Got my chips cashed in

Today I say goodbye to an old traveling companion:



This truck rolled off the line back when I was a mere bachelor of arts, but the convergence of the proverbial twain didn't happen until 2004, when I acquired it in very much the condition you see here. I did replace the exhaust and rebuild the floorboards, but that was more or less it. I drove it in the wintertime, taking advantage of its four-wheel drive capability, which was pretty effective if I threw a few bags of gravel into the bed to give me some weight. The rest of the time it generally just sat.

Last time I took it in for inspection, I was told it needed tires and brakes. Rather than spend the money, I parked it and tried (well, maybe "try" is too strong a word) to sell it. I did use it as a repository for yard waste, as you can see, and thought last week to take it out on one last, stealthy, run to the local mulch emporium.

But it was not to be. See that puddle underneath the front wheel? Brake fluid. The brush is back in the yard now, along with the hornet nests, bird nests, beaver dams, and other assorted wildlife that took root in the vehicle, and the truck is on its way to the Kidney Foundation (via tow truck). Ordinarily donating stuff makes me feel all smug and superior, but in this case I actually feel what I imagine must be guilt.

Ehhhh, okay, I'm over it.