Friday night I was on my way home and the battery light came on. Bad voodoo, I figured I wouldn’t be able to find a mechanic until the weekend was over. Stranded with no coffee and no food in the fridge. I had $28 cash so I had two pizzas delivered as a failsafe. Yesterday morning I woke up and thought about it and I called the Wal-Mart auto center to see if they were open. Normally I would not trust my car to Wal-Mart but I had things to do so I decided to give it a shot.
Now, I have been around a long time and had faced probably every type of automotive problem. When the battery light comes on it doesn’t mean battery it usually means the dreaded alternator. Wal-Mart doesn’t do alternators but I also had two bald tires on front that needed to be replaced. So, I figured I would get the tires, an oil change and a battery and hope for the best. My car was done in a little more than an hour and I hit the road with the self-righteous confidence of one who neglects his car, drives in constant fear for months and then plays catch-up.
My plan was that at the end of the day I would hit the cash machine and then go stock up on smokes, coffee and food enough to ride out the storm.
As I pulled up the off ramp here in town the radio started to fade-out on every station. This is another sign of a bad alternator. The battery is not re-charging and one by one all battery functions cease, ending with the car losing power and grinding to a halt.
No time for the cash machine my only hope was that I would make it the last few miles. In this situation waiting at a red light is the seventh level of hell. I made an agonizing run up the last steep hill before I turn into my neighborhood and I was losing engine power.
I crept into the driveway and the car crapped out, deader than a mackerel. When the power went out last night, I was truly stranded, out of coffee and low on cigarettes. I did have left over pizza though.
This afternoon I called my excellent son-in-law Seth to come to my aid. Seth’s wife Stacey, by the way, is listed as Crazy Mama in my blogroll. Check her out, she is a modern day Erma Bombeck (thanks for the brownies Stace). Any way Seth came over and the plan was we would jump the car, drop it off at the mechanic, go to the store so I could stock up because the ice and snow are not done yet.
The car actually started so I was following him to the garage, which is actually 8-10 miles away. We got a couple of miles and the battery was dying again. I pulled into a parking lot, Seth wheeled around, and we applied the jumper cables. I told Seth that I did not feel good about heading over to the next town in the weather and then having to get a tow. So he got on the phone to Stacey and I went into the nearby tobacco store (some good luck for a change) to ask around about a mechanic that was close by.
The directions weren’t clear so we got turned around and the battery died again; another twenty minutes charging. Finally, I limped in to the mechanic’s, parked the car and dropped the key in the box.
We went to the market and because of the storm the place had been picked over, no bananas, ground beef etc. They did have coffee. So, now I’m warm enjoying my first cup in three days, ready for anything that comes my way.
From the National Weather Service..
AN AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE FREEZING RAIN…INCLUDING A FEW BURSTS OF HEAVY FREEZING RAIN…WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS SOUTHWEST MISSOURI INTO CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON. SLEET WILL OCCASIONALLY MIX IN WITH THIS FREEZING RAIN AND RESULT IN RAPID ICE ACCUMULATIONS. ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED WHICH WILL ONLY WORSEN THIS ONGOING DISASTER
Photo by Amber Arnold/Springfield News Leader
Stacey wrote,
woo! thanks for the shout out.
we’re always happy to help…now is there going to be some free babysitting from this?
;) heehee
Link | January 14th, 2007 at 7:44 pm