Things Worked Out Right - I shouldn't have worried
Two days ago I got a letter from my health provider that my primary doctor was no longer available to me. I panicked and assumed that the Clinic as well as the doctor was being denied me. After a telephone call I found out it was my doctor who was leaving, not I. The new doctor, whose address was given to me in another town about 40 miles away, would be transferring to the local clinic, so all is well. There were a couple other problems to be solved on the phone, and by the time everything was in order again, I was exhausted from needless worry and I just lay around and watched TV all day.
Today I was determined to get busy on my yard. When I started up my pickup truck the battery sounded almost dead, but the engine caught right away and I moved it out of the way of the weeds I intended to whack down. With a bad fire season predicted in Southern California, it's best to have bare earth around your house for at least 100 feet or farther if you can manage it. I have been alone here for several months and the weeds are beginning to close in on me. I worked in spurts of about 40 minutes each, with rests in between, and every time I sat down the thought of that sluggish battery popped into my mind.
Gas jumped to $4.18 yesterday so I hate to drive the 15 miles or so to the store and the post office more than once a week. We have very limited auto repair facilities available nearby and I was afraid I would have to make a round trip of at least 80 miles if I had to buy a battery. Then again, I didn't want to go out to start up the truck tomorrow morning and find a dead battery. There are no neighbors to get a jump from.
It was 3:30 p.m. before something made me get up and do something about the battery even if it was wrong. I had the car payment to mail so that made the trip more worth while.
Benny's Garage was my first stop after mailing my letter. A new guy has taken it over. He tested the battery and sure enough it was on the verge of dying, but he didn't have the right size battery on hand to replace it. He told me to go over to Rich's Automotive by the freeway, the only other garage around here. I didn't think Rich was still in business, because not more than six months ago a story went around that he was involved in smuggling aliens - giving them sanctuary or something. We live only a couple of miles from the Mexican border here and there have been quite a few men who couldn't resist the temptation to make the big money. The man he employed as a mechanic committed suicide over it, but Rich was cleared.
It turned out Rich had exactly the battery I needed. It is guaranteed for 65 months and cost me $80. A new battery would have cost me $30 or more just for gas to go get it if Rich didn't have one for me, so I was satisfied. I still had some of that $600 the government sent me for economic stimulation and I'm doing my bit of stimulating. I bought four new tires, the battery, and got booster shots, a microchip, and a license for my dog, Smokey Joe. So I have made my truck a lot safer at better prices than will be available a few months from now, and my dog is street legal. I'll sleep better tonight
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Comments: 30
Very good writing.
Blessings ~
Rene
Interesting tale. Thanks for sharing it with us. (Take it easy out in the yard.)
..
U
Here's to a quiet, happy day for you.
Blessings.
Although I have never had religious instruction or affiliations, after so many years of living, I do believe in a higher power that is with us always. We just have to pay attention. I think that nudge I felt to get out my easy chair and do something about the barttery was from that power. So you see, I do have Someone to look after me. My daughter has to work 12 to 16 hours a day at medical transcribing from home to earn enough for her rent and other expenses, so she can't be running over here to help me. I am 25 years older than she but I think my general health may be better than hers.
My big purchase last year was a good jack, which can lift a vehicle or even the lawn-mower. I also have a bicycle pump for raising the pressure in the pressure pump. (Smart! Smart!)
Not so smart on other matters: my neighbor called to say an injured cat was under her front porch. Since she just got a new tiny pup she didn't want to touch it.
I talked the cat out from under and discovered he had caught his front left paw in a snare and that the toes would have to come off. So after I ran Robert's blood samples to the lab, I called a vet and took the cat up. Other than starvation and the injured paw, he is in good health, a beautiful orange and white fellow (already neutered). They will keep him over night and amputate the toes in the morning, after which time I will go pick him up, maybe on the way to look after my suster-in-law's dog, while she goes to Fredericton for the day.
So, what did I accomplish today? Nothing. Burned a lot of gas, spent a few hundred dollars on a stray cat. And enjoyed the sunshine.
Glad you're getting the weeds cut around your home, Ruth. Some fool lit a fire yesterday in Gagetown to clear a space for the home he planned to build. Before they got it out it had destroyed several hectares of land, and kept the fire department busy all afternoon as well as the water-bombers. When someone pulls a dangerous stunt like that on dry grass in a high wind, they should pay for the cost of the clean-up.
thanks for sharing with us!
Thank all you very nice people for your good wishes.