The Case of the Capricious Cruise Control

I've been putting in very long hours since Monday before last, getting a spreadsheet ready for a meeting about Spiral Light Candle, my son-in-law's company. I'd been getting maybe five or six hours of sleep for ten days, then drove up to North Dakota for a meeting.

That was time well spent: I slept over at #2 daughter's and son-in-law's place, got some work done. And some 'just visiting,' too. I got back to Sauk Centre yesterday evening.

Today, the lack of sleep with a longish trip to top it off caught up with me. I may be getting a cold, and might not be feeling well - if I had enough energy to notice such things.

A few 'normal' days, with exercise and adequate sleep, should help. A lot. I'm looking forward to that.

Routine Checkup, Normally Non-Routine Blood Test

I had rescheduled a checkup earlier, to get more time for working on that spreadsheet. I figured that I'd have time Tuesday morning for the checkup, and be able to get off after eating lunch. I was right, but the checkup included a blood test: and that went as smoothly as such things normally do for me.

I'm a cooperative patient, clenching my fist and holding still on cue. It's my veins that won't play along. I don't think they actually dodge away from the needles: but the effect is similar. They collapse easily when pricked, too. Frustrating, for everyone involved.

But the second set of attempts was successful, and I was ready for a nice, normal drive up to North Dakota.

Not-Entirely-Uneventful Trip

The trip up to North Dakota should have been routine. I'm on the Interstates all the way from Sauk Centre to the Hillsboro, North Dakota, exit, and have been driving the route for decades.

Expired Credit Card

I got off a few minutes later that I'd expected to, but still had plenty of time to fill the van's tank before setting off. That's when I tried to use an expired credit card. Not intentionally. I'd just forgotten to swap out the old one in my wallet.

That's one thing about living in a small town, and having regular habits. Folks at the convenience store where I get gas know me, know where I live, and were comfortable with letting me drive off to get the right card. Quite aside from a reputation for trustworthiness, there's a practical factor: If I had decided to skip paying for the gas, what would I do after that? Those folks know me.

Like I've said before: I love it here.

So, after burning time with an eminently-avoidable return home, which included hearing my wife say "WHAT?!!" when I explained that I had used an expired card - a perfectly reasonable reaction on her part, under the circumstances - I finally paid for the gas and headed out for North Dakota.

Seemingly-Malevolent Hardware

By the time I reached Fargo, North Dakota, the van's cruise control had tried to kill me. Twice. Putting it less dramatically, I discovered that the cruise control gets stuck when more power is needed: like when climbing one of the steeper hills.

The first time was a surprise, when I noticed that the engine was still revved up and the speedometer was passing 80 miles an hour: but shutting the cruise control off restored normal operation. I used cruise control again: partly for convenience, partly to see if it malfunctioned again, under similar circumstances.

Which it did.

Using a defective cruise control wasn't as daft as it may seem. I'd been able to turn it off with no problem, and knew what to be aware of the second time. A worse-case scenario, where the cruise control wouldn't shut off, would have meant shutting off the engine entirely and coasting to a stop on the shoulder: annoying, frustrating, and requiring an explanation later, but very far from lethal.

Blood Test Results: It Could Be Worse

Late this afternoon, I heard from the clinic. The blood test results were back. My blood sugar levels are okay, but one of the prescriptions wasn't playing well with my kidneys: so I was told to stop taking that and come back in a month. Hey, at my age: it could be worse.

It's late: time to quit.

Good night, and may God bless

Sort-of-related posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Candles, Reports, Meetings, and a Busy Lemming"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 7, 2011)
• "Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions "
  Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind (December 3, 2011)
• "Candles, a Spreadsheet, and a Really Long Week"
  (December 5, 2011)
• "Sunday in Steubenville, Ohio"
  (August 7, 2011)
• "Trade Show Trip: Everything's Ready (I Think)"
  (July 29, 2011)

Sunday in Steubenville, Ohio

Yesterday, about 6:00 p.m., we stopped at a toll booth in Pennsylvania, a bit short of Pittsburgh. At that point, the alternator failed. Quickly and thoroughly.

We spent most of Saturday evening on an Interstate shoulder, got towed to a Pep Boys parking lot in Monroeville, and settled in for the night.

By about noon today the alternator was fixed, the RV's battery charged, and my son-in-law had found Denny's Tire Service, a business east, more or less, from Monroeville, Denny was the fellow who could swap out the RV's front tires. It cost quite a lot - and that's another topic.

I got to see some of the scenery we'd passed twice, going back past Monroeville, through Pittsburgh, and then down to Steubenville, Ohio. I think I got some photos - but I'm going to wait until I'm back home in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, before I take a close look at them.

