MONDAY MEANDERINGS #4 2026

Happy Monday. The biggest theme of the day (for the past few days) is the weather. I took this photo from my balcony. That’s ice, not snow. The entire area is a skating rink!

I have a lot to talk about today. It’s been a whirlwind of a week!

Remember I’ve been looking at cars? I decided last Monday to test-drive a couple of cars I’d been considering. I think there must be a special class for car salesmen because they have the ability to kidnap you for hours on end, offering first one car and then the other. All the while, they have the keys to your car, so you’re at their mercy. I started out at the Honda dealership, since the car I’ve driven and loved for the past ten years is a Honda. After more than four hours, I was tired and hungry and finally told them that no matter what, I wasn’t buying anything that day. They finally gave my car back and let me leave.

Then a couple of hours later, my daughter called and said she and my other daughter were heading to the nearest Suburu dealer and for me to meet them there. I did and test-drove three different cars. I loved the last car I drove and we started the process to purchase it. Then, my daughters had to leave. Let me preface this story by saying I have absolutely no experience dealing with underhanded people. The car I settled on was a Suburu Forester Hybrid. While the sticker price shocked me, they assured me they could get the price down to a number I could afford. Again, after hours and hours, I sat across the desk from the finance guy and signed everything he shoved at me. Looking back, I can see how foolish that sounds. By the time I got home in the new car, I was sick to my stomach and exhausted. I knew I’d screwed up.

After my daughter who is an attorney realized what had happened, she flew into action. The next morning, she told me about all the conversations she’d had with the people at the dealership and it seemed the best thing to do was to take the car back. What had started out as a affordable car had ended up being over 50k and out of my budget. I’ve never had the humiliating experience of returning a car, but it didn’t matter. It had to go back. I finally got my old car back and left, feeling sad, but lighter. I was resigned to driving my Honda longer.

Again, my daughter went into action and before the end of the day on Wednesday, I drove home in a new Suburu Forester bought from a different dealer — one I could afford and love. So, I am now the proud owner of a new car. I figure this is the last care I’ll ever have to purchase in this lifetime. I learned some big lessons through this experience. But as they say, ‘all’s well that ends well.’

Now, back to the weather. I know compared to what folks farther north are experiencing, what we have is minimal. The entire Dallas metroplex area is under a 2 – 3″ sheet of ice. My grandchildren are obviously having a ball. Here’s my littlest one trying to sled on the ice. 🙂

I have not ventured out since Friday night after I got home from work. And thankfully the electricity has stayed on, so it’s been a wonderful opportunity for me to work on my upcoming short story collection! I am getting excited about sharing these stories with the world. Here’s a snippet from the last one I worked on before stopping for the day.

Before the sun rose the next morning, Mingan slipped out of the tipi into the cold air. Smoke from the fires that had burned piñon wood through the night tickled his nostrils. 
The village medicine man, wrapped in a blanket next to the fire, lit a pipe and offered thanks to the nature spirits that walked and talked with them. He paused his chants and motioned for Mingan to join him.
At the edge of the forest, silvery-blue eyes pierced through the pre-dawn darkness. The wolves were waiting and ready.

The Three Clocks story is still rolling around in my head. I’m waiting to see where all the marbles land before I start anything on it. And, if things work out, I’ll have some exciting news about that story before too long!

I received a notice from my website hosting platform that I have now used 96% of my disk space and either need to free up space or pay more money. 🙁 I’ve tried calling, sending emails and text messages to the guy who set up my website, but he’s fallen off the face of the earth. I have two different staging sites and feel like if I could delete one of them, it would free up disk space, but I don’t know which one to delete and can’t figure it out. So, I suppose for now, I’ll suck it up and pay some more money. It’s frustrating not to have the knowledge I need to tend to things. But such is life.

Starting on February 15th, I am going to be teaching a Writing and Publishing workshop at the store where I work. I am excited about it and feel confident I have gained enough knowledge and experience to guide others on their journey. So far, the reception has been positive and I am hopeful we’ll have lots of folks. Now, I need to dig through the plethora of material I’ve accumulated over the years and put together a class plan. I’m wishing I had either Pete Springer or Jacqui Murray’s experience with class lessons. 🙂 The mini-course Liz Gauffreau put up on the Story Empire site contains a wealth of information to share. It’s just a matter of taking the time to sit with it all and come up with what I need to share. Here’s the graphic I designed for it.

So, as you can see, lots going on. I feel so blessed to be able to keep going at the pace I do. I take nothing for granted. This meme really spoke to me. It’s so true!

