As It Happens

I didn't have an oil leak after all.

And that way that happened is as follows.  A few days ago, I noticed a wet spot in my car port under my car.  At first, I didn't think anything of it.  I'd recently filled up my washer fluid, and I always spill some.  However, as the days went on, the spot got bigger and darker.  Soon, I began to suspect it wasn't washer fluid, but rather engine oil.  Yesterday, when I got home from work, I parked in a slightly different spot, and a couple of hours later, checked.  Sure enough, there was a small stain under my car.  I ran my fingers through it, then smelled them, and it was engine oil.  It appeared I had an oil leak. 

Oh, great.  Just one more thing...

This morning, I went down and bought some oil, just to keep it topped up until I could find time to take the car to the shop and get the leak fixed.  It's still under extended warranty, so that was a relief. 

I got home, and started looking for the place to add the oil.  I knew the oil cap usually had the picture of the little oil can thing on it, but I couldn't find it anywhere.  I even got out the owner's manual.  It had two pictures of two different types of engines, neither of which looked like the one in my car.  Seriously, why do they have to make everything so complicated? 

Naturally, I did what any red blooded American would do.  I came inside and googled it. 

I found a picture that looked just like my engine, showing where the oil cap is supposed to be.  I went back out and looked at my engine.  The oil cap wasn't there.  I mean, it was completely missing.  Whoever had changed the oil last hadn't got the cap secured, and it had blown off.  It was also at this point that I realized I'd bought the wrong oil. 

I went back into town, to an auto parts store, to try to find a replacement oil cap.  They didn't have a replacement cap.  The guy told me they couldn't even order that, and I'd need to go to the dealership.  OK, no big deal.  It's just up the road a piece. 

I went to the dealership, and they didn't have one in stock.  They'd have to order me one, and it will be here Tuesday.  I asked him if there was anything I could do until it gets here.  He asked the mechanic and the mechanic said, "Where you going?" 

"Nowhere," I said.  "Just to work and back home." 

He said it would be OK just driving around town.  It'll just spray oil everywhere.  I said, as long as I'm not going to mess up my engine.  That's what I was worried about.  He said no, just driving around town won't hurt but don't take off down the highway.  Good.  That's a relief. 

At this point, I'd like to step out of my story and give a shout out to Kirk Auto company here in Grenada.  They didn't have a cap in stock, but several of the mechanics looked all over -- like in their secret stashes -- to see if they had any caps that I could have.  I had about 4 of them doing whatever they could to try to get me a cap right then.  That's good customer service right there.  OK, back to my story. 

I left the dealership, went back to the store, and got the right oil.  I came home, let the engine cool a few minutes, then started adding oil into the place where you add oil.  Wonder of wonders, it was only a quart low.  So, there I was adding oil, when I spotted what looked like another ...ummm... spout, I guess you'd call it.  "Wait," I second guessed myself.  "Maybe that's where I am supposed to be adding the oil." 

I tried to put my funnel into the second spout, and it wouldn't go in.  Curious, I looked more closely, and wouldn't you know it, it was my oil cap!  Cap is now safely back in place, engine is full of oil -- to the correct level, that is, and stains are scrubbed out of the car port -- as well as they could be, and I'm very relieved that it wasn't something serious. 

I'd signed up to go to the company picnic, but by the time I got through fooling with my car, was hot, tired, frustrated, and had a headache.  I said to myself, "I think I'll just skip that picnic this year."  About then, my stomach growled loudly, as if to remind me not to turn down free food.  To the picnic I went. 

It was our company's 25th anniversary celebration, so they gave out some gifts.  First up, an engraved tumbler. One of them fancy, schmancy kinds that cost high dollars.

This blue rag, that I'm not sure what it's for.

A t-shirt

A notebook with a pen

A challenge coin

And best of all, a new knitting bag!

I didn't stay for the whole thing.  Once you've eaten, there isn't much else to do unless you have kids.  Oh, there's lots of stuff for the kids to do, but not much for the adults.  They have a bingo game, but nothing else. 

After I got home, I checked my oil again, and the level seemed to be holding, so maybe we're good to go now. 


Next up, getting my squeaky dryer fixed.  It's always something, isn't it?

