Mechanic / Rain

No matter how many YouTube videos I watched there was no way I could possibly strip the cables going to the battery and install the new terminals.  So off I went to see how my poor mechanic was doing...you will recall last time I went...he was on his way to a doctor's appointment after having burnt his leg.

Still not up to par but was agreeable to come with me as he figured it would be an easy fix. Seems with my luck there is never a simple solution.  Even with a brand new battery the car did not want to start and it took him a while to get Mom's mini van going.

Took him back to his shop in said mini-van and I should have turned off and then re-started it...but I ignored my gut feeling...when will I learn???  Went to Home Depot to pick up more Fire Ant granules but when I turned it off it started sputtering and shaking...WTH!!!   I immediately turned it back on.  Decided I could put off buying the granules and came home.  It did the same thing when I turned it off here.  Ran inside to call him and nothing seemed to work until he told me to hit the accelerator...then it finally turned off :-(

Glad I timed it just right because after that the wind picked up and we got a pretty good storm from which we received .46" of liquid gold.  All my rain catchment receptacles got filled to the brim and even overflowed.  We are supposed to get more rain tonight and tomorrow but will have to pass on collecting it...what a shame!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Mechanic makes a House Call

As you will recall I flooded Dad's old car back in October 2012 but with taxes, getting ready for the Chili Cook-Off, Thanksgiving, Christmas as well as visits from relatives I had not been able to get to it.  Then in December mom's van quit running, I thought it was a dead or a loose battery but true to my procrastinating ways never got around to it either. :-(

I had gone to see the mechanic on two occasions but he too was busy with IRS audit problems but today he finally made an appearance.  Even with a new battery for dad's old car, he could not get it started.  Needs to take it in to his shop and believes the fuel pump might be the culprit.

What I thought would be a simple jump start for mother's van turned into something else. Somehow gasoline is getting into the oil and that has to be addressed.  Had to make a bee line to have the oil changed even though I had it changed about 500 miles back. The fuel  air filter smelled to gasoline as well and had to be replaced. The car is so old they do not carry them, so it had to be special ordered.

Made two trips into town.  It was a nice warm day even though a bit on the cloudy side or it would have been downright hot!

Gas just keeps on going up and up....

The good news is that there is a 50 percent chance of rain for this evening. Look how cloudy it was this afternoon.  I sure hope they materialize, we definitively need the rain.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Speed Bumps/ Dead Battery/ UPS Delivery

Yesterday there was heavy duty machinery by the church on the main road not far from mother's house. My old time readers might recall this is where Walter almost got ran over.  Figured they were putting in new water pipes or something but when I went to close the gate last evening, I witness how unsuspecting vehicles hit the speed bumps that up until yesterday were not there. Must say they were really needed, now if they would only put them on our street, I would be truly grateful!

This morning I headed into town in mother's mini van but when I went to start it, it was dead :-(  It is my fault for not having started the van in a couple of days and besides that the Sears Die Hard battery has lasted a long time.  I'm thinking seven or eight years, so it was time.

My uncle swore me to secrecy, he told me that my mother called her worthless plumber to see why he had not been by.  Per my uncle he said he had been busy with church stuff but would come by this Thursday.  Do you think it would have been too much on his part to make a one minute call and let her know that without my mother having to call this individual?  Guess I am just asking for too much...

Shoeless Joe of Traveling with John fame http://travlinwithjohn.blogspot.com had ordered himself some Christmas presents but was going to pretend he did not know what they were.  I thought it was a great idea!  I would not have to pretend very hard what with my CRS and all :D

Decided I could NOT depend on Santa to bring me anything so I ordered myself a present and the UPS tracking said it was going to be delivered today.  Heard on the news that thieves in big cities are following UPS and FedEx trucks and then stealing the packages off front doors and porches.  Decided to set up a table and take my laptop outside as I did not want my present to suffer the same fate.  He showed up at 8:40 p.m. but the box looks like it has been through the wringer!

As you know my cheap camera does not take good night time pictures, so I am waiting until tomorrow to photograph the box in case my gift is damaged :(

Want to welcome two more new followers to the blog Jeff and Vanwrinkle.  Thank you for your readership!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.