After last week, I think I’ll try to blow some bubbles.

Here is the tarot thought for the week.

The first thing that comes to mind with this card is holding onto what you have, sometimes wisely and sometimes a bit too tightly. It can be as simple as protecting what you’ve worked so hard for, or being cautious with your resources. It also carries a warning against being greedy or hoarding. It can represent the fear of loss. For me, it feels like I do need to protect and take care of what I’ve worked so hard for. What about you?

We are not predicted to get above freezing here until Tuesday, so we’ll see how that goes. Then on Thursday, I’ll be moving out to my daughter’s house to dog-sit for a few days, while they go on a short cruise with the girls. It’s an experiment to see how they do, as it’s their first.

Thank you for dropping by. I hope you all have a great week ahead.

  • Comment (30)
  • Your new car looks great. Yay for your daughter stepping in and helping out. Buying a car is a horrible process. I enjoyed your short story snippet, and I look forward to the eventual release of your collection!

    I’m not that far from you (near Abilene), but we didn’t get ice so much as sleet. We have 4 inches of granular stuff. When it starts to melt then freeze overnight, it’s going to be ICY. (Our road is never treated, too rural.) But I don’t have to go anywhere until Tues afternoon.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      I’m happy you enjoyed the story snippet, Priscilla. I was thinking you lived somewhere near Abilene. I will be coming to Abilene March 20th to work the Outlaws and Legends festival. Would love to meet up for coffee somewhere. The melting and re-freezing is definitely going to make for more hazardous driving. Since the electricity has stayed on, I have loved hibernating and working on my book! Feeling so blessed. Thank you for stopping by!

  • Darlene says:

    You have been busy. Buying cars can be stressful as can cold weather, especially if it’s not normal for your area. I love the sound of your workshop. Anyone who takes it will be lucky!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      It seems I’m always busy, Darlene, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I agree about the car shopping nightmare. No fun! But at least it’s over for me. I’m excited about the workshop and hope we get lots of attendees! Thanks for stopping by. I’m curious. Did my blog post show up in the WP Reader for you? It seems to have stopped appearing and I have no idea why. Ugh! Always something.

  • You didn’t tell me about this class you’ll be teaching! Wow. Sounds like a lot of work but fun too. I wish you a lot of success. I’m not sure what this Pentacles card means to me. Also, I can’t wait for you to share our exciting news. This is an interesting new journey we’re about to embark on. Love it, Sister. Have a good day.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about the workshop. We always have so much to talk about. 🙂 I’m hoping it gets a lot of attendees. I’m super excited for what we are talking about doing. 🙂 It will be another whole new learning experience. Love you! Stay warm. The sun came out here today, so maybe we will start thawing out.

  • Teri Polen says:

    So glad your daughter stepped in, Jan, and you’re happy with the new car. It looks great! I bet you’ll have plenty of students for the classes. A lot of folks out there have a book in them but just don’t know where or how to start.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      I’m grateful for my daughter’s intervention. Being a lawyer, she can come across as a bit of a bulldog. 🙂 I hope to get lots of attendees for the writing class. I agree that there are lots of people out there wanting to write, but don’t know where to begin. Thank you so much for stopping by! I have to ask. Did you see my blog post in the WP reader? It seems to have stopped showing up there and of course, I have no idea what to do about it. Thanks for stopping by!

  • I’ll never forget my last car purchase 20 years ago. We went to look at the new Range Rovers. Son was there getting his Land Rover washed. We left an hour later with a new car. No one was more surprised than the salesperson. Husband and I always look a bit homeless because we don’t buy many new clothes and have no posh look about us. Still have that car!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Thank you, Jacqui. The fact you car lasted 20 years is amazing! Sadly, you’ll probably be faced with having to purchase another one eventually. No fun! But I can only imagine the salesperson’s surprise. Never judge a book by a cover. 🙂

  • John Howell says:

    I’m glad your daughter got those guys to take the car back. I’m equally glad you got a car of choice from a different place. As you say, All’s well that ends well. Best wishes on the course.

  • Car shopping should be fun. It never is. I still can’t seem to stay subscribed to your blog, but some internet gremlin subscribed me to the comments feeds, that’s how I found you today.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      I have absolutely no idea what’s going on. WP has dropped my blog from the Reader feed and I don’t know what to do about that either. I can’t reach my web guy. He’s disappeared off the face of the earth. Ugh! I need someone who can help straighten this out for me and not charge an arm and leg. I want and NEED to get away from Elementor. It’s nothing but problems all the time. So, basically I need an entire new website build. Oh well. It will have to wait a while. Thanks for finding me.

