The News You Never Want to Hear

It was the news we never wanted to hear, in regard to a vehicle.

This one especially, as it has a place in my heart.

The Fan Van. Many years ago, in its glory, it was in team colors, with a beautiful interior, a TV and VCR in it when few vehicles had them, nicely decked out. After the wreck -- the other person's fault -- it had a salvage title, but was still dear to me. Sweetie has been driving it just to work and back for the past few years.

It looks much worse for the wear. Lately, each year was a test of whether or not we could get it to pass inspection. More recently, squeals from the pulling tire and a serious leak of power steering fluid let us know it was time to take her in to be looked at.

Thank heaven for an honest mechanic. He is someone i know i can trust, especially now. He told us what it would cost to repair, which, since we have much more month than money right now, is totally out of reach. Then he said that, in all honesty, if it were up to him, he wouldn't sink another dime into it. After 23 years and 99,700 miles, it really has no value except sentimental.

Any mechanic who could make a bunch of money off of a vehicle, and tells you not to bother to repair it instead, is an honest guy. He said that even if we did this work, there is no telling what would go next, or how much more it would be then.

So, the news you don't want, about a vehicle you like.

For the time being, we will share. It will mean that in addition to driving the kids to school and back each day, i will have to drive Sweetie to work and back each day as well. He will have to ride with me to get the kids in the afternoons, in fact.

Meanwhile, until we figure out what to do, it will sit, and we will start it and back it out of the drive once in a while, just so we can say it runs, and not be accused of having a junked car on the property, which is a no no around here.

So, a moment of silence for a workhorse vehicle that went the distance.


Today is:

Alcyone -- Ancient Greek Calendar (kingfisher goddess)

Bill of Rights Day -- US

Cat Herders Day (good luck!)

Centipede Boot-Making and Shoe-Repair Season begins -- Fairy Calendar

Consualia -- Roman Empiracal Calendar (Feast of Consus)

Homecoming Day -- Alderney

Koninkrijksdag -- Netherlands, Netherland Antilles (Kingdom Day)

National Lemon Cupcake Day

Navidades begin, Puerto Rico (traditional Christmas celebrations that last through Three Kings Day)

St. Eusebius' Day

Zamenhof Day -- International Esperanto Community


Birthdays Today:

Nick Beggs, 1961
Don Johnson, 1949
Dave Clark, 1942
Tim Conway, 1933
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1928
Jeff Chandler, 1918
Stan Kenton, 1911
J. Paul Getty, 1892


Today in History:

Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron, 533
Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia, 1265
Bartholomeus Diaz returns to Portugal after sailing round Cape of Good Hope, 1488
The State of Holland grants patent on a windmill with crankshaft, 1593
The first US law school is established at University of Pennsylvania, 1791
The first Irish magazine in US, Shamrock, is published, 1810
The first street-cleaning machine in US is used in Philadelphia, 1854
The King of Hawaii becomes the first reigning king to visit the Us, and is received by President Grant, 1874
The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens, 1906
Bandleader, Major Glenn Miller, is lost over English Channel, 1944
Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida; four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7, 1965
Samoa becomes a member of the United Nations, 1976
U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan, 1978
The 3rd reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down, 2000
The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean, 2001