What is it? I truly think I'm under the dark cloud of car troubles these days. Over and beyond my difficulties -- and I'll list the most recent of these:
- a short-circuiting starter which provoked numerous frustrations and moments of glum, not to mention a tidy sum at the garage.
- an old clutch in need of replacement (done)
- a gas gauge that no longer works (I found out the hard and rather expensive way after konking out on the highway by the Rhône on the way back from school during rush hour today....)
- a scratched rental car (the branches over my beekeeper's road hadn't been pruned this summer...)
Simply my presence in a car is getting worrisome - my friend's clutch cable snapped yesterday when we were out picking up supplies for my chicken coop to be.
It's enough to make me want to return to my (very happy) bicycling days of yore. But, I'm no longer solo. Kids, stuff, clients, shopping for a household... hard to imagine my life without a vehicle of sorts. However I am beginning to wonder if I might be able to trade in my large 9-seater for at least a more reasonable 5 seater. And yet, I've just begun dating a man with two kids of his own... It's pretty cool to be able to transport us all with ease, plus bikes and dog.
What's it going to be? Time for a change, it's certain, but???
Showing posts with label car repairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car repairs. Show all posts
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Part II of a memorable day of wine tasting
Okay. Good wine conquers all, or you might hope it would. But does it conquer a car that goes kaput? A car that will not advance? A car that signals a serious shift in programming?
Well, it certainly helps. Yes, at 11:15 on Monday morning, my car decided it would not turn-over. Neither trying again, nor pushing it worked. So, we put it over to the side of the road, raised the hood and considered things. I had my handy dandy Iphone on me and started calling. By the third call I struck gold -- my fantastic friend and colleague Guy Brémond, the self-same chef-sommelier who has taught me soooo much over the years. He found me a tow truck (remorque) and sent him my way. In the meantime (we had a good hour's wait till he arrived), we spread out the picnic. Yes, for the first time this year I actually prepared a picnic for my guests (actually the second time). Phew! Imagine if we'd programmed a lovely lunch in one of my favorite restaurants??? Well, there was a pool at the winery that looked tempting...
Our friends at the winery offered a bottle (and opened it for us) to enjoy during our impromptu lunch. I promise, normally my picnic spots are chosen far from roads and cars! But this one was at least in the shade, and by vineyards...
And so we waited the arrival of our friendly tow truck man. And I called my insurance which assured me that the towing would be covered (thank you Universe, and former husband!). Of course this tower wasn't listed with them... but he was able to persuade the insurance rep on the phone and all was well.
Amazingly, he had his largest tow truck (well I do have a 9 seater... a small Prius this is not) and all eight of us fit (snuggly, I do admit) into his car. No seat belts of course.
Meantime, I was strenuously seeking a taxi man with a 9 seater vehicle (apparently quite rare). Of the fleet of 43 vehicles in Avignon, there was one 8 seater... and at long last he arrived. By 2:30PM we were en route for more wine tasting with a pleasant, extremely careful and slow-driving taxi man who took directions from me in a region he works regularly (got to love it, n'est-ce pas?).
He and I chatted a bit. I admired his collection of train conductor hats. Our pregnant passenger got the front seat and was thus not too squnched, and four (including two tall men, but slender, men) shared a not-too-ample back seat meant for three. The pleasant chattiness of our morning drive had definitely been dampened by the unforeseen events.
But the warm reception of Jean David, the funky and wonderful tasting room, the excellent wines, the tales of his history... this helped hugely. As did discovering the lovely wines of Gigondas, the gorgeous vistas, the hill towns around us.
It was not the perfect day I try to offer, but we all did our best. If nothing else, I suppose I proved I can adjust to difficult circumstances, grace under fire, flexibility when glitches appear, plans B, C, D, and more. And it might have been far worse... At least we had a good lunch, good wines, and lovely meetings. I met and got the card of a good tow guy (available even on holidays) and the local taxi service now knows me. But no, it was far from a 'normal' outing.
