Rainy Days, Mondays and Car Repairs Always Bring Me Down

Monday came (as it always does) and I got ready to go to work. I left a little early so I could drop off two more bags of old tile. But, before I left, I checked the left rear tire (it was low on Saturday so I filled it up before I went to the graduation party). Sure enough, it was low again! Damn!

Since the air compressor is in the house, the next best thing I could do was to drive to the corner gas station and pay 75 cents to put some air in it. Once I got to work, I called Belle Tire (just up the road) and asked if they could take a look at it. They said sure, so I drove it over there.

Since it’s been a long time since I had a tune up (which in today’s vehicles is basically just changing the spark plugs) I asked if they would do that as well, along with changing the oil. If you’re gonna go, go big, I always say!

He asked if there were any driveability issues, like the “Check Engine” light coming on. I told him about the chugging, but said I was pretty sure it was bad gasoline. But, he said they’d check that out too.

I can’t wait to see what this will cost me (oh, wait a minute, yes, I can!)

I walked back to work (although I had a lot of offers from co-workers to drive me back – it’s just not that far away) and it was a lovely day for a walk.

When I got back, I remembered to turn off the sound for the text message (I leave it on vibrate at work, but noisy at home so I don’t miss them). But, dammit, I did miss one yesterday from Carla, wishing me a Happy Father’s Day. I replied, but felt bad it was a day late.

Speaking of voicemail, (well, it was texting, I suppose), I forgot to tell you I did have a voicemail the other day from Bonnie, the minister’s wife, who left a nice message thanking me again for the lift chair. She said it was like a gift from God and is very helpful for taking care of her invalid mother. So, I felt good about giving it away, all over again.

Everything was going well until I got the call from Belle Tire. There was a nail in the tire (I knew it was something like that) the spark plugs were shot (Sure. That’s why there has been a set of them sitting in my garage for about, oh, a year now – I needed to buy the right socket for them but never got around to it). They changed the oil and the air filter like I’d asked but...

Did I know my front brake pads were close to grinding? (No) and that the rotors were worn too thin to be resurfaced and should be replaced? (Really? I thought I had new brakes put on a couple years ago!) And that the sway bar links in front were loose? (Nope, but can you just tighten them up for me?) Answer: Well, no, they both also have to be replaced as they are a “unit” and cannot be adjusted.

“What’s this gonna cost me?” I asked, feeling like my original, personal estimate of around $200 US was heading south. It did! They figured it will run right around $700.00. My only other question (once I could speak again) was, “Could it be done today?” and they assured me it could.

Now you see why I’m doing my own tile work! The first thing I did was to transfer money from my savings to beef up the small balance left in my checking account. Then, stuck without a car, I asked Vicky and Michelle to bring me back something to eat when they left for lunch (the three of us and my walker can’t all fit in a car). I was working around 12:30 PM when I noticed how dark it had gotten. Then the thunder and lightning started and the rain came down in buckets.

The women wisely stayed inside Subway (that’s where they decided to go today) and ate their food, waiting out the storm. But, they eventually came back with my foot-long BMT (half for my lunch and the other for my dinner). So, I ate the first half while I worked.

People’s families who called from various other locations reported it was not raining hard there, but I hoped it was in Redford! The rain had stopped by 3:30 PM, when the Belle Tire guy called and said the car was ready. So, I walked back down there (again with offers of a ride, but to be honest, it’s easier at this point in the construction to walk across Plymouth Road than to try and drive a car across it). They explained all they did and I gave them $699.36. They did proudly tell me they fixed the tire for free! (Gee! Thanks!) I drove back to work and then home at 5:00 PM. The car was running great, BTW.


Naturally, the first thing I did when I got home was to check the rain gauge. There was just over 1/4 inch of water in it. Certainly not as much as I would have hoped for, but that’s 1/2 inch in two days, so I was sure the lawn was grateful!

Then, I took the garbage can out to the road and, while I was out there, took a picture of the mail box garden for you. I do wish more varieties had sprouted, but it still looks pretty cool, I think.

I got Acenter’s (Carla’s Mother) Father’s Day card and present in the mail. The present was a pewter visor clip for the car that read: “Life is a journey, God is my guide; We travel safely together side by side.” I stuck it in the car – hey, it can’t hurt, right?

My back had been hurting all afternoon so, although I looked at the tile again, I didn’t do any work on it. The only after-work work I did was to wash the other side of the stove (so I could push it all the way in) and wash some of the kitchen floor (I had managed to nick my arm while lifting up the bed on Sunday and, without noticing, had dripped some blood on the new tile before I put a Band-Aid on it).

I called Carla’s Mother and left a voicemail, letting her know I got her package and thanking her for it. I watched the last of the Nightly News and then ate my sandwich. I took my pills (including a pain pill) and took the rest of the evening off.