Feeling grateful at the auto service counter

Here’s to generous people who can make such a difference in my day.

A few weeks ago a persistent rattle in the front end axle, tire area of my car caused me to spontaneously turn into the VW dealership and talk to the service guys. It was Friday at 3:00.

Brownie and his coworker have been very nice over the years explaining the mechanics of parts in my car that fail, as they tally up my bill and make appointments over the phone.  It’s a full time job for the two of them!

Rows of keys line up on the counter on top of the respective cars’ bills, proof of a busy and productive day.

Brownie, the service man said, “Well I can put it up on the lift and take a look. “

Wow, no appointment and he can help me?  Then that nervous anticipation when you see your car being raised up. What will he find?

So he says after peering around under the front end, “Well your front left CV joint is ripped and the axle (or something) will just freeze while you’re driving….”

Great thought- my imagination doesn’t need anything more to worry about going wrong.

Brownie says (at least as best I can remember), “We can fix it now. There are 2 options. If we do replace the CV joint boot it will be $ 600 for parts; if we just replace the whole axle it’s a lot less."

Of course I chose the less expensive option, and he said, "We’ve already got someone heading over to Motor Supply to get the part. Do you have time to wait?"

Wow. Friday, 3PM and they’re going to fix my car? AWESOME.

Counting my blessings despite the beautiful sunny afternoon and post 5-day work week, I sat in the auto showroom grading school work for an hour or so ignoring the shiny new cars positioned around me.

The bill? Less than $250. I headed home an hour and a half later with a functioning CV joint at a minimal cost and avoided my 9-year old car breaking down. This task didn’t even make it to my to-do list!

Lucky me, and thanks to Brownie and the crew.

unsettled

Life marches on as I flounder for a topic or a purpose. I could make this really big or really little.  A life crisis or a bad Sunday? Low energy and still a little slow with my sore back.  Hot flashes are adding insult to injury.

I could be meditative- a breeze is making the buttercups in the field sway and a cranberry bush by the house is fluttering with white blooms. Crickets and birds are in the background.

The weather has been changeable: sunny, then dark and cloudy enough to turn the lights on. Gotta go with it, but it’s adding to my unsettledness.

Car shopping probably didn’t help either! The first dealership the salesman was older and fairly low-key, perhaps disinterested or tired after a long day. Having him drive with me made me feel like I was 16 and in driver’s ed.

 Concentrating on driving an unfamiliar car didn’t really give me a chance to look around and see if I liked either of the two models I drove. Or which I liked more. But I was dutifully trying to remember all the things “Kevin” told me. About engine sizes, suspensions, torque….

The next salesman was “Charlie” and young, with a license plate stuck in the back of his pinstriped pants. He talked way too much and had pretty bad one-liners in between information about the car model.

The thing is after driving 4 different cars I’m really not sure what I want.  I’ve done too much research and that doesn’t always help make a decision. Maybe I can ignore the rattles in my 9 year old car a little bit longer.

I appreciate the irony that buying something stresses me out, whereas most ads try to present buying something as a feel good experience. I’m the kind of person who’s happiest not changing my car, house, or clothes. Which works till things wear out.

Perhaps a canoe ride will balance out the weekend, close by in our 25 year old Old Town 18 footer. What a relic that is! Time to take control of the last bits of the weekend.

Bravo to both these women! Future National security adviser and United Nations ambassador.

I was reading this NY Times article
"Rice to Replace Donilon in the Top National Security Post"  when appreciation hit me to be reading about two strong intelligent women successfully navigating Washington politics  in the same article. Both Susan Rice and Samantha Powers advocate for our humanitarian responsibilities on the world front through the high profile roles they take on in their work.

Susan Rice didn't get a fair shot in her nomination for secretary of state.  I love how she kept on working diligently at the UN in the diplomatic trenches of the Syrian conflict, even though she'd gone through that public rejection by republicans.


And now Obama has found another spot for her that doesn't need congressional approval. Who will take Rice's UN position?

Samantha Powers another tenacious female voice for human rights around the world.

Bravo to both these women! Future National security adviser and United Nations ambassador.

(Both photos from NY Times article.)

checking in

Birds chirping even though it's getting dark, peepers chiming in behind them, plants hopefully equally tough in the falling temps. We're going from 90s to 60s and at night 40s; that's a big change for people and plants. Things are dry and the air is crisp.

After work today, I gathered up branches in the grass from the windy days we've had. Then I carefully hauled out compost and fertilizer trying to use my arm strength not my back, so I could start to finish the rest of garden plantings.

Sitting down on a stool to rest I realized my back was aching, and I limped up to the house and heating pad. At least all the buckets of stuff are in the garden and maybe tomorrow I'll  get a few more rows in.

I have an incentive; it's supposed to rain heavily later in the week for a few days, so do it now or wait a week Katie!