Tag Archives: automotive

This and That / Updates

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I am happy to say that my Dad is getting stronger by the day! He’s being brave, getting up and walking on his own with his cane, but without my sister or me to help him. He doesn’t venture far, just to the bedside commode or bathroom and back. His burns are healing nicely. Bandaging is at a minimum now. His feet are still swollen. Lack of movement is likely the cause. He needs to be up and down more. He’s restless. He’s bored as heck. He’s still watching the news nearly 24/7 as he did before. I am ready to pull my hair out! By the end of the month, we hope to have him back in a real bed, not a hospital bed. He says, “That thing is uncomfortable as hell.” Needless to say, he’s not getting a lot of sleep…unless of course he’s in his chair!

No drama for the last few weeks, thank goodness. I have enough stress and anxiety to deal with, and Dad sure doesn’t need it.

Our car is still in the shop. I took it in last Thursday for a/c repair. They said the evaporator needed to be replaced, which means the whole dash has to come out. I was told it’s an 8-hour job, but here it is a week later. When I called the other morning, I was told that the guy who was working on it had a family emergency and had been out. They are bringing in another guy to take over. I was hoping to have our car back because I’m used to driving it. This Eco Sport loaner is rather cool to drive, but it’s a bit too high off the ground for me and the driver’s side floor space is lacking…in space. The accelerator and brake pedals are very close together, and there’s not much space for movement. On the bright side, it’s the perfect height for Dad and his long legs!

We had an appointment yesterday with a nephrologist (kidney specialist) and it was the worst experience we’ve ever had with a doctor! The story deserves a post of it’s own so be on the lookout for that!

Last week, I had a guy (we’ll call him Guy #2) come out and look at the new house. We need to get the damn thing finished asap! Guy #1 has excuses, like how sick he’s been, but he’s still working other jobs. What the hell, right? That doesn’t piss me off as much as the non-communication. Months with not as much as a text. He finished painting the interior and then went MIA. I finally had to tell him literally, “It would take less than a minute for you to text me and let me know what is going on.” Then he got pissy with me. Ok, fine. Guy #2 comes out and looks at the house and says he can do it, but he’d have to hire a lot of it out (like the septic system and circuit breaker box), so it would cost us more. Then I found Guy #3, who came and said he could do it. He is going to get me some estimates on the individual things that need to be done. He also said that things would be slowing down for him and could probably start working on it soon. We’ll see. I haven’t received any estimates yet. I don’t put much faith in what people say these days.

My sister is still here, and I don’t know what I will do without her. I mean, Dad is stronger now and tired of us hovering, but he still needs help. Let’s face it, I’m walking with crutches, so my “help” is limited. My sister has done most of the work around here. She will be leaving Dad and me on our own in mid-September. I’m going to miss her, but I know she has a job and furbabies to go back to. On the bright side, though, when the new house is livable, she and her furbabies are coming to stay.

Stay tuned for the next post!

The Ex-Files – The Van

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You may recall my post about my ex and his so-called automotive paint job. You ain’t heard nothing yet. Hold onto your hats, boys and girls. I have many stories to tell.

I can’t recall the exact year, but I think it was around 1989-1990, and CP was laid off again. I was still doing Day Care in our home, working my ass off trying to keep us fed and the lights on. All the while CP sat on his ass doing absolutely nothing. When he did do something, it was usually just to go “shoot the shit” with his cousins. Even if he had a job to do for someone, like the van he said he could get running for the friend of a friend of his.

I don’t remember all the details but I do remember the van needed the drive shaft installed. CP had made a deal with the owner that if all of the parts were supplied then he would do the work for (I think) $100 and it would have been a great deal but it didn’t work out quite right.

CP got most of the work done but left the drive shaft laying under the van because he needed a bolt or two to install it. He told the owner of the van he needed the bolts, where he could get them, and how much they were. Just a few bucks apiece, mind you. CP waited a few days for the owner to bring him the bolts. He called him again and reminded the guy that he still needed those bolts. (I think the owner told CP to just get the bolts and he would reimburse him later.) This went on for months. I don’t know what was said in the phone conversations but someone was an asshole and I’m sure it wasn’t the owner of the van!

The drive shaft lay under that van for several months. CP waited for the bolts. One time, my Dad asked CP what he needed and how much it might cost. CP told him the bolts were just a few bucks apiece. Dad asked him why he didn’t just go get the damn bolts himself so he could get the job done. CP told him, “That wasn’t the deal. The owner was supposed to get all the parts and I was supposed to do the work.” So, the van sat there.

One Fall afternoon, I was cleaning up the yard. There were leaves and debris everywhere, including the driveway. I raked up leaves and then got the hose out to water the flowerbeds and rinse down the driveway. CP had a freakin’ conniption fit about me getting that drive shaft wet! I just stood there for a few seconds waiting for him to think about what he just said. Nothing. I said, “Do you honestly think it doesn’t get wet when it rains? Water flows downward and the driveway is sloped! Do you think the rain goes around the drive shaft?” Sheesh. I mean, seriously. The drive shaft may have been protected from rain falling directly on top of it but t’s not like I was aiming for it. I was hosing around the damn thing. Sure, I was getting it wet, but no worse than if it were raining. And it was already a bit rusty from sitting out in the weather for months!

CP never did get the bolts that were needed for that job. The owner came with a tow truck to get the van months later and never paid CP a red cent, regardless of the work he may have done. Serve CP right. He made his own bad reputation by the way he did things, or didn’t do things, as in this case.