In April I decided to treat myself to a new RAV4…for my upcoming 70th birthday 😜. The sales woman at the Toyota dealership told me that there was a chance it would come in for July but July came and went with no new car. Well, it finally arrived last week, 6 months after I had ordered it, and she is a beauty. She is a 2026 Hybrid RAV4 XLE Premium in a Storm Cloud (bluish greyish) colour. I have decided to call her Gale.
New cars come with a bit of a learning curve. To turn the heater on you just have to say “Hey Toyota, turn the temperature to 22” and it does! You have to say this to turn the radio on or off or to a different station. Works on the heated seats and steering wheel. You just have to say “Hey Toyota…”. Now you have to be careful what you are saying. She is listening and if you are critical of her, she may just decide to have a hissy fit and shut down when traveling down the highway. 😳
Key fobs seem to be a thing of the past. You can use one (and John says he will keep using one. He’s a bit old fashioned when it comes to new technology) but the car also comes with a credit card to open the doors or you can open and start the car from your phone or even your watch. Incredible. John tells me all this new technology means more can go wrong.
Meet Gale-my new ride.
When I decided to purchase the car I told the sales person that it will probably be my last car purchase. She said not to be so sure. A woman from Deep River recently came in and purchased a Camry. She is 93!!!
Now for our health update - It seems that I have some benign polyps and that may have cause the bleeding. That is VERY good news.
In May we both had heart screenings in Deep River by the Centre for Valvular Heart Disease, and John was flagged. He had to have extra tests and it was discovered one of his heart valves is a bit narrow. The doctor reassures him that this is fine and to have another check in 3 years time. Whew.
What a year—and it’s not even over! 2026 lobbed curveballs, tossed surprise high-fives, and somewhere in the middle we learned to dance in the chaos. Ups and downs? Absolutely. But the trick is to land on your feet, brush off the glitter (and the mud), and keep walking like you meant to do that all along.
Storms leave a mess, yes—but also a story. You survived it, you found the weird little beauties afterward, and now you’ve got the perfect punchline for any future get-together. Raise a cup to the wild ride: you made it, you’re wiser, and honestly—your comeback plot twist is kind of fabulous. Let’s raise a glass to the remainder of 2026. Fasten your seatbelt, there are lots of adventures to come.
