Quentin's van somehow blew out the radiator yesterday. We knew late yesterday after digging out that it had a bit of a leak somewhere, but until this morning, we didn't know exactly how bad it was. We are NOT happy campers. This means he has to take another point tomorrow ... so his check next week will be super-duper short and mine won't be much better.
The day was long so far. We got dug out yesterday and the deck and stairs are dry, but take a look at our screen door!
That is after Quentin had to literally kick it open yesterday in order for us to get out to do any cleanup outside after the storm, including digging out the vehicles. We now need a new screen door, but at $20, it's relatively cheap compared to the fix on the van that he is now working on.
Because somehow, it's not just a leak. It's a blowout on the radiator. He took off the air cleaner and some other stuff that I have no clue what it is (vehicle smart I am not, I really need to be smarter than I am but I limp along on this particular topic), and poured a little antifreeze in to find the leak. It just gushed right back out just to the right of where his upper radiator hose comes out or goes in or whichever.
Which meant that I had to make some phone calls to auto parts stores. He does not do well on the phone, and considers everybody to be either deaf or stupid. He yells into the phone and then when they can't understand his shouting at them, shoves the phone at me and tells me to deal with it. Folks like dealing with me on the phone for some reason, gee, maybe it's because I modulate my voice and don't get mad if they don't understand immediately.
We finally found an O'Reilly's over in Huntsville that could have the part for us today, though it just about wipes us out financially. I've got a full check, lazy has a 3-day check from last week, and I'll get some child support in. Good thing the cash I had on hand hadn't been turned into a money order to go pay on a bill yet. I kept procrastinating all last week about it for some reason, and I guess it was a good thing I did. I was either too tired or there was a line at the service desk to get one, and I didn't feel like waiting.
The road grader came through just after lunch and plowed the road going downhill. He had chains on all four tires and got smart, going up to the top of the road and plowing everything downhill ahead of him so he wouldn't have to fight the weight of the snow and ice along with the hills. I crept my little car down the road right behind him. Victor, my Aveo, is a 5-speed standard transmission, and I love that little car. Four-cylinder, 16 valves, and a dual overhead cam. Heh heh. I may not be a gearhead like Quentin, but I do know some things, and one of them is that a compact car with that much engine power is a little pocket rocket. Still, even creeping down the road in neutral, riding the brake and the clutch all the way to be safely coasting, I still slid a few times.
Going as slow as I was, to where the spedometer needle was literally buried at zero, we wouldn't have gotten stuck too badly, but you should have heard Quentin. "Oh, God, here we go, we're done." EVERY single time I started to slide the least little bit. Never mind that was when I'd let off the brake a bit and steer into the skid and get out of it and headed back down the road. No, Mr. Doom and Gloom was certain that we were done for.
Got down to the bottom and headed over to Huntsville. The main roads were clear and reasonably dry, but good thing we had the toboggan with us. That radiator is a heavy thing, and Quentin was certain to begin with that he'd be able to just hoist it on his shoulder and walk up the road with it. As much as I slid going down, I am not about to try driving up the road till at least Friday. Add in three gallons of antifreeze, and you have a load and a half. So, up the road we went, Quentin insisting on doing all the pulling. (Momma didn't raise no fool in that respect - somebody wants to do all the work, I'll be a nice lady and let 'em and not say a word.)
Partway up, neighbor Chip was coming up and took pity on us and loaded us, radiator, antifreeze and all in his Kia Sorrento and drove us uphill to our drive and in behind the van to unload. So now while it's just after 5PM, Quentin is outside doing what he can to tear the old radiator out and put in the new one before dark. He'll probably have to take a point tomorrow too in order to get it all done, but he's already been warned that if it isn't finished by the time I get home tomorrow night, he's getting laid into and he will deserve it. I love him to death, but I also know how lazy he can be given an opportunity to be so.
I have water heating up to get some dishes done in a bit and still have to finish up putting away the laundry, but after the way today's goine, it's time for some blogging and books and then finish chores before I have some well-earned supper. Meanwhile, imagine the kitties happily curled up on the end of the bed by my feet, purring their little hearts out. Smudge esecially is loud, Bouncer I can just feel him vibrating against my foot.
Till next time ... I'm off to find some good books for y'all.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
8 Different Crochet Stitches: Learn to Crochet Something New with Free Crochet Patterns
The History of Herbs (The Herb Books)
50 Popular Types of Herb (The Herb Books)
The Coriander Book
Simple Food Storage Strategies: The Delicious Beginners Guide to Canning, Pickling, Smoking and Preserving Your Way to Savings and Preparedness! [Illustrated Ed]
The Fermentation Process: Of Beer, Wine, Bread, Cheese, Yogurt and Chocolate
Fermenting: How to Ferment Vegetables
Backyard Chickens: The Beginner's Guide to Raising and Caring for Backyard Chickens (Homesteading Life)
Growing and Cooking Herbs - A guide for taking herbs from garden to plate
Grow Your Own Vegetables - 3 Book Bundle: The Vegetable Growers Guide to Companion Planting: The Role of Flowers, Herbs & Organic Thinking. Raised Bed Gardening.Vegetable Container Gardening
Vegetables and Spices
Everything You Need To Know About Vegetable Gardening
Detailed Instructions For The Gunsmith At Home
Growing Basil (Growing Herbs)
Growing Upside Down Tomato Plants: Learn How to Set Up a Topsy Turvy Planter (Gardening)
Easy Homemade Organic Dog Food Recipes: A Complete Recipe Guide
Container Gardening Secrets
That's it for today. BUNCH of them this time, wow!
PS - And of course today has to be the day that the bedroom's space heater goes out. We still have the one in the living room but boy are we hard on heaters ... course when you have to run them 24/7 they do not last long!
No comments:
Post a Comment