Saturday's Downs and Ups

I woke up at 6:00 AM on Saturday. It was no longer raining, (although still pretty windy) so I walked out in my robe to check the rain gauge. I got more than half an inch of rain overnight. That’s good, especially for the new bushes and grass seed.

I did my usual morning routine, ate breakfast, shaved and showered, etc., and then left the house at 9:00 AM. I have a 10:00 AM appointment at Suburban Volvo in Troy. I need this hesitation problem solved, so I made the appointment (online, BTW).

I was hoping they had the wrong spark plug gauge, the wire wasn’t put on tight or something (you know, “something cheap”). I also thought I’d solved the coolant problem by adding more to the tank.

I was wrong on both counts. The spark plug wires were arcing because they were covered with oil. They were covered with oil as two small oil lines had clogged and so the resulting pressure wrecked the seal one the camshaft(s) – I forget if there’s one or two. And, the timing belt is worn and the Volvo engine is not one of those “freewheeling” (I think that’s the term when the piston and valves are far enough away they can never touch, no matter what happens), so if the belt brakes, the valves that were down would stay down as the pistons came up (the crankshaft would continue to spin a bit) and the resulting collision would cause me to have to buy a new engine. And the coolant sensor really was a bad coolant sensor, which meant the electric fans were always on.

I could go on and on (he sure did) but the upshot is it will take a minimum of three days and cost me just over $3K. I don’t like it (I REALLY don’t like it) but I need that car to last me at least two more years.

So, I drove home in a sweet loaner 2012 Volvo S60. He showed me how to start the car (there’s no key, you shove the fob into a slot and, with your foot on the brake, push the start/stop button).

But, he didn’t show me how to turn on the A/C! Fortunately, it was cool outside, so I drove with the window down until I could figure it out.

I was both hungry and depressed by the time I got out of there (about 1:30 PM. So, I stopped at a Big Boy on the way home and had the fish and chips. I ate my French fries with malt vinegar and salt and felt very English (well, at least Canadian, lol). The fish was delicious, BTW. Then I sat there a while, trying to start the car, until I remembered you had to have your foot on the brake.

I stopped at the Redford Post Office and bought two books of stamps (sadly, I didn’t see any hot chicks checking out my ride) and stopped at Georges Lawnmower service to buy the right air cleaner for the lawn tractor (the one I got at Lowe's and the guy looked up in his book didn't fit). I got home just before 3:00 PM. I treated the cats, then I stripped the bed while they were preoccupied and put the bedding in the washer.

I did learn one thing from the non-A/C interlude: that it was windy and cool outside (72 degrees F. at 4:00 PM) So, I opened up all the windows in the house to air it out a while. It felt good and the cats loved it.

I took a break and watched some DIY shows, which only depressed me more, because I was going to go and get the wood for the bench and start that project this weekend. But I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t want me hauling lumber in their loaner.

I walked out to get the mail (it wasn’t there when I got home) and all the box contained was an AARP magazine (sigh)...

Back inside, I started making dinner. I am completely winging this, but I am making meatballs and spaghetti.

Now, I have seen and made meatballs myself three different ways: frying them, cooking them in the tomato sauce or baking them. They taste good made any way and I’m not Italian, so I don’t know what is, or if there is, the “authentic” way to do it. But, today I’m baking them.

For the meatballs, I combined one pound of ground chuck, a handful of finely minced fresh oregano, flat-leaf parsley and basil, a half cup or so of store-bought breadcrumbs, about a 1/4 cup of finely minced sweet onion and a 1/4 cup of leftover grated parmesan. I added a lot of cracked black pepper, but no salt, (I figured with the parmesan I didn’t need it). To that I added one egg and enough water (I would have used milk, but I was out) to be able to form it.

I covered a half sheet pan with foil (easy clean up) and preheated the oven to 350 degrees F. I also warmed up 4 cups of that marinara sauce I made but didn’t use.

I oiled both my hands with olive oil, so the meat doesn’t stick to them (and it makes your hands sooo soft – but I digress) and used my one-ounce ice cream scoop to try and maintain some sort of uniformity. Then I started making meatballs. I ended up with 15 perfect ones and one slightly smaller one.

I popped them in the oven and set the timer for 14 minutes. You’re supposed to bake them 25-30 minutes, but I like to turn them over with tongs halfway through. Its not that easy (and some do break) but I think it keeps them from getting crusty on just one side. While they were baking the first time, I threw the bedding into the dryer.

When the second timer went off, I pulled them out, turned the oven off and set them on the cutting board for the juices to rest. Then I put them in the marinara sauce to get happy. I stuck the marinara/meatball pan into the oven to keep warm.

Then I set a pot on to boil and make my thick spaghetti. Somehow, only thick spaghetti will work with this, at least in my mind.

While it was getting up to boil, I made the bed and then called B__ to b*tch about the latest car incident. He asked if I had realized yet that, with the turbo problems a few years ago ($3,700.00) and this new $3,000 problem, I probably should have and could have bought a pretty good used car. And, that the car is probably only woth $3K right now. I said I knew all that, and that I gave it a lot of thought, but I need this car (with no payments) to last me until 2014. He just sighed...

I put the spaghetti in the water with a twist (no, I mean a motion, not something different) and cooked it until al dente (about 11 minutes). I drained it and added in the marinara/meatball sauce and carefully folded it together.

Then I put some in a shallow bowl and ate dinner. (I deliberately did not put any parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano on top as I wanted to taste-test the meatballs). It was very good, although I think the meatballs would have benefited by more herbs and less parmesan. And, although messy, I think the thick spaghetti was the perfect choice of pasta. So, a day that was pretty depressing became less depressing.

I’ve heard people say, “When life give you lemons, make lemonade!” Well, I say, “When life give you car repair bills, make spaghetti and meatballs!”

I watched about half of Saving Private Ryan before I fell asleep, but its okay – I know who won the war.