One Of Those Days

You know how when you wake up in the morning and think everything is going just dandy until all of a sudden you almost eat a ladybug? I know, that can really throw a morning off.

I was sitting at the desk minding my own business when I go to scoop up a bite of my cereal and I just happened to glance down and look back up, then look back down again as it registers in my mind that what I’m about to scoop up isn’t a raisin!

By The Pug Father
Some stupid lady bug fell upside down in my cereal. That’s why it looked like a raisin. Obviously if it had been right side up I would’ve seen its read shell.

The morning went on and the boys and I get ready to head down to the cities to visit the Science Museum of Minnesota. We had been there for Do Good Day in July and didn’t get to see much and I wanted to go back to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. The exhibit was closing on Sunday and Wednesday was the only day we could go.

We finally get in the van, because you know I can never leave when I plan on it. It will never happen.

I start up the van having forgotten the noises it was making the day before. I figure, I put oil in it, we should be good until I can get an actual oil change…sometime.

We drove for about 15 minutes and I decide I better pull off into a gas station because it sounds like my engine is falling apart. I sit at the gas station wondering if I should keep driving an hour to our destination or head back to town for an oil change, because I know that’s what it is.

Have I mentioned I know everything? Just ask me. I’ll tell you it’s true.

I drive for about 5 minutes and it literally sounds like things are falling from my engine, although I don’t see anything bouncing off the road behind me.

I’m on the phone with my estranged husband telling him what’s going on when I lose my power steering. I can still steer, but remember the days when power steering didn’t exist? Well, this was worse.

I get into town and pulling into the auto shop is kind of a joke. Instead of turning into the parking lot it was more like making a wide arch.

I leave the van on thinking, if I turn it off it may never turn on again. I’m parked cockeyed in front of their doors. I talk to the guy who seems to be the manager and begin to tell him I’ve lost my steering. He looks outside and asks me if the van is still running.

Well, duh, of course it is. Do I look like I’m an idiot?

He runs out to my van and I walk out behind him. Where’s the fire pal?

Oh, look, there, below my engine is a belt hanging down and my antifreeze streaming out, and my, it smells really bad! Thank goodness we avoided a fire!

He seemed to know the moment he looked at the engine that I needed a new water pump. So he drove me to my estranged husband’s place where I borrowed his car for the next day.

These guys had my van fixed within a couple hours! Of course it was a few bucks shy of $500! I knew we should’ve gotten a new vehicle in August when we were looking! I think we should start looking again.

The minivan has 183,000+ miles on it and it’s a 2001. It’s the longest I’ve owned a vehicle and I still love it. It’s loaded and does pretty much everything. If I could take the inside and put it in a new body, that’s exactly what I’d do!

Anyhow, I digress. The boys and I went to the Science Museum of Minnesota and had a great time. I’ll post about our visit in the next couple of days!