And my car? It was an electric cable that connects the starter to the motor. Once put back in place, soldered, etc., It was fixed within 24 hours for a relatively minor sum. Apparently I drove over one dirt road too many which likely dislodged the cable...Must have been that last visit to the beekeeper's.
Well, it certainly helps. Yes, at 11:15 on Monday morning, my car decided it would not turn-over. Neither trying again, nor pushing it worked. So, we put it over to the side of the road, raised the hood and considered things. I had my handy dandy Iphone on me and started calling. By the third call I struck gold -- my fantastic friend and colleague Guy Brémond, the self-same chef-sommelier who has taught me soooo much over the years. He found me a tow truck (remorque) and sent him my way. In the meantime (we had a good hour's wait till he arrived), we spread out the picnic. Yes, for the first time this year I actually prepared a picnic for my guests (actually the second time). Phew! Imagine if we'd programmed a lovely lunch in one of my favorite restaurants??? Well, there was a pool at the winery that looked tempting...
Our friends at the winery offered a bottle (and opened it for us) to enjoy during our impromptu lunch. I promise, normally my picnic spots are chosen far from roads and cars! But this one was at least in the shade, and by vineyards...
And so we waited the arrival of our friendly tow truck man. And I called my insurance which assured me that the towing would be covered (thank you Universe, and former husband!). Of course this tower wasn't listed with them... but he was able to persuade the insurance rep on the phone and all was well.
Amazingly, he had his largest tow truck (well I do have a 9 seater... a small Prius this is not) and all eight of us fit (snuggly, I do admit) into his car. No seat belts of course.
Meantime, I was strenuously seeking a taxi man with a 9 seater vehicle (apparently quite rare). Of the fleet of 43 vehicles in Avignon, there was one 8 seater... and at long last he arrived. By 2:30PM we were en route for more wine tasting with a pleasant, extremely careful and slow-driving taxi man who took directions from me in a region he works regularly (got to love it, n'est-ce pas?).
He and I chatted a bit. I admired his collection of train conductor hats. Our pregnant passenger got the front seat and was thus not too squnched, and four (including two tall men, but slender, men) shared a not-too-ample back seat meant for three. The pleasant chattiness of our morning drive had definitely been dampened by the unforeseen events.
But the warm reception of Jean David, the funky and wonderful tasting room, the excellent wines, the tales of his history... this helped hugely. As did discovering the lovely wines of Gigondas, the gorgeous vistas, the hill towns around us.
It was not the perfect day I try to offer, but we all did our best. If nothing else, I suppose I proved I can adjust to difficult circumstances, grace under fire, flexibility when glitches appear, plans B, C, D, and more. And it might have been far worse... At least we had a good lunch, good wines, and lovely meetings. I met and got the card of a good tow guy (available even on holidays) and the local taxi service now knows me. But no, it was far from a 'normal' outing.
And my car? It was an electric cable that connects the starter to the motor. Once put back in place, soldered, etc., It was fixed within 24 hours for a relatively minor sum. Apparently I drove over one dirt road too many which likely dislodged the cable...Must have been that last visit to the beekeeper's.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
My Birthday
Okay, today was my birthday. It began quite well. An sms from a dear friend. Beautiful dry and sunny, with a touch of breeze weather. Lovely visits before me, a serene and interesting book to listen to on my iphone...
So off I went to Arles to collect the clients, and then off to the goat cheese maker (Claudine, who is my other goat cheese maker, and a friend as well of long date). She and I shared tales of our recent singledom, and promised an evening together soon to truly catch up.
Then onto the baker -- who was busy making a pièce montée, and many another task on this day of the Ascension.
And then to St.Remy de Provence and a lovely lunch at Taberna Romana, my favorite Roman restaurant nestled in a Roman monument, Glanum. The weather kept on shining upon us. Ahhhh. While my clients took a look at Van Gogh's little room in the St. Paul de Mausolée psychiatric asylum, I took in the lovely weather and stayed with Filou outdoors.
