cars

It never fails. I make plans rarely. I'm kinda a hermit most weekdays, even though I could easily request the car from Randy (if I'm willing to take him in to work and pick him up), but I just don't. But Friday, I made plans with a friend and her mother, for lunch at Logan's in the Mesa Riverview shopping center. I was to meet her at 12:30. Randy likes to be in to work by 11am. No problem.

I dropped Randy off, motored over to Tempe Marketplace to run in to the Michael's there for the finishing touches of another project I still need show off. Came out and headed toward Mesa Riverview. I have Simon (my spinning wheel) in the back seat, belted in and shaded from the sun with a garbage bag and a suction-cupped visor. I get onto Rio Salado and notice a "smell". Being generally more car-nervous (I always assume if it can happen, it will while I am driving) than most people, I wondered if it was my car. I looked down and saw the brake lights on (again). We've had a small issue with them coming on---Randy's pretty sure it's a loose wire as it comes on after a bad bump and no braking action. Still, I worried.

Even though I know better, I got to a stop light and put the car in park, turned the car off, turned it back on---err....turn it back on....err.... clickety-clickety Nothing. What came from my mouth then was not particularly "ladylike". (Yes, if you know me well, you know I cussed like an f-ing sailor right about now.) Why oh why didn't I just wait until I got to Logan's to test the car out?

I put my flashers on and still people stacked up behind me. Duh, hello? I'm broken down, go the frack around me! I stood almost on the sidewalk trying to get people 5 cars back and more to move over a lane. Then when it calmed down a bit, I put the car in neutral and pushed/steered it toward the curb and the corner. I had to hop in a bit and stand on the brake pedal to get it to stop as a red car practically screamed through the intersection. I wanted to be peeved, but that same car stopped a little way down and four kind gentlemen stepped out and had me steer it around the corner while they pushed. Thank the gods for the teachings of their parents, 'cause I was heading straight toward a freak-out! And thank my amazing husband for always keeping jumper cables in our mini-van (yes, I pushed a fracking mini-van!). The kind men jump-started my car and off I went to Logan's.

Except, that whine I'd heard a little before was very present now....and I just knew it meant something wasn't right. I got to Logan's, parked with thought to a possible jump-start later (backed into a spot by pulling through). I turned the car off and tried it again. No dice. Crap.

I think between office and cell phones, I called Randy about 6 times. When he called back, he was understanding (of course!) and not sure how he could help. The next thing I knew, he was walking in the Logan's to tell me it was the alternator. While I ate a leisurely, cool lunch with good company, he (and my friend's husband) went to AutoZone, bought the part, returned to our car and then convoyed to my house (to make sure my car didn't ditch Randy mid-trip). What amazing men are around me!

Simon headed home with Randy and my planned visit to my LYS for some spinning help (I really need it!) has been postponed. Saturday was spent trying to get the alternator out and replaced---the repair wasn't the main problem. It was getting one part out and back in, the heat of the sun, the weather that's been weird all week...and then, when it was all done, we couldn't find the battery charger. So, Chris came over this morning for the crucial jump-start. And we're once again part of the middle-class!