Freezing my ass off on Saturay

I woke up at 7:15 AM on Saturday and immediately stripped the bedding. I started the weekend wash and then fill out the Blog entry. When the washer stopped, I threw the bedding into the dryer and me into the shower. I have a LOT of errands to run this morning.

I just had coffee for breakfast, got dressed and left for my 9:30 AM hair cut. Next I went to the bank for a refill (money always helps on errand days). Then I stopped at Westborn for a few items I needed (and a few that I didn't).

Then it was time to get the oil changed and that's when my morning went to shit. Not sure if I mentioned this in the Blog, but my car has been leaving little drips of oil, here and there (Jake pointed it out to me a while back when he noticed some in his driveway after I'd been there). I'd hosed off the undercarriage and tried to see where it might be coming from, but no luck. B___ suggested a loose oil plug or filter, but I told him it wasn't in the middle of the car (where they are) but on the right hand side by the front tire.

So, I was gonna ask them to see if they noticed any leaking, but before I could, they guy asked me if I'd had to add any oil since my last oil change. I said, "Yes, a quart, but I didn't think it was strange as I went way beyond the 3000 miles." He asked if I'd get out of the car, he wanted to show me something. Uh, oh...

Turns out the coolant container for the anti-freeze (located on the right side, just over the front tire) had oil coming out of the cap! My heart sank!

I used to be a fairly good mechanic (ASE-certified in Engine Rebuilding) but all my knowledge is at least 20 years old. So I immediately thought: oil in the coolant - blown head gasket (thousands of dollars to fix these days)!

I asked if he thought that was it and he said he didn't know, but would get the mechanic from next door (I never noticed but the quick oil change place is located next to a full service garage and owned by the same people).

The mechanic walked over (his shirt said his name was Sam) and started looking around. He was very concerned that the coolant might be in the engine or transmission oil and tested it in many ways. Thankfully, there was no evidence of that (water in engine or transmission oil will cause it to seize up and you need a new one then).

I asked about the blown head gasket and he said if that's what it was, it would have overheated. I told him no, it's in the same place on the gauge it's always been. He said he wanted to check out Volvo's on his computer and left for a while (while I fretted). He came back and said there is an oil cooler mounted on the engine which has feeds from both the radiator (coolant) and the engine oil. He thinks that a seal between them ruptured and the engine is pumping a little engine oil into the coolant. He suggested I leave it for them to look at. I told him it was my only car and I live alone, so I couldn't. He mentioned what would happen if the coolant got into the engine (trashed) and I said I knew that.

I asked him about possible repair costs and he said he had no idea yet. He'd have to check on availability of parts for a Volvo, take it apart, pressure check it, flush the cooling system several times to get all the oil out, etc. If that was the problem, he'd either have to replace the seal (if possible) or the entire unit (more likely). He suggested I call him on Monday to get a better idea of what this may cost in repairs. He also said he'd need the car at least a day (groan - I'll have to walk to work and back, I guess).

He had the guys use a tube vacuum thingie they use to suck out transmission fluid to get out as much oil as they could from the coolant (luckily oil and water do not mix) and then refilled it. They didn't charge me for that, but I figure they figure to make it up on the cost of my repairs...

From there, I went to Home Depot. I bought a bag of ready-mix cement for the trellis I bought last fall but never put together because of my arm operation, a can of expanding insulating foam (Jake's favorite), and one of those foam insulating pipe covers (that look like a pool toy). I need to finish up that faucet install, put back on the access cover and the counter top and move on.

I got home just after noon. I put the next load in the washer and made the bed back up. Then I finished loading the dishwasher and turned it on.

Then I got back to that stupid faucet. If you remember, it stood out from the siding a tad (as did its predecessor). I also cannot screw it down (it has two flanges for this, as did the old one, but directly behind the siding is a cement block wall. I talked with B___ about that and he suggested sliding some wood behind it, using adhesive/caulk to secure it and then screwing it on. Sounded like a plan...

I checked the depth and of course (siding is angled) the top is just under 1/2 inches away but the bottom is only 1/4 inch away. So, I made various calculations and decided a block of 1/4-inch plywood, 2 3/4' x 2 3/4' with a one inch hole in the center would work. So, I made that. Then I got some almond spray paint (my siding is almond colored) and painted it several coats.

I brought inside (it stinks) and it was dry about 3:00 PM, so I used the band saw to cut two slots in it (so I could slide it over the pipe), then applied my clear adhesive/caulk to the back (more on the top, less on the bottom) and slipped it in. Tight fit, but I got it! Then I applied the adhesive/caulk (this is the same stuff I used to hold in the soap dish and two shelves in the downstairs shower, so I know it works), to the cut out piece and slid that into place as well.

Then I donned two rubber gloves, shook up the foam and, sticking the end of the tube in the hole through the cement block, let her rip! When that was full, I tried to use the rest to extra-insulate the cement block wall. That didn't work (it wouldn't stick and just fell to the bottom) so, knowing how that silly tube hardens up, I just threw the rest of the can away. I set the stove timer for an hour (maximum expansion time), so I can check and see if it blew the little board out straight. If so, I'll caulk the top of it again. If not, it is what it is.

BTW, remember me braggin' on Thursday about how warm it was here compared to anywhere else I check? Well, today we are the coldest. Colder than my daughter Amy in BFE Minnesota and colder that Canada Cathy in Alberta, Canada (where they still live in igloos)! (God hates me...) It actually was snowing a little when I went for my hair cut.

While I was waiting for the foam to expand, I went out to water the mailbox garden and the new arborvitae. I also grabbed the mail while I was out there (and freezing). Inside, I grabbed the Glad container I'd washed and dried and walked it over to my neighbors (it had the lasagna Tammy gave me last Sunday). I told Rick it was excellent and to please tell her thank you and he gave me a magazine they delivered to his house instead of mine (this happens a lot).

At that point, I took a nice long nap. I woke up just before 6:00 PM and started dinner. Now, I know how to make excellent eggplant Parmesan. But, I thought I would try this "healthier" recipe.

So, I heated up some canola oil, added a medium diced onion and cooked that until it was soft (about five minutes). Then I added about a tablespoon of chopped garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I cooked that a minute or so and then added a 28-ounce of crushed tomatoes (I learned from the rolled up lasagna) and two tablespoons of Italian seasoning (thanks to my brother Joe and Kathy). I seasoned it with salt and pepper and brought it to a simmer and let it go until I needed it.

Now, this recipe calls for leaving the skin on (as does Lu) but (like cilantro) I hate that shit. It tastes too bitter to me. So, I peeled it and cut two of them into 3/4 inch slices. I took the biggest ones and ran them through my breading station: flour, eggs and water and then Italian bread crumbs with cornmeal.

Instead of frying them (like I like) I put them on a rack on a half sheet pan and stuck them in a oven set at 375 degrees F. The recipe called for 20 - 25 minutes. I pulled it out at 20 minutes. I think that was my mistake.

I used a cake pan (I couldn't find my Pyrex dish) and wiped it with olive oil. I added a ladle of tomato sauce and then arranged the eggplant slices in it, overlapping. I topped them with the rest of the sauce and then added a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and a quarter cup of shredded Parmesan.

I stuck that dish into the oven with the broiler on until the cheese was melted and bubbly (three to four minutes). I garnished it with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and plated it.

Here was when I was disappointed (again - today sucks!) The flavor was fantastic, but the eggplant slices were not cooked through. Damn! I don't have that problem when I fry them in oil! This healthy stuff sucks!

I put the rest in the fridge after they cooled. Maybe reheating the in microwave will cook them to the right consistency.

I watched TV and then went to bed.