Then down into town and a visit to the chocolatier's. Not only is he newly married for a second time, but apparently he's also papa for a fourth time. Goodness, I was not up on the news! So his shop-girl filled me in as we tasted any and all the chocolates we wanted (well almost). It's rather a lovely thing to be a favorite of your chocolatier and his staff...
We wandered the quaint streets, looked at galleries, coveted and purchased (I the former, the clients the latter) sun hats and paintings... And then, and then, and then...
Back to the car and a very flat tire. Uh oh. I dropped the clients off at the Essential oils' shop and museum, Florame, and went in search of a garage. But whoops. It's a national holiday. Yikes. And, the rain started to pour, and pour and pour. And Erick had a cooking class in Arles, and no one else was findable on the cell phone. I got through to my friend at the olive oil mill but he was busy with clients and alone in the shop. What to do? Yikes! Even handy old Gilbert was out of commission (that's what a new girlfriend can do I suppose).
I drove very slowly back up to the parking lot by the tourist office and got out of the car, and started looking for where a spare tire might be (in the rain). I found a spare umbrella in the glove compartment... but it took a minute to think of looking under the driver's seat for the various necessary tools. Erick thought the spare might be beneath the car. Hmmmm What to do?
And then, in desperation, I went over to the retired Moroccan men sitting out of the rain, their game of boule/pétanque canceled by the weather. And I asked, I implored, I made myself out to be quite the pathetic and ignorant female with no one to help her. It took a moment, but then two of them got up to help me.
We investigated the situation, started unscrewing bolts, realized that my tool for such was stripped. Took a pause while one went to get his car and his tool box, and then continued.
It was a pure moment of Blanche Du Bois. I was a woman in need, and they were competent, patient, and willing. The universe sent me angels in the form of gentle retired immigrants. They spent an hour in the rain getting the spare tire out, raising the vehicle, removing the old tire, changing it all.. While I documented the moment, and Filou rested in the car.
My brief (relatively) moment of stress and WTHell am I going to do? turned into a moment of grace. The clients were gracious and lovely as well. Then, a bit late, I drove them back to Arles, and me to Avignon where a grand bouquet of flowers awaited me. From? At which point, I hopped into a hot bath. Voila, a birthday almost passed. It has been rather affirming of the goodness of this world, I must say.
Oh, and Mother Nature offered me a perfect strawberry -- the first ripe one from my patch. Gorgeous! Succulent! Flavorful!
So off I went to Arles to collect the clients, and then off to the goat cheese maker (Claudine, who is my other goat cheese maker, and a friend as well of long date). She and I shared tales of our recent singledom, and promised an evening together soon to truly catch up.
Then onto the baker -- who was busy making a pièce montée, and many another task on this day of the Ascension.
And then to St.Remy de Provence and a lovely lunch at Taberna Romana, my favorite Roman restaurant nestled in a Roman monument, Glanum. The weather kept on shining upon us. Ahhhh. While my clients took a look at Van Gogh's little room in the St. Paul de Mausolée psychiatric asylum, I took in the lovely weather and stayed with Filou outdoors.
Then down into town and a visit to the chocolatier's. Not only is he newly married for a second time, but apparently he's also papa for a fourth time. Goodness, I was not up on the news! So his shop-girl filled me in as we tasted any and all the chocolates we wanted (well almost). It's rather a lovely thing to be a favorite of your chocolatier and his staff...
We wandered the quaint streets, looked at galleries, coveted and purchased (I the former, the clients the latter) sun hats and paintings... And then, and then, and then...
Back to the car and a very flat tire. Uh oh. I dropped the clients off at the Essential oils' shop and museum, Florame, and went in search of a garage. But whoops. It's a national holiday. Yikes. And, the rain started to pour, and pour and pour. And Erick had a cooking class in Arles, and no one else was findable on the cell phone. I got through to my friend at the olive oil mill but he was busy with clients and alone in the shop. What to do? Yikes! Even handy old Gilbert was out of commission (that's what a new girlfriend can do I suppose).