  • I’m glad you got a better deal, Jan! Buying a car is stressful! They cost now what homes used to cost decades ago. My son has a Subaru Forester and loves it. My hubby’s Honda Pilot is geriatric, so I think we’ll be in your boat this year, looking to upgrade it. Not looking forward to the experience though. That’s wonderful about your class and I know you’ll do great! The weather is crazy; our daughter and SIL live in Franklin, TN, so they’re in the heart of it, but staying off the roads. Stay safe and good luck with your course!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Buying a car is stressful and you are so right about the price. The first new car I ever bought was in 1973, a Volkswagen bug straight off the showroom floor for $2,000. 🙂 If only. I’m glad to hear your son loves his Suburu. I truly think this will be my last car purchase in this lifetime. Everyone has to try and stay safe in this crazy storm. I even heard they gave it a name, Fern. I guess that’s something new. Thanks for stopping by, Lauren.

  • D.L. Finn, Author says:

    Sorry about your car shopping issues. I am so glad you took it back, I hate how they talk people into buying something they can’t afford! Had that happened to us too. I prefer shopping online now so I can think and get what I want. Although my subrau is 13 years old and I’m going to hang on to it for as long as I can. Yay for doing a writing class! Can’t wait to hear how it goes.stay warm! Xo

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Thank you, Denise. I am truly hopeful this will be the last car I have to purchase in this lifetime. I am excited about the writing class and hope to get a good number of attendees! I’ll keep everyone updates. I’m definitely trying to stay warm. The sun came out today, so this mess will melt off eventually.

  • Dan Antion says:

    I’m so glad your daughter came to your rescue with the dealer. They can be awful, and for no good reason. I hope you enjoy your Subaru. Good luck with the class. That sounds challenging but it also sounds like it will be fun.

  • It’s good your daughter helped you out so much in your car purchase, Jan. The cost of cars seems outrageous to me, a guy who’s first new car cost less than $2000, a 1973 VW. Your writing is fascinating.

  • Annika Perry says:

    Jan, it’s lovely to see you next to your new car and its looks great and you happy! What a terrible experience though and think of so many caught in the same nightmare but without a lawyer daughter to help get out of the situation. Your grandchildren are definitely making the most of the ice (so odd no snow!). Is this cold a rarity for you? Good luck with your new class and the editing and thank you for sharing the snippet – for the weather and it was very evocative.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment, Annika. Yes, this kind of cold is a rarity for us, especially the ice. I agree about many who may get caught in the car-buying nightmare with no one to step in. I’m glad you enjoyed the snippet and thanks for the good wishes!

  • Paula Cappa says:

    Oh that ice! In the northeast we got 2 feet of snow over Sunday and Monday. Your car story is amazing. I had no idea that once you drive that car out of the dealership, you could reverse the sale. Smart daughter you have there. Fear of loss card you drew, yeah, we all have moments like that. I use the Tarot for Writers sometimes to get insights. The Four of Pentacles for a writer points to writing about greed, withholding, restraint, and isolation. Those four coins certainly jump out.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      I would much rather have snow than ice, Paula, but we got what we got. The sun is out today so it will start melting and we can all move around again. I didn’t know I could return the car either, but so glad I did. We do all fear loss from time to time, especially in the strained economy. How wonderful that you go to Tarot for Writers for insights. I will have to check that book out. Interesting that the Four of Pentacles points to writing about greed, withholding, restraint and isolation. That would make for some great character flaws. Thank you for popping in and leaving a comment, Paula!

  • What a week, Jan. Congrats on the new car – we love our Subaru Forester. It’s reliable, well-built, and great in bad weather – which seems like a perk these days. The ice sounds scary (unless you’re a kid). Congrats on making some progress on your short stories too. How exciting to read the snippet. Wishing you a wonderful week and warmer weather ahead.

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Thank you for dropping in, Diana. I’m happy to hear that you love your Suburu! Everyone who has one seems to feel the same, so I think I made a good choice. It has not moved from my garage since Friday and that’s okay. I had put 150 miles on it in two days. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the short story snippet. I’ve gotten to work on it a lot in my forced hibernation. Honestly, I might can bump up the release date, but we shall see. I am hoping for warmer weather for the rest of the week. Today it got above freezing, so that’s a start to melting this chunk of ice on top of us. Hugs!

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