I'm so happy!

Yes, and srtap yourself to the seat and make sure you plant your feet against something for leverage too, lol

I outrank you? You mean a captain is higher than a commander? I didn't know that. But, it doesn't make any difference to me. You're still tops in my book. Now, about those oars, I've NEVER had them both in the water. Oh, I have my moments when they're both in there but they're rare. I prefer the lopsided life, actually. It's much more fun. I was just told by the neighbor who sold me the boat that there are catfish in the lake that are easily 25 pounds. Now, I can see me catching one of those bad boys and being towed all over that lake. Guess I should invest in an anchor, huh?

GREAT advice, moon! I just pictured myself hooking one of those 25 pounders and flying right out of the boat into the water. Yeah, I think I'll be tied down every time I go out in the boat.

That is an AWESOME find, moon! Wow! I can't imagine why some people throw things away when they're still beautiful and quite useful. It seems like such a waste. I'm glad you were able to rescue it before it ended up in a landfill somewhere. I don't usually buy things for myself, either. I've spent most of my life with either just enough money for the bills and food, or not quite enough money so I got into the habit of just not spending anything on myself that I didn't absolutely need. When the money issue improved, I've remained that way. I'll buy everyone else things before I buy myself anything. And this "find" was too good to pass up. The boat is only 3 years old and in great shape. I found out, from doing an internet search, that the asking price was very much below a new boat price, not even a quarter of the price, plus it came with the motor and battery which, at the very least, would have cost me about $300 new and that's if I bought them from Walmart. I'm upset now because I can't put it into the water until Saturday. I'm going down to my other house, 250 miles from here, tomorrow morning and not coming back until Friday morning. I'll be very tired and sore from the long drive home so I know I won't want to go boating until the next day. But, at least I have one now so I'm not gonna complain... too much.

I know you are anxious. I look at things this way...I waited this long another week won't hurt to wait. I am like you. I buy for everyone else. I do for everyone else. I will want something for years and I do mean years before I'll buy it for myself if I buy it at all. I wanted this chair I'm in for 5 years and finally broke down and got it. I wanted the sofa for 20 years or more. The same for the stove and frig I now have. I wanted them for 15 years or more. You will get to go out with it as soon as you can. Just think ...it's your boat now and you'll have it for the whole summer and then some! Have fun when you can.

You sound a lot like me. When I wanted to buy my first sofa, I couldn't afford the one I wanted. So, I had a fold-away bed in the livingroom for a year until I had enough saved up to buy that sofa I wanted. When I got it, I was SOOO happy! My mother surprised me by buying a matching chair, which I had no idea about until it was delivered. She said she was proud of me for saving for an entire year for the specific sofa I wanted. I won $104.00 once from a radio station contest. When I got the money, I took my family out to dinner instead of just buying something for myself. The memories last a lot longer than the stuff.

Hi Gabs. I just checked my messages and found that you did reply. I never got notified! I'll email you. Big Hugs right back at ya!

Wow! That's awesome! It certainly sounds like that house was meant to be yours, with everything falling into place like that. I hope you're very happy with it for as long as you live there. I have a similar story but it didn't turn out nearly as nice as yours. Actually, mine was more of a horror story. I saw a house, a beautiful, HUGE, 200-year-old farmhouse. It needed a lot of TLC but I put in a bid and it was accepted. Unfortunately, two days before settlement, lightning struck either the house and an old oak tree beside it, or it hit the tree and a huge branch punched through the roof, creating a huge amount of water damage on top of the hole in the roof. Plus, electricity traveled down the wires to the well pump and burned that up. I took that as a pretty clear sign that the house was not for me and was graciously let out of the contract. I later heard that the new owners dumped $45,000.00 into that house to bring it up to code. Considering the fact that my bid was only $90,000.00, that's a LOT to put into a house. I'm glad I didn't get it.

Isn't it funny how some things just come to us? Like it was meant to be. That's terrific news about how you found your black kitten! Of course, my wish went out into the Universe about 40 years ago. It sure took it's time, but it has finally been granted. Maybe the cosmos were waiting for me to live on a lake before I got my boat.

That's a good idea! Maybe I could get a Gilligan hat instead? Nah, I'm the skipper, not the first mate. I just hope I don't end up on some deserted island the first time I go out in the boat. Maybe, in my mind, but that would be highly unlikely. Our lake is pretty far from the ocean. I'll just remember to stick to the lake and not try to take my little boat to the ocean. I'll start looking for that hat now. Oh, yep, I'll get photos of me in the boat as soon as I can.