I drove very slowly back up to the parking lot by the tourist office and got out of the car, and started looking for where a spare tire might be (in the rain). I found a spare umbrella in the glove compartment... but it took a minute to think of looking under the driver's seat for the various necessary tools. Erick thought the spare might be beneath the car. Hmmmm What to do?
And then, in desperation, I went over to the retired Moroccan men sitting out of the rain, their game of boule/pétanque canceled by the weather. And I asked, I implored, I made myself out to be quite the pathetic and ignorant female with no one to help her. It took a moment, but then two of them got up to help me.
We investigated the situation, started unscrewing bolts, realized that my tool for such was stripped. Took a pause while one went to get his car and his tool box, and then continued.
It was a pure moment of Blanche Du Bois. I was a woman in need, and they were competent, patient, and willing. The universe sent me angels in the form of gentle retired immigrants. They spent an hour in the rain getting the spare tire out, raising the vehicle, removing the old tire, changing it all.. While I documented the moment, and Filou rested in the car.
My brief (relatively) moment of stress and WTHell am I going to do? turned into a moment of grace. The clients were gracious and lovely as well. Then, a bit late, I drove them back to Arles, and me to Avignon where a grand bouquet of flowers awaited me. From? At which point, I hopped into a hot bath. Voila, a birthday almost passed. It has been rather affirming of the goodness of this world, I must say.
Oh, and Mother Nature offered me a perfect strawberry -- the first ripe one from my patch. Gorgeous! Succulent! Flavorful!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mechanical devices and such
Once upon a time, I sought to be completely independent, competent and simply not-dumb around cars, stereos, drills, woodworking equipment, etc., I'm still ok with hand-sanders, drills and hammers (not to mention duck tape). I can set up a stereo, put up a make-do antenna... and perhaps there it ends. Oh yes, I'm fine with IKEA furniture, but that's not saying much.
In any case, I was going to be one of those women who could manage easily by herself and not have to have a man around to do things. Or, at the very least, I'd work along side him. But, then along came my marriage to a traditional man who was handy in all sorts of ways, and just a wee bit macho to boot. So, I made children and cared for them. Being the only one of the two of us who could manage a computer and type, not to mention with a couple of graduate degrees, I did all the marketing, the web site, the search engine optimization, the recipe writing, the communication, the calculating, the designing of programs... etc., I filled my days with the 'soft' stuff. And, hey, as there was a man in the house who knew how to do all those physical things, and, who had stone and plaster walls rather than wood, I let him hang the pictures, fix the plumbing, put in the light fixtures, manage the car, pay our taxes, parking tickets, etc., with more relief than oversight.
Yes, I fell into a traditional couple dynamic. I cooked, cleaned, raised and educated the kids, bought everyone's clothes, sorted out the house and got rid of all the old stuff every year, etc., He took care of all the physical manly stuff. And I was mostly okay with this. I wanted more help with the kids (and in the end got an au pair), the dishes and meal preparation (he was the chef after all). But mostly, I accepted the situation and simply got on with it.
When I met JP he seemed to want to be in that role of older male (something he'd never done before). I enjoy learning from (and occasionally leaning on) someone, and at the time, I was more than a bit fragile and out of sorts from my divorce and newly single state. Plus, here was a skilled mechanic, an outdoor's man, someone who knew how to do lots of things, or at the very least knew when they should be done and who to call and how much it should cost.
With such a person present, the urge to truly learn to cope on my own didn't need to be developped.
Ah, but now it does. And so to work.
At long last I've made the acquaintance of the mechanic around the corner. And at a timely moment. In the last two days I've replaced the battery, the back wheels, the spark plugs, every item linked to the brakes, and ... in two weeks he'll do a more complete diagnostic to see if there's more to do.
