{'Ravy', My Toyota RAV4 is 14 today!}

Today is a very special day as my Toyota RAV4 2-door 'Ravy' has 'his' 14th birthday! It makes me feel good. Above all, this car was such a lovely thing to receive for my birthday then. It had to be special ordered in Japan because of wanting a shift stick with cruise control and a 'male part' for hooking up our little trailer. At the time that I got it, it was very popular in France and it took the USA by storm as well.
Automobile Magazine's 1997 Automobile of the Year is the Toyota RAV4 read: Automobile Magazine Announces Toyota RAV4 as Auto of the Year. You can read some of its history 1997 INFORMATION.
Some Magazine Reviews:

• New Car Test Drive: 1996 Toyota Rav4: The new king of the minis
• 1997 Toyota Rav4 - A trend setting Toy(ota)
• 1998 Toyota Rav4 - A small, spunky, head-turner   

Some Newspaper Reviews:

• USA Today: Toyota RAV4 is Consumer Reports' Best small SUV, March 18, 1997
• Detroit News: Toyota RAV4 though pricey, has broad appeal 1997
• Chicago Sun-Times: Toyota's new, hot-selling RAV4 small sport/utility vehicle is terribly cute, practical and more affordable than larger sport/utilities.
• New Standard: 'Cute utes' invade a growing sport utility market, Sept 1, 1996
• Autopage: Toyota RAV4 - Best in Class Mini - SUV 

But WHY did we keep it this long???

Because RAV4 continued in 2000 available as a 4-door model only.
So no longer as a cute 2-door... Read: - RAV4 HISTORY -.

Me and my 'Cute Ute'... I LOVE this car!

What does RAV4 stand for?

Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-Wheel Drive



'Ravy' only twice got new tires and has been always very reliable.

Very good fuel economy!

Do you like my 'Ravy'?

Oh sure, 'Ravy' can carry things on the roof too, as well as behind in the little trailer we got for him.

In the center of the bumper you see the square opening, that's where the male part goes for the trailer.

Ravy served us well, he did haul many a load for us, for the construction of our Rose Suite and for hauling furniture from the Savannah harbor, Miele appliances from Atlanta...

Went all the way to Key West with our German 'son and daughter-in-law' and to Orlando with our other German 'son and daughter-in-law'. With us to Central Valley in New York. So he's been to many states, always being loyal.

Therefore we keep him! Besides; he is in excellent shape.

Related link:

{'Ravy', my Toyota RAV4 is 15 today!} | other post by me

Toyota RAV4 Automobile of the year 1997 in Automobile Magazine of January, 1997 Pdf

{My Atelvia with its side effects and the 9th Blog Award}

• This time I will not post much as it is my weekly 'Atelvia' day and the side effects take much away of my productivity. 
• Heart burn and a down feeling. Often even the day after... But there will be five good days left of each week! 
• I need to take this to prevent bone loss, as the Prednisone is causing that... 
• One way medication is great and the other way it causes side effects. 
• Does anyone out there have experience with Atelvia or with Actonel? (I took the Actonel once-a-month, prior to this).
• Just an update: after this post, I started taking it with a glass of milk. You have to take the Atelvia also AFTER breakfast; to me that is in itself a huge improvement instead of on an empty stomach with the Actonel. 
• Guess I have somehow adjusted to it better now, still look forward to the day I'm free of this medicine!

Don't want to complain but sorry if I did not visit your blog or left a comment.

So let's go on with the 9th Blog Award that I received from Rose Marie from El Arte de Rosiña. Even though I am not up to passing it on to someone, not feeling like it and there are so many things that need to be taken care of. So I leave this Pink Lady for anyone who wants to take her home...

• Thanks a lot Rose Marie!

Related links:

Actonel Side Effects
{My Angel Sister & Mariette's Back to Basics Explained} | previous post by me

{We saw FOUR Armadillos at Lunch Time!}

Wow, just now when reading about Armadillos I know that I've risked something. First of all, these nine-banded Armadillos do have  four genetically identical quadruplets being born in each litter. AHA, that's why we spotted four! For quite a while we noticed the damage they did to our lawn, digging up the grass in search for grubs and other insects. They also make burrows in which you easily can step and trip. When I rushed outside with my camera to capture them, I had a hard time, as they move so fast!

The North American Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when startled, and consequently often collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing vehicles. In this case, one of them scared me when I tried to lift it up with one hand, in order to get a better shot from its face. It jumped straight up under me, I kind of sat squatted down. No luck for a close-up shot while being held... Today I read about this 'jumping up' in the above link (click on Armadillos at the top):

Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat, and are a presumed vector and natural reservoir for the disease in Texas and Louisiana. See link below post for more about the Leprosy STIGMA and our Leprosy Project.

Next time I know better!

Funny ears they have and indeed, they are nine-banded. But look this one has an X to the left in its bands!

 It was nearly impossible to capture them on camera. I do better with our cats...

Hind sight...

We spotted four with our eyes but when I hurried outside I only managed to get TWO before the camera lens...

Boy, were they in a hurry!

Related link:

{ Like Princess Diana, I also Tried to Tackle the Leprosy Stigma} | other post by me
{My 6 Min Presentation The Truth About Leprosy for GPDLI, AtAmerica U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA} | post by me with video + Pdf transcript link

{World Leprosy Day} | previous post by me
{My 8th Blog Award - Sunshine from Japan} | previous post by me mentioning our fight for the underdog