Chapter II: Time to make a change

Ok…. Where was I?

Ah yes…. I remember!

I was in my parents’ guest room pondering life, the universe, and everything… including
the fact that Rogue had a leak in her transfer case and I wanted a dog.

“I really did have a test today. That part wasn’t bullshit. It’s on Eastern European
Socialism. I mean, really, what’s the point? I’m not European. I don’t plan on becoming
European. So who gives a crap if they’re socialists? They could be fascist anarchists and it
wouldn’t change the fact that I don’t have a car dog."

So, it had been a day. A good one, for the most part. I had dropped Rogue off at the
dealership for some service and gone to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN with my
mother. I don’t spend much time at home so time spent with my parents is key. Mom likes
birds, likes the drive down the Mississippi River, especially on the Wisconsin side, and it was the key time of year for eagles at the eagle center. Something about the ice being open at the junction of the Mississippi and the Chippewa creek or some such. I like the drive on the
Wisconsin side also because I can’t get New Glarus beer in MN and one of 3 American beers that I actually like is New Glarus spotted cow… I digress.

About 2/3 of the way into the drive I field a phone call from the dealership asking me if I
want to replace my cabin air filter (yeah, fine, whatever) and did I know that I had a leak in the transfer case. Uh… what? After some research with my dealership in Virginia I learned that no, they hadn’t changed the fluid in the transfer case so the leak was not from that, but from something else. Awesome.

The following morning, I got up, had breakfast, and went to the gym then came home,
showered, changed, and headed out in search of a dog.

Yeah… I know… just, bear with me.

I did some quick internet research and found a place that looked promising called Second Hand Hounds, right near the Vikings headquarters and practice facility in Eden Prairie. I
entered the building and was informed, in the nicest possible way, that they didn’t do
adoptions. That they were a foster facility.

Oh, well, excuse the hell out of me.

I was further informed, also in the nicest possible way, that they were having an adoption event that day in Bloomington.

“Where?” I inquired.

“In. Bloomington.” Came the sweet reply.

Good-ness.

“Well,” I said, “Bless your heart.” She smiled, I smiled, and left.

One of the advantages to having lived in the South for as long as I have is that I know how to use phrases like that. Now, I could never have gotten away with that in the South but it worked just fine in Minnesota. After all, if she could be just as nice as she could be, so could I.

(For those of you who are familiar with neither Minnesota nice nor Southern charm, I will explain. MN Nice is a very passive aggressive way of appearing to be just as nice as can be…and meaning “Fuck you”. In the context that I used the phrase “Well, bless your heart” I also meant “fuck you”. See how that works?)

Anyway…

I left Secondhand hounds with a smile and a kind word and headed towards another
shelter. I wanted a dog. On the way, however, I passed the Toyota dealership.

As I was driving I decided just to see what they would give me in trade. I knew what I owed, I knew what the bank had told me it was worth, and the later was greater than the former so… I decided just to see.

I don’t know how I had already decided on a 4Runner. Part of it was that I was debating
with myself about putting a cap on Rogue’s bed as I was sick of everything in the back getting soaked every time it rained which seemed to be about every time I put anything in the bed.

Part of it was that I had seen so many sic 4Runners on Instagram and other forums. Part of it
was that I just wanted something different.

About 4 hours later I drove away with the 4Runner that came to be named Freyja. A
brand new, 2016, SR5 4x4. In retrospect… I would have preferred the trail edition but,
honestly, only for the mechanism that you put the truck in 4-wheel drive with. That seems a
silly thing to spend extra money on especially considering the deal I got.

No, I’m not going to tell you about the deal or about how much they gave me in trade or
whatever.

My parents were a bit surprised when I got home. The next day, I believe, I took her to Itasca State Park, site of Lake Itasca and the headwaters of the Mississippi River… but that is a story for another time.