Grounded!

Last Monday on the way to do the horrible litter pickup after WE Fest, I dropped my car off at Gary Lee’s Collision Repair shop outside of Detroit Lakes.  The plan was for Gary Lee’s to fix the driver’s side rocker panel, door, and the panel around the front tire, so I could pick it up all done on Friday.

Well, you know how the well laid plans of mice and men go…  Very long time readers may remember how I backed the rig up into the toad outside of Craters of the Moon National Monument in 2010.  The Blue Ox hitch crunched the door and wheel panel.  Then in 2011 after all my horrific problems with the mother board panel for the brakes, and the death of my residential fridge, I massacred the rocker panel trying to get into Swinging Bridge RV Park in Jackson, MS.  It was a matter of going over a curb or smashing into a car head on.  I chose the curb. 

I just lived with a crumpled car for the last three years because I knew what another claim would do to my insurance rate.  I’ve endured questions and comments on the ‘crumpledness’ wherever I’ve gone for the last three years.  The last straw came when I could no longer open the driver’s side door from the outside. 

Picture this… any time I wanted to go somewhere in the car, I had to open the passenger’s door and clamber over the bucket seat and stick shift thing to reach the lever to open the driver’s side door from the inside.  Then I had to shove the door open far enough so it wouldn’t close; climb back out and go around to the other side.  Sometimes there are very gusty winds in the prairie areas around here.  One time, I had to climb in and out three times and then run around fast enough to catch the door before it slammed shut again.  Uff-da!  I’d had it with that routine!

So as long as I had to have the door handle thing fixed, I decided to get the whole shebang done.  The cost won’t be pretty, but it is what it is.  Fast forward to Friday afternoon.  I gave Gary Lee’s a call, and as you might guess, due to unforeseen circumstances, the car will not be ready until at least Monday.

So I’ve been grounded with no means of transportation.  It’s really not so bad, but it’s more the thought that I can’t go anywhere even if I wanted to that wears on a person.  Thankfully, Steve, the other volunteer, was going to town today for groceries so I hitched a ride with him.  I persuaded him to visit the farmer’s market as well, so we both stocked up on some fresh picked veggies and bread.  This week I’m trying their Country French Bread.  I’m sure it will be as delicious as the other varieties I’ve tried from the Breadsmith.

Emma is as disgusted as I am at not being able to go out on an adventure.  Although, this may just be her normal disgusted look when I try to sneak a picture of her.  It dawned on me this evening, that when I turn 70, Emma will be 70 in dog years too.  Do you think she’ll settle down a little by then?  I can only hope…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy