Showing posts with label car repair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car repair. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Shelter Size Cleaner Bottle (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

***********************************






Linking up with Wordless WednesdayCatsynthKeith, and Sandee at Comedy Plus.


     




***********************************





Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.   


This month the words/prompts are supplied by Charlotte and can be found here.


This week's words/prompts are:


1.spice  

2.think  

3.scissors  

4.glue  

5.numbers  

6.glum


and/or:


1.patch  

2.banana  

3.evening  

4.lamp  

5.shady  

6.golden


use either list or both, or mix and match, just have fun.


Charlotte's colour of the month is Jade Green.



It's been a busy couple of days, and if you want to SPICE up your life, let your son learn to work on cars by working on yours.


No matter how many times #2 Son tells me it's easy, just these bolts and these screws, i know better and as always, it's harder than he THINKs.


After all, we're not just playing with SCISSORS and GLUE here, these are major car parts.  It never quite goes by the NUMBERS.


Monday, i left the car at the house and the key on the hook and walked to Ms. D's to work for her so he could get a good start if he wanted.  He ran to the car parts place, got what he thought he needed, and came back, dropping Annie with me and leaving her with a BANANA to snack on and her favorite capybara, Sid, which is her latest favorite.


He got #1 Son to come help, and of course it was harder than #2 Son thought.  #1 Son ended up needing a PATCH on the back of his thumb where one of the belts cut into it.


By early EVENING, i was holding little Ben and playing with Annie and #2 Son and Daughter-in-Law were fighting with the part by the light of one of those headLAMPs he has, the time had gone past SHADY and the GOLDEN sunset was over and he finally sheared off a screw trying to get it out.


That's when he called time and left, looking rather GLUM.


Tuesday morning, he came over with Annie and went back to the parts store, got a different component, and fought it for a few hours.  At one point it has to sit with a vacuum on the parts, making sure the system is clean with nothing in it, and his pump was plugged into two extension cords running through the house to an outlet with room.


"Yeah!  Get out here!" he finally yelled in triumph, and taking me out with whoops and hollers, he let me open the door to Lawrence the Honda, which now has a functioning A/C!


He washed up and took Annie to go for her nap, and i let the car run with the A/C on for 15 minutes to prime the system and let the pag oil circulate (i now know more about car A/Cs than i ever wanted to, including the special oil they need which mixes with freon to keep them lubricated) and i no longer have to be Jade Green with envy of those who have functioning air conditioning in their cars.


Next job, the A/C and driver's window in GusGus die Fledermaus, which will soon be #1 Son's car to replace the one wrecked two weeks ago.


Little by little and by the hardest, #2 Son is learning car repair.




***********************************



Today is:


Aphrodisia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (bathing festival of Aphrodite and Peitho [Persuasion]; through tomorrow)


Casual Pi Day / Pi Approximation Day (22nd day of month 7; 22/7 is the approximation of Pi)


Hammock Day -- don't know who came up with this one, but at the height of the dog days, it seems appropriate; on some sites listed as Summer Leisure Day


International Childbirth Education Awareness Day -- can't find confirmation on this, but if you're going to have a kid, it's not a bad idea to get educated about what to expect!


King Father's Birthday -- Swaziland


National Penuche Fudge Day


Ratcatcher's Day -- celebrated by the British dating of the Pied Piper story; celebrated June 26 in Hamelin, Germany


Revolution Day -- The Gambia


Soma-Nomaoi Festival -- Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (Wild-Horse Chasing, a four-day festival in which a thousand horsemen, clad in ancient armor, compete for possession of three shrine flags, and along the Hibarigahara Plain, men clad in white costumes attempt to catch wild horses)


Spooners Day (Spoonerism -- Named for William Archibald Spooner, English cleric and scholar who once fussed at a student because "You hissed my mystery lesson," told a groom it was "kisstomery to cuss the bride," and once accidentally referred to Queen Victoria as "the queer old Dean.")


