For reasons that I will not elaborate upon, Mrs ERJ and I sallied forth to the J.C. Penney's store in the Lansing Mall (Vacancy rate of 18%) after attending the last Mass of the day.
It was like visiting a funeral home on a Sunday afternoon.
We found the suit that social conventions mandated that I buy. The price was acceptable. It was even better after the lady checking us out very cheerfully applied a 30% discount after I asked "We didn't bring any codes or coupons. Are there any discounts you can offer us?"
On the way home, our minivan puked. OK, maybe "puked" is overly dramatic. It informed us that it was overheating. The drama was compounded by the fact that I never carry my phone to church and today Mrs ERJ followed my example.
A million years ago and in a land far, far away; engineers at Oldsmobile drained the oil from one vehicle with a gasoline powered V-8 and drained the coolant from another vehicle with a gasoline powered V-8. Any guesses as to which one locked up first?
The one without coolant did not even make it to Potterville while the one without oil made it to Charlotte-and-back. That would be 9 miles and 35 miles respectively.
After the DIC (Driver Information Center) pinged, I pulled over as soon as it was safe, maybe 1/8th mile.
While the engine did not smell "hot", there was the distinctive smell of coolant. Squeezing the upper radiator hose revealed that the system was not pressurized. The coolant over-flow tank was bone dry.
If I had to guess, I would guess that the mini-van had a catastrophic coolant loss due to a ruptured hose, cracked fitting or blown clamp.
All was not lost. A passerby stopped every 8 minutes and asked "Is everything OK?" The first couple took Mrs ERJ home to retrieve phones and get remedial action in motion. I stayed with the vehicle and waved off every 10th driver who attempted to render aid.
Let this be a lesson to those of you who might be tempted to drive to The Big City and purchase fancy, new clothes. Nothing good comes from the exercise.
Ya shoulda known better. Of...something.
ReplyDeleteIt's good you were offered that much aid. I wouldn't' a thunked it down there. I guess we're not totally lost.--ken
ReplyDeleteWell, it was Sunday. We were wearing our Go-to-church clothes (costuming being a prime way of declaring "tribe").
DeleteThe couple who took Mrs ERJ home were on their way to play golf. The woman called the course and requested a later Tee Time, which was not a problem.
During the seven mile ride home (away from the golf course) Mrs ERJ learned that the woman had been raised in a church and then fell away. She had recently faced "very dark times" and learned a lot about herself. She is now with another church and is clinging to the rock. "God does everything for a reason. I am in a better place now, a place I would not have found without the dark times."
Stories within stories within stories.
Sometimes it takes a big one for us to see God's hand in it. She was blessed that she did. --ken
DeleteThe Lord wanted to bless those passerby's with an opportunity to aid a charming elderly couple who left their cell phones at home out of respect for the church!
ReplyDeleteYou were teaching lessons to the flock and didn't even know it!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Age and rubber parts is a systemic issue. Dealing with them one-at-a-time is stupid.
DeleteOur appointments are often made by a Hand far different than fate.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, living in smaller communities carries a great many advantages.
Long ago I carried emergency repair stuff in the car, including sleeves designed for temporary repair of coolant hoses. Which meant it was wise to carry a sizeable can of water too. And some anti-freeze.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I didn't carry was spare petrol - on the grounds that only the most idiotic of people could run out of fuel.
I don't always drive my wife's car, but when I do, the gas light is on...
Deletedearieme:
Delete"only the most idiotic of people could run out of fuel"
Heh. That implies I'm less of an idiot than I was 57 years ago. The one time I ran dry, I coasted to the pump. I figure all my fuel-range luck was used up right then.
Among the kit I carried was a complete set of spare light bulbs - in those days it was a piece of cake to replace any of them. In those days.
DeleteI had that happen on my 91 Sub. After it cooled, I filled it with water and left the rad cap unsealed. Ran the heater full blast too. Made it home, but damage was done. Water cooled combustion!!!
ReplyDeleteI lock my Cell in the glovebox for Mass.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have it, but don't have it.
Glad to see that all ended well.
Car overheated in June. Drove to my mechanic and after looking said you've blown a head gasket and we don't do that work here. We'll have it towed to garage that does work on them. Got it back 3 weeks with a much lighter wallet than when I walked in.
ReplyDeleteERJ:
ReplyDeleteOK, I admit it. What follows is criticism thinly veiled as curiosity. Or the coffee hasn't kicked in yet.
"I never carry my phone to church and"
Why not?
{well-thought-out case for carrying phone deleted after coffee took effect}
Thanks for the post. I'm inspired to update my car's fix-it kit.
I wish that I could honestly tell you that for 75 minutes of every week God could count on receiving 100% of my attention. But I would be fibbing if I told you that.
DeleteI am very subject to distractions. I am mediocre (on a good day) at remembering to turn my phone back on.
I just leave it n the car while I’m at Mass.
DeleteI just turn mine off when I'm in church. Just remember to turn it back ON :-)
ReplyDeleteMy current cars have a spare tire compartment. If you do it just right, you can fit a 2 liter bottle of pre mixed antifreeze(clearly labeled), a quart of oil and a bottle of brake fluid. The coolant and oil are used on a semi regular basis, mostly for the cars of others, and one car in the family used to drink brake fluid but now it is never used but it takes up very little space.Fluids are the hardest thing to carry but this works for me.
ReplyDelete