So, there I was relying on men to help me (still leaning just a bit on the ex-husband) and I was driving a car most definitely not in the best of shape. Guess what? I was no longer the responsibility of my ex-husband, and JP wasn't really into the idea of helping me out in this way. Lovely weekends? yes. Pay for dinner? yes. Take me dancing? yes. Take care of my car? no.
So, just in the nick of time I coped. And most of what I earned during my lovely month of outings in October? Now in the hands of the mechanic.
I admit it. I'm a humanist. I take care of people, children, guests, clients. I nourish, clean, write, market, pay bills, & keep my banker happy (the one who has my mortgage). However, I'm a home-owner and a car-owner, and I've got to learn to manage all of this. It's scary though. I'm pretty good at the first list, but these mechanical devices are rather frightening to me. There are days it is all simply overwhelming and over much. Thank goodness, at least the hot water heater should work for the winter. It seems to have a small leak... but it is functioning. And, my plumber is nearby and super-helpful. A man I can count on.
In any case, I was going to be one of those women who could manage easily by herself and not have to have a man around to do things. Or, at the very least, I'd work along side him. But, then along came my marriage to a traditional man who was handy in all sorts of ways, and just a wee bit macho to boot. So, I made children and cared for them. Being the only one of the two of us who could manage a computer and type, not to mention with a couple of graduate degrees, I did all the marketing, the web site, the search engine optimization, the recipe writing, the communication, the calculating, the designing of programs... etc., I filled my days with the 'soft' stuff. And, hey, as there was a man in the house who knew how to do all those physical things, and, who had stone and plaster walls rather than wood, I let him hang the pictures, fix the plumbing, put in the light fixtures, manage the car, pay our taxes, parking tickets, etc., with more relief than oversight.
Yes, I fell into a traditional couple dynamic. I cooked, cleaned, raised and educated the kids, bought everyone's clothes, sorted out the house and got rid of all the old stuff every year, etc., He took care of all the physical manly stuff. And I was mostly okay with this. I wanted more help with the kids (and in the end got an au pair), the dishes and meal preparation (he was the chef after all). But mostly, I accepted the situation and simply got on with it.
When I met JP he seemed to want to be in that role of older male (something he'd never done before). I enjoy learning from (and occasionally leaning on) someone, and at the time, I was more than a bit fragile and out of sorts from my divorce and newly single state. Plus, here was a skilled mechanic, an outdoor's man, someone who knew how to do lots of things, or at the very least knew when they should be done and who to call and how much it should cost.
With such a person present, the urge to truly learn to cope on my own didn't need to be developped.
Ah, but now it does. And so to work.
At long last I've made the acquaintance of the mechanic around the corner. And at a timely moment. In the last two days I've replaced the battery, the back wheels, the spark plugs, every item linked to the brakes, and ... in two weeks he'll do a more complete diagnostic to see if there's more to do.
So, there I was relying on men to help me (still leaning just a bit on the ex-husband) and I was driving a car most definitely not in the best of shape. Guess what? I was no longer the responsibility of my ex-husband, and JP wasn't really into the idea of helping me out in this way. Lovely weekends? yes. Pay for dinner? yes. Take me dancing? yes. Take care of my car? no.
So, just in the nick of time I coped. And most of what I earned during my lovely month of outings in October? Now in the hands of the mechanic.
I admit it. I'm a humanist. I take care of people, children, guests, clients. I nourish, clean, write, market, pay bills, & keep my banker happy (the one who has my mortgage). However, I'm a home-owner and a car-owner, and I've got to learn to manage all of this. It's scary though. I'm pretty good at the first list, but these mechanical devices are rather frightening to me. There are days it is all simply overwhelming and over much. Thank goodness, at least the hot water heater should work for the winter. It seems to have a small leak... but it is functioning. And, my plumber is nearby and super-helpful. A man I can count on.
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