St. Mary Magdalene's Day (Patron of apothecaries, contemplative life and contemplatives, converts, druggists, glove makers, hairdressers and hair stylists, penitent sinners, penitent women, people ridiculed for their piety, perfumeries and perfumers, pharmacists, reformed prostitutes, tanners, women; Anguiano, Spain; Atrani, Salerno, Italy; Casamicciola, Italy; Elantxobe, Spain; Foglizzo, Italy; La Magdaleine, Italy; against sexual temptation)

   Stilt Dance Day -- Anguiano, Spain (a special stilt dance performed on the Feast of the city's patron, St. Mary Magdalen)


Sumarauki -- Iceland (their calendar's extra days added to take into account the "drift" of the calendar from the moon phases)


Tisha B'Av -- Judaism (begins at sundown, through tomorrow; fast in remembrance of the destruction of the First Temple in 586BCE and the Second Temple in 79AD)



Birthdays Today:


George Alexander Louis Windsor, His Royal Highness Prince of Cambridge, 2013

Madison Pettis, 1998

Selena Gomez, 1992

Scott Dixon, 1980

Daniel Jones, 1973

Rufus Wainwright, 1973

Irene Bedard, 1967

Rhys Ifans, 1967

Shawn Michaels, 1965

David Spade, 1964

John Leguizamo, 1964

Rob Estes, 1963

Keith Sweat, 1961

Willem Dafoe, 1955

Alan Menken, 1949

Albert Brooks, 1947

Don Henley, 1947

Danny Glover, 1946

Estelle Bennett, 1944

Bobby Sherman, 1943

Kay Bailey Hutchison, 1943

Alex Trebek, 1940

Terrence Stamp, 1939

Louise Fletcher, 1934

Oscar De la Renta, 1932

Orson Bean, 1928

Bob Dole, 1923

Amy Vanderbilt, 1908

Alexander Calder, 1898

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1890

William Archibald Spooner, 1844

Gregor Johann Mendel, 1822 (Note:  some sources say July 20)



Debuting/Premiering Today:


Plan 9 From Outer Space(Film), 1959



Today in History


King Edward I of England and his longbowmen defeat William Wallace and his Scottish schiltrons outside the town of Falkirk, 1298

The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I in the Battle of Dornach, 1499

A second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony, 1587

Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific Ocean becoming the first Euro-American to complete a transcontinental crossing of Canada, 1793

In the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Rear Admiral Nelson is wounded in the arm, and part of it is amputated, 1797

Death of Josef Strauss, Austrian composer, 1870

First ever motorized racing event is held in France between the cities of Paris and Rouen. The race is won by comte Jules-Albert de Dion, 1894

Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world traveling 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes, 1933

Dezik and Tzygan become the first of Russia's Space Dogs, making a sub-orbital flight, which they both survived, 1951

Japan completes its last reparation to the Philippines for war crimes committed during WWII, 1976

Martial law in Poland is officially revoked, 1983

The second Blue Water Bridge opens between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, 1997

The Stonehenge World Heritage Site announces the discovery of a possible new henge, the biggest discovery at a major monument in over 50 years, 2010

Norway is the victim of twin terror attacks, on government buildings in Oslo and a youth camp at Utoya, 2011

Scientific studies reveal that dolphins have unique names for one another, much like humans do, 2013

The Brain Kids, a team of robots from Japan's Chiba Institute of Technology, wins this year's RoboCup, a robotic soccer tournament started 18 years ago to encourage new developments in the robotics field, 2015

India's lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, successfully takes off from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota aiming to make India the fourth nation to soft-land on the moon, 2019

The French submarine Minerve, which disappeared in 1968 with a crew of 52, is  rediscovered off coast of Toulon, France, 2019

Droupadi Murmu is the first tribal politician to be elected President of India (head of state, without executive powers), 2022

The United States Postal Service issues a commemorative stamp in honor of Alex Trebek, long-time host of Jeopardy, 2024

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

How to Keep the Pipes Warm When Your Faucet Is Broken (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

 <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=318685" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->

***********************************


photo



Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, Keith, Catsynth, and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     





***********************************







Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.    


This month the words/prompts are supplied by lissa on her blog.


This week's prompts are: 


1. black eye

2. car wash

3. mud bath

4. jelly bean

5. duct tape


Charlotte's colour of the month is Electric Rose.




Our #2 Son, he of the BLACK EYE (slightly) after a run-in with a tool, was ready to fix our car.


It needed VVT solenoids, a valve cover gasket, new spark plugs and a fuel injector cleaning.


It's not something you can fix with DUCT TAPE, which is my favorite tool, so i wasn't much help, but Daughter-in-Law did help him a lot and i watched our little Annie in her Electric Rose shirt and brown pants with the horses on them.  She and i took a walk up the street, then back, then sat and played with the rocks in the gravel part of the driveway.  Some of the rocks almost look like JELLY BEANS, and you have to watch closely or she'll put them in her mouth.


