PART 3: UPDATE (HOW DID YOU END YOUR WEEKEND?)

 

ALL GOOD NEWS!!  So far.........

VOLVO is back - only needed a new battery and battery cables. Easy Peasy.

JAG is still in the shop (I told them NO RUSH) - brakes still need to be checked, but the LEAK that caused all of the smoke from under the hood AND the green liquid on the ground was indeed caused by a blown ANTIFREEZE HOSE. Simple fix.

I had a BIG GIGGLE yesterday on the way to PT. Literally, a BLACK CLOUD overhead followed me over there....... I got inside before the thunder and lightning started. Like I said, it really made me laugh.

JOAN

PART 2: HOW DID YOU END YOUR WEEKEND? MY ONGOING STORY..........

PART 2:

On Saturday morning AAA charged the battery in the VOLVO so I could drop it off at my mechanic's to be worked on when they got back in on Monday. They had to order battery cable terminals and said I'll probably get it back on Tuesday (today). The JAG was running, so no worries, I had wheels when needed.

MONDAY (yesterday) was going to be a busy day for me. 

FIRST:
I hopped into the JAG at noon to drive to PHYSICAL THERAPY in West Chester. I was about halfway there when I got a call from my HOME SECURITY COMPANY that my alarm was going off. POOR CLOVER!!! I immediately turned around and headed home to turn it off. On the say I rescheduled PT for later that afternoon.

NEXT:
At 2:15 I had my semi-annual DENTAL CLEANING in Wayne. No problems there. By the time I left, it seemed silly to head home, so I drove directly to WEST CHESTER  for PT. I had a good book with me to pass the time that I'd have to wait.

NEXT:
As I'm exiting RT 202, my BRAKE PEDAL doesn't feel right - I had to push it all the way to the floor for it to brake.  I'm within 2 MILES of PT so I just take my time and stay far back from any car in front of me.  

NEXT:
UH OH......... as I pull into the parking lot, there is a massive amount of SMOKE coming from under the hood. My mind runs through possibilities - "Does this car have brake fluid that might be leaking on the hot engine?", etc.  Then I realize "GET OUT OF THE CAR, JOAN!!" I grab my purse and cell phone and jump out. PUDDLING under the car, with a streak on the macadam from where I pulled in, is leaked GREEN LIQUID. What the heck is THAT? (I'm told later it's probably ANTIFREEZE).

I call AAA (ONCE AGAIN!) for a TOW TRUCK this time, and they tell me it will probably be a 4-HOUR WAIT (until 8:15pm) when of course the office building will be closed and it will be dark outside...... 

Naturally, I only have the BASIC AAA PLAN (this is probably only the second time I've needed AAA in 40 years!), so I'm told I will have to stay with the car to pay the driver for the 4.5 MILE OVERAGE ($18) to get the JAG to my mechanic. THAT'S not gonna happen!

Instead, I called my mechanic and got the name of the TOW TRUCK COMPANY that they use (ABEL - a local name that goes back to my very younger days!). They were able to be there in 20 min - AND - I didn't have to be there - AND - I could leave the keys with the car.

Sooooooooo...........  I'm carless. For now. 

Hey, we're used to being QUARANTINED at home these days, so it's no big deal, right?

JOAN

HOW DID YOU END YOUR WEEK? HERE'S MY STORY.........

On THURSDAY my VOLVO wouldn't start, so I took my ANTIQUE CAR - the 33-YEAR-OLD JAGUAR that I inherited from my MOM OVER 20 YEARS AGO. I LOVE that car!!

On FRIDAY, forgetting that it wouldn't start, I got in the VOLVO to go to PT. Ooops! I then hopped in the JAG and ended up stopping at the grocery store on the way home. When I came out of the store the JAG WOULDN'T START. I turned off the AIR CO and RADIO and tried again, but no luck. I called AAA and put in 2 orders - one for each car!  Thankfully my sister was able to come to pick me up at GIANT. When she arrived, I tried one last time and got it going!  I guess I had merely flooded it.  PHEW!

So, on my way home I got a call from AAA confirming where GIANT is located (I had already given them the address of course). I canceled that service call but kept the one for the VOLVO. He was supposed to call me 15 min before arriving - this gal said he was 5 minutes away. I got home a moment before his arrival.

I backed the JAG into the garage in case someone would have to work on the engine and/or battery. Thankfully, it started right away - so FINGERS CROSSED!

A serious THUNDER and LIGHTNING STORM was headed our way and just starting to make some noise as the AAA rep checked the VOLVO.  He gave the battery a jump and VOILA! 

So the battery WAS dead. The terminal connectors were so corroded he was afraid to change out the battery in case the connecters broke from being eaten away by the battery acid, which he couldn't fix. He suggested I run the VOLVO for an hour outside to charge up the battery, bring it back into the garage and take it to my mechanic for repair on MONDAY. 

He got into his truck, I turned off the garage light - closed the garage door - and the door into the house was LOCKED!!  

My dog CLOVER!!! is a FREAK when it thunders and lightnings, so she obviously jumped on the back door from inside and hit the lock.  

NOW WHAT?!

You know how your mind races to come up with a solution? 

I opened the garage door again, and thankfully the AAA rep was still there. Somehow he was able to get my HOUSE KEY off that dreaded KEYRING that was keeping the VOLVO running. I'm not sure I could have done that myself - those keyrings are TOUGH!

I tried the key and it worked on the DOORKNOB, but NOT the LOCK above it!  

He said there was another key, which he then got off of the KEYRING and YIPPEEE!! It worked.  

I closed things up again and set my PHONE ALARM for 1 HOUR so I wouldn't forget to bring the VOLVO back into the garage.

In the meantime, the THUNDER and LIGHTNING STORM came in with a VENGEANCE!! The cracks were the loudest I've ever heard/experienced. I gave CLOVER!!! more "RESCUE REMEDY" drops to calm her down..... 

Then we heard/felt the LOUDEST CRACK of all, which sounded like it was right over the house! It immediately triggered my SECURITY ALARM to go off. I turned the sound off on the security panel just as my phone started ringing - the SECURITY COMPANY was calling to tell me they got an alarm from my house that indicated the basement water sensor shows high water.  

So, I head down to the basement. Nope - no water, THANK GOODNESS!

I came back upstairs and the alarm went off AGAIN. 

This time it said there was no phone service for my house phone. Yup! The phone was dead........ back down to the basement to reset the VERIZON BOX and ROUTER.  CHECK!

When I got back upstairs my cell phone alarm was ringing - time to bring in the VOLVO.  I pulled it into the garage and turned it off. In a moment I turned it on again, just to make sure it would start......  NOPE, NO LUCK. 

OK, I'd say it's now time for a glass of WINE!!! Does anyone want to join me after reading this??

JOAN