Our family van is old now. Very old.
This sporadically-updated collection of essays began in late 2005. Our current van was new then. In fact a tribute to its predecessor is about the only post I can specifically recall from my first, long-abandoned blog (you are reading, now, you see, my second effort at blogging).
I readily concede that all older vehicles have their eccentricities... but I think our van is actually haunted.
By what, I don't know. Some mischievous sprite who has taken a personal dislike to me, I suppose.
I've never been any good with cars. Or car people. I have discovered that car people can actually smell automotive ignorance. And, brother, do I reek.
Despite my limitations, I have done my best to maintain our family fleet. I get the oil changed as directed, for example.
A year or two ago, when the family van's front left turn signal went on the blink (*ahem*) I took it to my neighborhood oil change place -- they do turn signals there, too -- and got the blinker replaced.
It may have worked for a week.
I took the van back and had them replace it.
But, once again, it stopped working within a matter of days.
Incensed, I made plans to take it back a third time, fantasizing about driving the vehicle through the overhead doors.
Then it rained.
And the blinker blinked, just as it was supposed to.
But, when the weather cleared, the blinker stopped blinking.
It took us awhile, you understand, to see the relationship between the rain and the restoration of the turn signal. What rational creature would make that connection?
But, eventually, there was no denying. The blankety-blank blinker only blinked when it rained. Or snowed. You know... adding water is not recommended for the ordinary operation of electronic devices. I may not be a car person, but I could figure that much out. Still... what was there to replace?
I had every reason to fear that some sort of electrical system failure underlay the blinker issue, the same sort of electrical issue that made our power door locks inoperable... and unfixable... some years ago. (On one of my thousand-dollar forays to the dealer, I asked them to repair the locks -- and they did -- for about 48 hours. No, I didn't take it back then. Some things we just must accept.)
Rust is steadily claiming the van's sliding doors. One of these days the doors will simply disappear. If the family purse permitted it, I would be considering the purchase of a new vehicle. But, alas.
So we make do.
Or we have tried.
Lately, though, the van has developed a new trick. The air conditioning works fine -- but the fan that blows the cold air into the vehicle has begun working only sporadically.
'Sporadically', for any of you young people out there with a limited vocabulary, means that the blower generally works when I'm driving -- but generally doesn't work when Long Suffering Spouse drives. Or is along for the ride. Especially if the outside temperature is 90 or more.
A week or so ago, Long Suffering Spouse put her foot down. I had to do something about the blower.
And it is a safety matter. That same blower which keeps the van comfortable in the heat is what keeps the defroster defrosting.
So I took the van to a different car repair place -- not the dealer -- I don't have $1,000 to spare at the moment -- and as I was within a mile or two of the place on that first occasion the blower suddenly kicked on. The van was positively chilly by the time I got to the dealer (the outside temperature -- which had been over 90 the day before -- 'coincidentally' crashed at about the same time -- a pneumonia front came in off Lake Michigan). But I gamely explained these facts to the nice people at the car repair place... and they looked at each other... and back at me... and they agreed to take a look.
An hour or two later, an earnest young man delivered the verdict -- keeping his distance from me, you understand. "We looked at it," he told me, carefully. "But, you see, it's working. Why don't you bring it back if it should stop working? Maybe then we can figure out what's wrong."
They were so eager to be rid of me on that occasion that they didn't give me a bill.
And, of course, the blower has worked flawlessly since.
Until yesterday.
Long Suffering Spouse drove the van to school yesterday, and then to Younger Daughter's house. Younger Daughter had to schedule an unanticipated doctor's visit for Granddaughter No. 1 and Younger Daughter's husband had their family vehicle. Long Suffering Spouse was to let Younger Daughter borrow the van and sit with Younger Daughter's other kids so Younger Daughter could get to the doctor. (We have backup car seats in the van -- that's another story -- so it's all legal.)
Anyway, the blower noticed that Long Suffering Spouse was driving and immediately stopped working. It didn't start again when Younger Daughter took the wheel either. Long Suffering Spouse advised me of these facts, at some length, as she drove back -- with the blower still inoperative -- from Younger Daughter's house last evening.
Accordingly, this morning, I packed up my laptop, hoping to get a little work done at the repair place. Long Suffering Spouse had to go to school this morning -- classes are over, but there are end of the year meetings all week -- and I was to drop her off on the way.
But the blower noticed I was driving... and sprung back to life.
I figured to work from home this morning, and I no sooner exited the van when my cell phone rang.
It was Long Suffering Spouse. She needed to return some school-owned equipment this morning, and she'd forgotten to bring a power cord belonging to same. I went inside, grabbed the cord, and fired up the van again.
The blower worked fine.
I parked at school, and delivered the cord.
I started the van, heading back home.
But guess what decided to stop? Well, hot weather is predicted for the coming weekend....
So, here I am in the repair shop. Typing.
The blower stayed off on the trip over. I told Long Suffering Spouse that, given how they'd looked at me last time, there was no way I was setting foot on the premises if the blower resumed operation en route.
Oh, yes, they remembered me from last time.
But, when the blower didn't work for them this morning either, they agreed to undertake its replacement.
That earnest young man has come into the waiting room a couple of times now to tell me that they've encountered unexpected difficulties getting it out.
The mischievous sprite is no doubt toying with them, too.
But, supposedly, at some point ere long, the van will be restored to me and the blower will work.
We'll see for how long....
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