Is the test over? Did I pass?

Those of you following my series of posts on our move to Houston know that it has been challenging. It has been so bad in fact that I have often felt that I was being tested by a higher power -- tested and found wanting, I'm afraid. I'm so down on the whole thing, life's really been a drag.

And then a ray of hope: Some days ago, Joe (a guy that lives near us) played golf with Jack (a guy that also lives in The Club). Jack received a new fancy golf cart for Xmas and was selling his old one -- cheap. Joe told me about it; I wrote an email to Jack. Days passed and nothing. Then late last week there's a knock at the door and Jack is there. "My wife just told me about your email. I still have the cart for sale. Want it?" I said that I'd come by his house the next day to take a look. He agrees and drives off. Next thing I know, there's another knock at the door -- Jack again. He's driven the cart over for me to see.

It IS old, but looks OK. We drive it around the block and it seems all right. He tells me that it is 10 years old but the battery is only about 18 months old. I tell him that I'll think about it and he drives off.

I do due diligence online and his offer is less than 1/3 of the cost of any other used cart that I can find. I call him and say, "Done".

I get home early on Tuesday night. Wife drives me to his house. I hand him a check and drive home in my new old cart. (Actually it was not quite that simple because I left my checkbook at home on the first 'go-round, but never mind.) Figuring in the cost of the cart and the yearly "trail fee" that I have to pay The Club, if the cart lasts a year or two, I'll have gotten my money. I have to play about 100 rounds of golf during 2009 in order for it to pay out versus just renting one of The Club's carts every time I play. Of course, if wife starts playing golf too, then it's 100 rounds between the two of us -- even better.

So I'm good. But, that's not the silver lining. The way things have been going, I'm pretty sure the cart will crap out on me the first time I actually use it. But ...

I arrive at work yesterday and my pay stub is in the mailbox. I open it and discover that I received some sort of strange tax refund from 2006. It covers the cost of the cart and a good chunk of the yearly "trail fee" that I have to pay The Club. So win or lose, I've not busted the bank with my impulse purchase.

Thank you, Oh Great Spirit. I needed a little light in the tunnel.