solve the problem, I’m offering a couple of options for you.
#1. The Blog- The newsletters will now be posted on my blog…
http://dylansnewsletters.blogspot.com/
Jo’s been telling me for awhile how much better it is than emails. One shortcoming of it is that you asked for front door service. With a blog, you’ll have to say, “Say, I wonder what ol’ Dylan’s up to” and go looking on your own for the answer. It’s a bit like going to the periodical section at the library to read the newspaper. But I do like the format, and sharing pictures is easier, so it should be cool.
#2. Emails through my new Google Group…


JOIN NOW


The newsletters can continue to be delivered to you just as before, but they will be sent through this Google Group once you join. Just follow the link above, then click on the “apply for group membership” link. It will then ask you if you will accept emails from me or not. Once you agree to emails, you’re done! As before, no one in the group can see who else is in the group. I set it up just for announcements, which is perfect for these newsletters.
I know we’ll lose some folks in this transition, but what can be done? The difference is, the people left out will be choosing to be left out. Right now, I have so many people writing and asking “what happened to the newsletters?” And if you’re wondering how I’m going to get this email to all those AOL customers with the tight email security, the answer is one at a time. I’ll send next week’s newsletter the old way, through the google group, and post it on the blog. But after that, the old way is history.
Thanks for reading!
-Dylan

#130

Happy Mother’s Day!

Here’s what we’ve been working on…

Jo hinted that she wanted a label maker for Mother’s Day. Here’s how Jo hints at something: ”I want label maker for Mother’s Day…and the store that has them is closing in half an hour, so…” That’s how it’s done.I’ll probably wake up tomorrow with a label on my forehead that says “DYLAN.” Hopefully she’ll leave it at that and not give me an expiration date.

Our daughter had her final performance in Little Shop of Horrors on Friday. Here are a couple more pictures for you.

This is her in a blonde wig as Audrey…

…and here is the man eating plant we made with the human form of the plant sitting in the mouth…

Now that the play is finished, our girl has turned her attention to cars. She’s turning 16 this summer, so she’s always on the lookout for the perfect car to drip oil in our driveway. She has an older friend who is a mechanic and a VW nut. He has a Beetle and a camper bus. . . and one engine between them that he passes back and forth once in a while just for the sake of getting his hands dirty. He found the “perfect” car for our daughter. It was a 1970-something VW Squareback that we could double the value of just by filling the gas tank. It looked like something a junkyard would turn away. My biggest concern was that the seats (which were sitting on wooden planks) would fall through the rusted floor. I mean, the grass and vines were doing their best to hold it together, but they can’t be counted on in the winter. I’ll keep you posted…