Under the hood of the car, it looked like it had taken a MUD BATH and needed to go through the CAR WASH by itself.  A leaky gasket means oil getting out to where it shouldn't be, and it was everywhere.


Of course, you can't do that, wash it, that is.  It had to be cleaned with a wire brush after he took the cover off and got the spark plugs and solenoids out.  The remaining chunks of the bad gasket were especially hard to remove.


He did it, though.  Slow-Moe has new spark plugs, solenoids, and the gasket is holding firm.  He put a special treatment in the gas tank to clean the fuel injectors and there's no more sign of an oil leak.


As for the brakes, we have a couple of thousand more miles before they will have to be changed, so for right now, it's nice to have the car running again.




***********************************



Today is:


Biezputras Diena (Porrige Day) -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (date unconfirmed, some sites suggest it's always on a Sunday before Feb. 23 instead)


Create-A-Vacuum Day -- an internet generated celebration of the nothingness of vacuums


General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day -- Poland (birth anniversary)


Homemade Soup Day


Independence Day -- Sri Lanka


King Frost Day -- London (Celebrated yearly until WWI, in remembrance of the frozen River Thames on this day in 1814.)


Liberation Day -- Angola


National Girls and Women in Sports Day -- US      


National Stuffed Mushroom Day


Quacker Day -- for those who love Quacker Factory clothes


Spoiled Cats' Day -- internet generated, and isn't this every day?


St. Andrew Corsini's Day (Patron of Carmelites; against civil disorder and riots)


St. John de Brito's Day (Patron of Portugal; Sivagangai, India)


Thank A Mailperson/Postal Worker Day -- because someone decided it would be a good day to do that, and put it on the internet


USO Day -- US (founded this date in 1941)


World Cancer Day -- International   



Anniversaries Today:


United Service Organizations (USO) founded, 1941

The University of Wisconsin is established, with one classroom and 20 students, 1849



Birthdays Today:


Natalie Imbruglia, 1975

Oscar De La Hoya, 1973

Gabrielle Anwar, 1971

Michael Goorjian, 1971

Rod Corddry, 1971

Clint Black, 1962

Lawrence Taylor, 1959

Lisa Eichhorn, 1952

Alice Cooper, 1948

Dan Quayle, 1947

George A. Romero, 1940

John Schuck, 1940

David Brenner, 1936

Gary Conway, 1936

Betty Friedan, 1921

Ida Lupino, 1918

Rosa Parks, 1913

Clyde W. Tombaugh, 1906

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906

Charles Lindbergh, 1902

Tadeusz Kosciuszko, 1746



Debuting/Premiering Today:


Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"(Album), 1977



Today in History:


The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta, 211

The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries, 960

Maximilian I assumes the title Holy Roman Emperor without being crowned, 1508

Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for the first time near Prague 1600

In Edo (now Tokyo), The 47 Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after avenging the death of their master, 1703

The worst earthquake in 8 years in Calabria, Italy, leaves 50,000 dead, 1783

The first Anglican bishops of New York and Pennsylvania are consecrated in London, 1787

George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College, 1789

The French National Convention proclaims the abolishment of slavery, 1794

An earthquake in Quito, Ecuador, kills 41,000, 1797

J.W. Goodrich introduces his rubber galoshes to the public, 1824

The Mormons of Nauvoo, Missouri, leave to go west, eventually settling in Utah, 1846

The Codex Sinaiticus is found at the Greek Monastery of Mount Sinai, 1859

The first rolling lift bridge opens, in Chicago, 1895

The first Winter Olympics games close at Chamonix, France, 1924

The first tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks open, in New Orleans, 1930

Radium E is the first radioactive substance to be produced synthetically, 1936

The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops, 1941

Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft, 1967

After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections, 1997

Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg, 2004

The Federal Court of Australia's ruling in Roadshow Films v iiNet sets a precedent that Internet service providers (ISPs) are not responsible for what their users do with the services the ISPs provide them, 2010

The remains found the previous year in a dig at Leicester are confirmed to be those of King Richard III of England, 2013

Morocco's Mohammed VI switches on the world's largest solar plant near Ouarzazate, 2016

Denmark approves plans for world's first energy island in the North Sea to provide power to 3 million Europeans, 2021

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, whose crackdown on violent crime has taken El Salvador from being one of the most dangerous countries in Central America to one of the safest, wins re-election in a landslide, 2024

Zara Lachlan becomes the first woman and youngest person to slow row from Europe to South America, covering 3,600 nautical miles in 97 days, 2025