Up Close with Antifreeze


Or
How I Spent My Sunday Morning.
 
See these boxes? 
 
All this and I spent
somewhere around
$35.
Expensive?
 
Not as much as it is going to be.
 
I wake up
after another fitful night's sleep.
 
That is three nights in a row.
Bizarre dreams,
Knitting,
Reading,
Playing Solitaire on my phone,
Advil,
Another dream,
And so it goes.
 
This morning, I decide that I am going to Hazen.
 
It is a flea market about an hour and a half from here.
I ask a friend,
I ask Shawnee if I can take Gracelyn
I ask JWS if he wants to go....
in the end,
I go myself.
 
Looking forward to a quiet morning alone
and
maybe some nice bargains
and
a visit with a friend that lives on the way.
 
Comfy shoes, comfy clothes, some big tote bags
and off I go.
 
Let me back up a little to say that I have been having some issues
with my vehicle.
Overheating,
smell of gas...
I stand in the garage
and
think...
"Should I take a different vehicle?"
There are two other ones there.
In the end, I take mine.
 
A mere, 20 miles up the road
(refer to the pictures to follow)
Overheated,
shut off.
 
I call JWS, he advises me to get antifreeze at the next service station
and I do.
 
Let me also back up to say that on Friday
I said that I thought I needed a water pump.
To which he laughed.
 
Now I am going to back up even farther.
I have driven
a
63 Bug
64 Galaxie 500
71 Maverick
73 Torino
74 Nova
75 Nova
an assortment of pick-ups
red Chevy,
Black Ford
Brown Chevy
73 Pontiac
80 something Monte Carlo
a $35 Toyota
A Corsica given to me by my cousin
A Corsica given to me by a nun,
(there were some pretty lean years)
A Taurus,
A Jeep
and now
an
Equinox.
None of them new,
many of them pretty old,
and
because of that,
I have seen my share of water pumps gone bad.
Truthfully,
I have seen my share of head gaskets, transmissions, radiators,
bad tires, wheel alignments, alternators, wheel bearings,
dead batteries
and a few that had to be started on a hill by
popping the clutch,
not to mention those that had to have a
screwdriver in the carburetor to start
and
one or two broken frames.
 
 
I think it needs a water pump!
 
So, I fill it with antifreeze,
$13,
then I buy another gallon,
$13
and start for the mechanic's place
where JWS agrees to meet me.
Did I mention that cell service is spotty, at best.
 
The first break down, they let me use the land line.
The second break down,
I had to stand perfectly still to call,
The third overheating happened here.





Pretty setting, right?
I thought so also until
the
Charles Manson
look alike pulled up to try and help me
and honestly,
while nothing usually scares me...
I was petrified.
 
 
My heart was racing as I assured him that I was fine
and
thank you for stopping to check,
(but please oh, please leave without causing me any bodily harm.)
I put in the next gallon of antifreeze and left.....fast. 

This was my fourth breakdown.
At least this was a store.
I bought a gallon of water,
$1.79
tired of the high price of antifreeze,
and as I was paying...
JWS walked in.
 
He found me. 
No small task considering the amount of roads that I could have been on.
 
Loved the moose though. 
 
People there were very nice. 
Now there is a nice man under my car. 
 
He gets up,
looks around
and says the words that make me want to kiss him,
 
"I THINK IT NEEDS A WATER PUMP."
 
The smug look on my face said it all.
JWS does not laugh at this man.
Hmmmm, wonder why?
 
I limp it another ten miles or so and we are at the mechanics.
 
I push and shove to get my keys in the drop box.
 
I will call him Tuesday.
 


And the boxes above?
JWS took me to a few antique/junk stores
before stopping at a store and buying lunch items. 
 
He is cooking lunch.
 
I guess I won't complain too much about the water pump thing!  
All in all, not a terrible morning!

Comments

acorn hollow said…
Oh I am so sorry for the car troubles. Since my husband is horrible with a car (he can build a house in a snap) I google most things to find out what is wrong before I call the garage.
good luck.
cathy
Ann said…
Well that doesn't sound like a very fun day at all but having that guy say he thought you needed a water pump had to have helped tremendously...lol

I think the Hazen flea market is the one that my husband is always telling me about but never takes me to. He used to live in Kersy Pa
annie said…
If I am never in need of adventure, I can come to your blog. My "I love Lucy Life" sounds like paradise compared to yours sometimes (teasing grin). Am so glad Charles went on his way alone! And that your husband was good to you with shopping and food after you were right! Hope this week goes well! Blessings!

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