Hit The Ground Running

That's what we did when we went back to work.  We hit the ground running -- as in 10 hour days, 6 days a week right out of the gate.  Needless to say, I'm a bit tired.  It's also why blogging has been light these last few days. 

However, I did want to update you on what has happened since last I blogged.

Last Friday, I went up to Southaven to meet up with The Gang.

It kinda felt a bit -- ummm, awkward isn't quite the right word, but I kind of felt a bit out of place without Hank's yarn store to hang out in.  Nevertheless, we persevered.  We ate at Huey's, then walked over to Starbucks to chat and knit.  There was laughter, and cookies, and a promise to make this a yearly event.  Then it was time to go, and many bitter tears were shed at our parting.  Before we left, we absconded a hapless bystander and forced her to photograph us for posterity.  We are front row, left to right:  Kat, Leann, Christi; back row: Amy, Me.

While I was in Southaven, I stopped off at Wal-mart to try to find some of the things that our local Wal-mart is always out of.  I found said toiletries, then wandered over to the home furnishings section. I found this nifty slip cover for my new couch.

It's not fancy, but it is machine washable and will protect my sofa from Rylea's hair.  It stays in place a lot better than the one on my love seat does, too.  I think I'll order a matching one for said love seat, and maybe one for the recliner as well.

Saturday morning, I heard the mail truck honking.  I went outside and the mail lady said, "You got a bunch of boxes."  She wasn't joking.

And what was in all those boxes?  Yarn! 

Lots of yarn. 

My mother in law was de-stashing and sent me tons of yarn.  Convenient, because my sister in law recently posted a picture of a hat she really wanted.  I'm going to try to reverse engineer the pattern and make her one for next Christmas.

I spent the rest of Saturday rearranging my living room furniture.  I think I finally have everything the way I want it.  I don't have everything IN the cabinets yet, but the cabinets themselves are in place.  

I put my first decoration on my new car.

And I used my Christmas money to order this hardback copy of The Lord Of The Rings, illustrated by Alan Lee that I've been wanting for years. 

It'll look really nice in my new cabinet -- right next to my leatherbound 50th anniversary edition of The Hobbit. 

I Can Haz...

Long time readers may remember me mentioning that Beverly and James are moving back to Texas at the end of the year.  Or thereabouts.  That's why I needed to buy a house.  Another thing I needed to do was to get a new car.  My old Jimmy has been a good vehicle, but he'd gotten to the point where I just didn't trust him to be reliable -- what with me not going to have family around any more.  I needed something I could depend on.

Bright and early this morning, James and I went car shopping. I'd been looking around on websites like Autotrader and Truecar, but James said, "Let me take you out to talk to the guy I usually buy from."

We drove out to the dealership and started looking around.  I'd planned on getting a used car, but while we were standing there talking, the sales man Charles said, "Let's just go look at this Focus over here." 

Now, a Focus was one of the cars I'd been looking at on those websites, so I liked it immediately.  Even though it's brand new, between the Friends and Family event and several discounts and rebates they were able to give me, it ended up not costing much more than what I would have paid for a used one. 

After signing almost as many papers as I did when I bought my house, I drove off the lot, a proud owner of a brand new 2015 Ford Focus. 

 I got home and went out to take these pictures, and wondered how I'd gotten it muddy already.  Sigh...

It's got all sorts of fancy gadgets on it.  I can sync my phone to it, too.  

And look!  Cup holders deep enough to actually hold a cup!  

The ones in my Jimmy were so shallow, the cups would fly out of them every time I went around a corner.  

Best of all, the heater works!  Which means the defroster also works!  Woo hoo!  I'll be able to see when I'm driving to work on those frosty cold mornings. 

Speaking of frosty mornings, they're predicting temps down into the upper 30s tonight.  I asked James if he still had his fancy schmancy motorized wood splitter.  He'd already taken it to Texas, but he gave me his wood splitting ax to use. 

After splitting one log, I determined that our ancestors were made of much sterner stuff than we are.  I went out and did about 4 more after running into town for a minute, and I'm telling you, I haven't worked that hard since I can remember.  If you want abs, forget the weight room.  Just go split a cord of wood. 

I kinda want to go out and split some more, but I kinda already can't move. 

I think I'd better wait until tomorrow.