Dead battery

Was ready to head into town when I got that clicky purring noise indicative of a dead battery. So what is a girl to do when she has no mechanical aptitude?  Place a call to Triple-A (American Automobile Association) of course.  This is one of those "gems" that I would NEVER do without.

They have come to my rescue since I was 21 years old...dead batteries, flat tires, towing service, maps, traveler's checks, passport pictures, International drivers license...now I sound like a commercial :)  You may not always need it but when you do, it is a lifesaver and you do not have to bother your friends or neighbors...PRICELESS!!!

Once they jumped me I headed straight for AutoZone.  Batteries have certainly gone up in five years! Bought the same Duralast Gold Battery with a 5-year warranty with tax and special battery sales fee spent a grand total of $177.80.

I am so grateful that this happened today as tomorrow we have a doctor's appointment and we would have probably had to cancel and incur a fee for not giving a 24-hour notice.  We also have an upcoming trip to San Antonio where I would hate to be stranded in a hot car waiting on a tow truck.  All in all, it turned out to be a good day.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Triple A to the Rescue

I think one of the best decisions I ever made was to join the American Automobile Association otherwise known as Triple A.  I was in my early twenties, single and living in the big city.  I have always strived to be self sufficient and not bother my friends or family with little things like flat tires, jump starts and the always dreaded mechanical failure.  If you use them just once a year...you basically have recouped your annual dues.  Even if you don't use them at all...the peace of mind it buys is priceless.

He jumped started the Toyota and for a little extra removed the battery from mother's mini-van.  I went off to town to purchase a new battery for her car while at the same time charging my own battery.  It was awfully hot as I decided not to turn on the A/C hoping that would  help in charging it up faster.

Later in the afternoon something kept on nagging at me...my sixth sense?...so I went to start my car.  Darn it!  It was almost out of juice but I floored it and got it started.  By now it was close to 7:00 p.m. and the dealership was closed...I was not about to have it be drained by morning.  So off I went back to the auto parts store to have them check both the battery and the alternator.  Lucky for me it was only the battery that needed replacing.  Oh well...had to replace two batteries in one day :-(

I was going to drive to the lake and then around town but thought it best to bite the bullet and just get it replaced...it is after all almost four years old.  Was glad it happened while I was in Del Rio where I have access to another vehicle and not in Houston or worst yet in Terlingua!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

No Water...Again!

Yesterday afternoon I went to the laundromat up the road.  Noticed that there were a lot of electric crews installing new telephone poles, did not give it a second thought.  It was a pretty hot day so came home and showered before eating my supper.  It was a good thing because when I got ready to wash the dishes...there was no water!

I knew I paid the water bill but who do I call to inquire if it is only our house or area wide?  The neighbors have all ditched their landlines and I have no idea what their cell phone numbers are.  The water department was already closed so went online to the City of Del Rio webpage.  There I found out the contractors putting in the telephone poles broke a water main.  They refer you to their Facebook or Twitter account for further information.  Darn, I don't do Facebook or Twitter or for that matter use social sites!

The day before I had given Walter 9 gallons of water and since I was in a hurry I did not fill them back up,  the good thing was I still had 8 gallons left.  Heard the toilet tank filling up around 2:14 a.m. but it was filling up with a lot of force...I was afraid it might bust the tank!

This morning I went to water Walter since I knew the owner's son was not going to fill his water barrel before going to school.  As you can tell from the angle the sun hits the barrel...it was empty and had been for two days. Darn kid!!!

By this afternoon the water looked clear so I found some more milk jugs and managed to fill 20 gallons worth.  Good thing I did, because around 7:00 p.m. the water went off again!

On a different note... I spoke to the mechanic earlier this afternoon and he told me to send him Dad's car.  Called Triple A at 1:15 p.m. and they did not show up until 3:55 p.m.  Heck I get faster service in Houston than I do here. On the positive side, it is on its way to be fixed.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

New battery / Mechanic/ Laundry

Remember back in October when I tried to start dad's old car and flooded it?  Well as you know I was busy with taxes and getting ready for the Chili Cook-Off so I put it off as usual.  Called Triple A this morning, even they could not jump start the battery but the guy was nice enough to remove it for me.

Went to the auto parts place where I bought it back in May 2011 only to be told that now they only exchange batteries up to 20 months and then they pro-rate them.  My procrastination cost my mother $38.97 but shhhh... I did not tell her that!

I then went to see the mechanic and had a nice visit with him.  Do not know what it is about the mechanics I frequent but they sure are talkative and know as much or even more gossip than lady hairdressers :D

He has a ranch out close to my mother's house and goes to visit it every Sunday, so I wanted him to swing by this weekend on his way back to town but he said he would come tomorrow.  I do not know if he will be able to or not since it was obvious he was coming down with a cold.

Went to the P.O. Box and saw this restored truck in mint condition.  I thought it looked pretty neat.

Ran a couple more errands while I was in town including going to the laundromat.  I was so surprise there were only three people and thankfully no screaming kids!  Too bad I have to make a return trip to do sheets and comforters :-(

Gas has gone down two cents in the past week.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Beautiful 82 Degree Day

Before calling AAA (American Automobile Association) decided to try starting the mini van one more time.  I will be darn...it started!  We decided to go for a spin in order to get it charged up.

The work on the new Stripes is going along at a fast pace.  This will be the fourth store in Del Rio and the third one along Veterans Memorial.  I have no idea why they would want three stores within two miles of each other and the other less than a mile.

Took a picture of the surprise gift I bought myself.  The other side is worst but I can't post it because it has my personal information and I do not know how to edit pictures :-(

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A Day Shot to Hell

I was so worried about the darn car battery I barely slept.  Triple A sent a lady to jump-start my car.  She ran three tests and told me that I needed to drive around for an hour without stopping so it could re-charge.  Just what I needed, to drive for an hour with no destination and at today’s high gas prices.

The thought of a drive to Galveston did cross my mind for a minute…but only for a minute as it was close to 1:00 p.m. and my return trip would put me smack down on I-45 rush hour traffic.

So where to go?  I-45 north seemed like a good choice.  Decided to pay a visit to Huntsville State Park, since it is an hours drive from my house.  I think the drought in this part of Texas is over, everything was green and thriving. Got to the park but they had an entrance fee so I turned around and headed back home.

Found a Shell station selling gas for $3.79 a gallon and decided to fill up.  Even though I had driven for two hours without stopping, I did not want to take any chances so I filled up with the car running.  I needed to go buy groceries that are so much cheaper here than in Del Rio but was afraid the car would not start back up.

My shed was broken into again, this makes four times that I know of…this time I decided to file a police report.  Got a really nice sheriff’s deputy but I was baffled that after he took my report, he walked over to a neighbor’s house and talked to the lady that answered the door.  Sure hope she doesn’t think I told him I suspected it was her, because I did not.  I do not even know her, but the Town Crier told me she has two worthless sons that do not work or go to school and that hang around in the now vacant house next to mine.

Sure hope tomorrow is a better day and that I can cross off many more things from my To Do List.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.