If you recall (if I mentioned it - because I really don't remember if I said anything about it in yesterday's blog or not), DH's car is in the repair shop yet again. In mid-afternoon I got a call from the shop. One of the fuel feeds for a cylinder had frozen and needed replacement. It's a four-cylinder engine, and this could potentially happen to the other three cylinders as well in an unforeseen time frame. Finding the part (a very hard thing since the car is 26 years old) and replacing it is $500+. If they did all four now, the repair bill would be closer to $1000! Replacing the one frozen cylinder is $500. Still expensive, and yet another repair for Ghost this year - an occurrence that's becoming too frequent.
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| Although Mom's Saturn is one year newer than this one, they're basically identical. It was part of my inheritance after she passed, and I drove it up from Colorado and gave it to DH. A free car! I think we've gotten our money's worth. It's time to find a truck to replace it. |
After a quick consult with DH where he basically left the decision up to me, I decided to repair the single cylinder. I knew DH wanted a new truck, and just hadn't backed into that wall of "no choice" hard enough yet, but this year has been a series of repairs after repairs after repairs. Frankly, I'm unwilling to pour more good money after bad. So we're getting the one cylinder repaired and it will be ready for pick-up tonight. DH, in the meantime, has told me to choose a new truck for him. I'm busy researching a Toyota Tacoma for him - stripped down and basic, but functional for what he wants to do and affordable.
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| Thunderstorms are magic to look at over the flatlands, but not so much fun to actually experience. It was a wet day at the State Fair yesterday and at its' height, the storm was dumping some serious rain down from almost black skies. |
Our second catastrophic failure of the day was caused by storms. During the day we had some really heavy thunderstorms pass through, dumping some serious pounding rain. A lot of lighter rain preceded and followed the storms. It was a very wet and soggy day. When we got home last night, we went out to check the backyard. I pulled a few ripe tomatoes, he checked how well the yard held up through the storms.
It didn't. Hold up, that is.
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| Instead of this photo that I took a month or so ago, this bank was missing a huge chunk of sod from the center near that tree, had deep gullies where the water had eroded the bank, and the bottom was solid, deep mud, almost like clay in consistency. |
The lower bank where we had worked so hard almost a month ago putting down sod, had lost huge chunks to heavy run-off. Exactly what we were trying to avoid with our reconstruction, happened, and it was a MESS. We worked until there was no more light, repairing the bank where we could, and replacing the washed-away rolls of sodden sod, staking the sod with fence staking instead of the U-pins we had used.
The ground itself had turned into super-sodden clay at the base. I assume that was the mixture of sand and topsoil thrown together with WAY too much water, but DH was sinking into cloying mud up to his ankles at times. We'll need to change the downspouts from the roof and make some channels in other parts of the yard. It's a real mess. Of course, he has to be at the shop today, and also work five days next week. Truly, this couldn't have happened at a worse time. But that's how life goes - always tossing new challenges your way.
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| I'm looking at getting one of these - a Toyota Tacoma SR 4x2 Access Cab. It's the smallest of the trucks, and it doesn't have the second set of doors or back seats which we really don't need. We need a truck bed that can haul a full sheet of plywood, and this one can handle the width with only a short amount hanging over the tailgate. I'll need to measure the garage. Parking both vehicles inside is essential, and we need to be able to get out of the cars and into the house. |
Goals for today are stabilizing the bank a bit more since rain is in the forecast daily for the next two weeks, and get to work on finding a new truck for DH. We need a functional, dependable car, and I'm not wasting any more money on Mom's old Saturn. Enough already - "Ghost" deserves retirement.
On my personal front, the indoor pool is now closed for cleaning for two weeks. The outdoor pool now becomes our only swimming option without driving to the next closest YMCA. If it is raining with lightning nearby, I'll have to take the drive east, but no choice because I need my swims. I'll have enough days off while my friend Sharon is visiting. It could be an interesting two weeks ahead before the indoor pool re-opens, the outdoor pool closes, and things return to "normal" at the Y.
Have a good and uneventful weekend. At this point, I just want to make it through the next two weeks with relative ease. I'm not sure if that's possible, but that's my goal. Happy Saturday!
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