thank goodness only the battery!

i've had a semi-productive day, in-spite of the "detour". i scrubbed down the shower/tub, changed bed linens, cleaned out expired pantry & fridge items ... and then headed out for a few errands (speciality light bulbs, gas, a few groceries).

my first stop was for the specialty bulbs, at the local home & improvement store.

it was lightly raining when i got there. i found the bulbs i needed (and, btw, one came with the filaments already disconnected!) --- and spent more time waiting in line (what?! ... a big box home & improvement store, with only 1 checkout line open?!).

the guy behind me was laughing about it, and said, "maybe you should buy your bulbs online"  ;)

maybe?! ... i have used the ship to store service before for Ace Hardware, and it's quite convenient.

anyhoo ... i came out of the store and got back in my truck and turned the key.

nothing.

then the wipers moved.

then nothing.

i tried again ... nothing ... and then the wipers moved again and my CD popped out of the radio.

fuck.







so, i  kept my cool and was saddened by the thought that i had not packed any emergency knitting.

NOTE TO SELF: KEEP A KNITTING PROJECT IN THE TRUCK! ALWAYS!

lesson learned. and water. gosh, i really could had used a bottle of water --- it was hot & steamy.

the strange part was that i could hear some really "animal" sounds coming from the area of the ignition/steering column ... little chirps ... i thought, "holy shit, i hope there's not some kinda rodent in there that has eaten my wires as a snack".

i had chatted a bit with punk (bff!) --- and he was at least an hour away (and AAA was coming anyways) ... here's our convo:

punk ... did you raise the hood?

me ... i did ... but i couldn't "see" anything ... no critters!

punk ... did you leave the hood up?

me ... uh, no .....

punk ... then no one will ask you if you need help if your hood is down.

me .... ooooooh!

i put the hood back up, and i swear, in a instant, a hispanic couple had doubled around to come assist. the girl said her husband always works on her car, and he checked my battery. he didn't speak english, but she did.

he wiggled the wires and made a face at the connections. she talked about pouring coke on the connections. i think the word he would had said is "sucio".

AND, after he did that, it did start!

i thanked them, and after a bit, did turn it off. i wanted to wait for AAA, as they would test everything.

about 10 or 15 minutes later, AAA arrived.

AAA showed up, tested my battery, alternator, etc. his recommendation was to have the battery checked again from the place i purchased it from, and possibly have it recharged. everything else checked out okay.

Tom checked everything, and cleaned all the parts ... and you see his test results above.

so, off to advanced auto i went (not even 1/4 mile down the road) --- and that took awhile. i had purchased my battery from a different store (same chain) ... so it took more time because their computers don't connect.

the good news is, Gabriel was a great help --- and my battery was replaced free of charge.

and then, about 2.5 hrs after i'd left my house, i was able to do the rest of my errands.

so now, i just want to work on my sweater or a crochet project. i'm kinda "done" for the day.

though, it's been a rather quiet & peaceful sunday.

i'm glad it was only the battery, and nothing costly --- or more time consuming.