It was a beautiful spring day in the North Bay, and I'm not just saying that because I might have a new car by this time tomorrow. That helps, though. Sure, there are clouds, but today they look like puffy marshmallows and cotton candy. (Not together, though, ugh.)

When John (my brother-in-law, in case you didn't know) found out I was seriously in need of a new car, he went right to work and did some research of his own for me. I told him what I was looking for, and the name of the dealer I'd been talking to. Then he set things up for me in a way I never could have done on my own. I'm just not that knowledgeable and not that good at thinking ahead, especially when it comes to something I haven't done for fifteen years. Like buying a car.

Anyway, the result is that I have an appointment to look at the car of my dreams tomorrow afternoon. If it turns out not to be the car of my dreams, please disregard all this rhapsodizing. John also managed to get me an extra $400 in parts and accessories, although because it's a Saturn that was the only kind of price break available. One of the attractions for me was the strictness with which they stick to their pricing. The other was the testimonials I've been hearing from Saturn drivers. Talk about rhapsodizing!

The best part of all this was that I called the agency and talked to the sales person. She was so tuned in (as good sales people are) that she immediately saw that the model I'd picked out was more car than I'm going to need. She thought, and I agreed, that a smaller car, a compact instead of a midsize, would be better. I'm already more comfortable, thinking about that. And the price break from going to the smaller model is going to help a lot.

So tomorrow afternoon Suzanne (my sister, if you're new here) will pick me up after she gets off work and we'll see what we can do. I'll look. I'll test drive. If I like, I'll buy. If I don't like, I'll start looking again. It's going to take a lot for me not to fall in love with something at that dealership, though, because I'm so ready. And I've already gone one whole day without a car.

As if to prove that I can't be swayed from my good mood, the only time it rained here all afternoon was when I was walking out to the mailbox. And I didn't care! No whining, for once, about slopping through the mud just to get my mail. Okay, a little whining, but it didn't last long, and neither did the rain. The sun came back out for a while before it went down. If I believed in signs, that would be a good one.