Hi Neil! This is the first real thing I've bought myself in a very long time. I mean, I've gotten things that I needed, like new glasses and went to the dentist to have needed work done but I normally wouldn't spend this kind of money on myself, even if it was such a good deal. But this is something I've wanted for a very long time and I thought I'd have to pay at least 5 times more if I was ever going to get one. The fact that it was sitting at the end of our private road, plus with the price being so incredibly low, I knew I had to have it. Hopefully, I'll be able to make the boat pay for itself eventually by my being able to catch bigger fish and never have to buy fish at the grocery store ever again. I do apologize for my lack of attention to my emails. I really have been so very busy lately that I've ignored most emails. With the weather warming up, my gardening is in full swing right now, plus I'm starting a new business and have had to clear out the basement to have room for the things I'm making to sell, so that meant going through about 20 boxes of stuff that I inherited from my mother. Plus, there was taking care of the damage caused by this horrible winter we just had. Actually, tomorrow (Wednesday), I'll be going down to the other house I own, which is 250 miles from here. It's a 4-hour drive, one way, so I'll be staying there until Friday morning. I need to make sure everything is okay with the house, plus make some small repairs because I'm trying to sell it. I just HOPE this winter wasn't too harsh on it. I promise I'll get to all my emails this weekend and respond to yours first! I'll be taking some time off from all the things I've been so busy with so I'll have time to go through all the emails that have been waiting. I may just take my netbook on the boat with me. I can hook it up to my cell phone for the internet, put my lines in the water and take care of my emails. I can't think of a more relaxing or enjoyable way to do that. Take care of yourself and your family and give Zayzay a big hug and kiss from his Auntie Marti.

Aww, CD, I'm so sorry that you can't make use of your new stuff right now! It kind of reminds me of a time when I was preparing to visit Ireland. I bought new luggage and clothes, also. However, I did have the money. I had my luggage packed and my reservation on the plane made, then I found out I had cervical cancer and had to put my trip off. After all the surgeries and given a clean bill of health, I didn't have enough money to go on the trip. I never did make it to Ireland. Maybe, one of these days, both you and I will be able to take those trips!

Hi Opal! I won't be rowing this boat. It came with an electric motor which is the only type of motor we use on the lake because we don't want those nasty gasoline spills floating around and, besides, it could kill the fish. You sound like my husband. The only fish he likes is the fish that comes in McDonald's fish sandwich. But, I love fish and I love fishing. My husband has fished with me twice (yeah, twice since we've known each other, over 6 years now) and I've had to put the worms on his hooks, plus take the fish off his hooks when he caught any. It doesn't bother me at all, but I always apologize to the worms when I'm putting them on the hooks. As long as I can move around, my back will be fine. What bothers my back is when I'm in one position too long and I'll be able to stand up in the boat or even sit on the bottom of the boat if the seat gets too uncomfortable. I may take extra cushions out with me, just in case. I've driven a boat around before and loved it! I'm talking about an 18' motor boat like you described. It went FAST! I loved it! Mine has a really small electric motor so I doubt I'll be creating any waves from the speed.

Hi mariposaman. I really don't need all those things since our lake is a private one and it's only about 8 to 10 feet at it's deepest point. It's a private lake that you can only get to from our private road. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't even need a driver's license to drive around to the other houses in our private community. Still, I will be taking all safety precautions while I'm on the lake. I don't plan to ever take the boat into public waters but, if I change my mind, I'll be sure to look up and get all the proper safety equipment. I'd also register the boat. I'm pretty sure a license is not required to operate it where I live but that will definitely be something I'd look into if I ever want to go out to bigger waters. That's really cool about your great "find". I'm glad you were able to enjoy it, even if only for a few years. Maybe there's another motorcycle in your future?

Thank you, Tally. Your desk sounds absolutely beautiful! What a great find! I love antiques. I'm a planner with money, too, especially with the higher-priced stuff. Even though this boat cost more than I'd typically spend on ANYTHING, it was quite a bargain, especially when it came with a motor and battery. Plus, it's just the right size for me. It looks like I'll have to wait until Friday or Saturday to get it into the water, though, because we're supposed to have showers today and, tomorrow, I'm going down to another house I own which is 250 miles from here and will be gone until Friday. (I'm selling that house and need to make sure everything is still okay with it. Being so far away, I never know.)

Thank you so much, Candymin! I am truly excited about getting the boat in the water for the first time. I had bought an inflatable boat that (supposedly) holds four people (but only two comfortably) but that just wasn't the same. Plus, the inflatable boat needed paddles to get around. My new boat uses an electric motor, although it did come with paddles, just in case I run out of battery power. I've only "found" something like this one other time. I was driving home and noticed a yard sale going on not far from home. I noticed a very large fish tank (50 gallons) being sold and, since I had been thinking about getting one, I stopped. The tank and it's stand were being sold for only $50.00! I bought it, set it up and enjoyed it for years. I eventually sold it (for $100.00!) and got a larger tank. I was planning on going out of town today and being away until Friday but I've had to postpone the trip, so I'll be able to get the boat out on the lake sooner than I had thought. The weather is supposed to be perfect for the rest of the week (it had been raining for 3 days straight, ending yesterday) so it's the perfect time to take the boat out for the first time. I'll try my best to catch one of those large catfish!