Saturday Things Went Downhill Backwards - Challenging Day

Yesterday was a real challenge but at the end of the day, I was still sane. That's a good thing.

The morning began on a high note. I delivered my part (about 60) of the senior mobile home park's newsletters, one to each home, on foot. It was chilly at 7 a.m., my chosen time. But no heavy wind yet, clear and dry. I made great time. One hour - gentle walking pace. Great exercise. Nobody out at that time to slow me down. When I came inside, I felt really good.

Ate breakfast and had coffee and got ready for a couple quick errands. Grabbed some cash from the ATM for my computer tech guy who was coming later that day, and headed for the post office, planning to mail a small Etsy order, and then I planned to get a little gas, and then come home. 

That's when things began to go not only backwards but downhill.

As I rounded the corner near the post office, the Service Engine Soon light lit up on the dashboard and the car began shuddering and thumping. I did some heartfelt praying, let me tell you. The words that I recall went something like "Lord, get me safely to the post office, let me get in there and out, and to the gas station, safely, and I promise I'll go right to the mechanic from there. Just please, keep me and the car safe!"

When I got out of the post office and turned the car back on, it did it again, but the post office is right next to the gas station so I did not have to go far.

At that point, this gas station, which has a zillion pumps, had bright yellow "do not use me" hoods on at least half of the pumps. I had to drive around a bit to find one on the correct side for my shuddering, thumping car. But I made it.

By the time I got back into the car and was headed to my mechanic, a mile or two away, not far, the shuddering and thumping stopped but that Service Engine Soon light was still on.

I was expecting a lot of action at the mechanic's because of the holiday but luckily they had a bay or two open. These guys are great. They did a fast diagnostic reading and the code said something about "gas low misfire." Aha! That thumping did stop after I put a 1/4 tank of gas in there - before that, I was down to just 1/8. The car is 16 years old. I've had it about 6 years, and in the beginning, it would run just fine down to the E, leaving me about 15 miles of drive time left.

Looks like the old buggy is telling me that, like its owner, age has its limits and issues. I'll respect that in the future, you can be sure.

Next, my tech guy came by. The free computer tower a friend gave me was the project. He was planning to connect it and explain the differences between Windows 10 and Windows 7. Not going to happen. At least not for a while. Poor guy spent about an hour here, and the tower would not "power on." We tried everything. We ended up reconnecting the old laptop I've been struggling with, and he took the tower with him to try one or two things at his place.

Then I get an email from the gal who does another one of our newsletter routes - in the wind which developed during the day, her asthma acted up and she couldn't finish her route. That meant I need to do that. This was, like the shuddering car and the obstinate tower, unexpected. But I will do those tomorrow morning, early.

All in all, shuddering car, obstinate PC tower, and extra deliveries aside, it didn't end up too badly.