It's after sunset now, I've washed some of the dishes in the RV, and have two of the more recalcitrant pans soaking. My son-in-law and #2 daughter are enjoying a movie here in Steubenville - and I'm getting caught up on posts.

More about the trade show and me:

• "Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show"
  Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind

Related posts:

• "Bad News: Or, Rather, Good News"
  (August 6, 2011)

Bad News: Or, Rather, Good News

I'm on my way back from that trade show, where I helped #2 daughter and my son-in-law. Mostly by babysitting a video system, and minding Spiral Light Candle Corporation's booth.

Or, rather, I'm sitting in their RV, in a Pep Boy's parking lot.

The explanation is a sort of bad news/good news thing.

First, the Bad News

At a toll road gate, the RV's alternator failed. Abruptly and completely. My son-in-law used - the emergency starter, I think - to coax another thousand feet of progress out of the RV. Which got us past the toll booths and to a spot where a tow truck would have a chance of picking us up.

It was about 6:00 Saturday evening. Not every towing service has a truck that'll haul a 33-foot RV. Not around Pittsburgh, anyway. In central Minnesota and North Dakota, we need to drag farm implements and semitrailers out of mud now and again - and that's another topic.

My son-in-law found a company that had a couple of tow trucks that could handle us. Both needed to be towed, themselves. Looks like they were having a worse day than we were.

We got towed, after several phone calls and several hours.

Now, the Good News

Turns out, one of the RV's front tires was ready to fail. The other wasn't good for too many more miles, either. If we'd followed plans, #2 daughter would have been driving when one or two of the front tires blew.

These days, we call that sort of thing 'being lucky.'

More about the trade show and me:

• "Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show"
  Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind

Off the Road

#1 daughter is okay. She called us from the ditch of the Interstate, between Osakis and Alexandria. After calling the State Patrol, and getting a wrecker sent her way.

She'd been staying with us over Thanksgiving weekend. The original idea was that she'd go home Sunday evening. A job came her way, designing a flier, so she extended her visit. The job needed a fairly powerful computer: and my son had what she needed.

I was glad to have her company an extra day.

This afternoon, after getting the final revision done & approved, she packed up and set off for Alexandria. That wasn't as daft as it might seem: snow was letting up here, there was no wind to speak of. And the Weather Service has been known to exaggerate - or miscalculate - a storm's severity.

The Interstate was fine - until around Osakis.

She had company - she and the wrecker passed a few other cars that had gone off the road, too.

She's okay: That's the big thing. So is Twitches, the cat she lives with, who was riding with her.

About 100 Miles of Errands

The family's van is back. The overheating I mentioned last week (November 20, 2010) was due to a leaky water pump.

We've got a new one now. That, plus a change of oil & filter, and a quick once-over, should take care of the van's maintenance needs for a while.

Famous last words?

I spent the afternoon on the road - going to St. Cloud to get a copy of my son's birth certificate - so that he can get a photo ID - and then stopping in at Melrose on the way back to pick up medications.

I'm looking forward to staying inside tomorrow: the forecast involves sleet, freezing rain - and a winter weather advisory.

Overheated Van, Common-Sense Advice

Yesterday afternoon didn't go quite as-planned.

I thought I was going to drive to St. Cloud, get a copy of my son's birth certificate so that he could get a photo-ID - which in turn would make it possible for him to get tested on a computer maintenance course he's taken - and pick up medications for me.

That was the plan.

I was a few miles out from Sauk Centre when I heard a 'beep' from the dashboard. Never a good sign. The oil warning light was on, and the gauge was climbing to the top of its range.

Several miles later, after coasting in neutral, accelerating to highway speed and repeating the cycle on the shoulder - hazard flashers on, of course - I made it up the Melrose exit, about ten miles from Sauk Centre.

I'd figured how long it would take me to get to St. Cloud at that rate - and the Stearns County offices would have been closed by then.

I called home (sensible act) and told my wife what had happened. I then opined (not-so-sensible thing) that I could get the van back, the same way I got it to Melrose.

I then felt very 'married,' when my wife told me in even, deliberate tones: "Call - Flowers." So I called Flowers Collision service here in town - and eventually got a tow back to Sauk Centre.

I still think I could have coaxed the van back into town - but asking for help was a lot more sensible.

No wonder I've heard that men live, on average, ten years longer if they're married.

Two Van Lights, My Son, and My Father

I drove the van to the north side of Sauk Centre this afternoon, to get a new headlight and brake light put in. While I was up there, I took a look around - there may be new construction at the baseball diamond up there. Either that, or I don't remember what the place is like. Which isn't all that unlikely.

I've been a bit distracted lately.

My son and I, as usual, read Garfield - today's strip and three weeks' of strips - online, and sang a song my father sang to me: or something rather like it. That's a pleasant routine. The two of us have been reading the daily and Sunday strips of the Garfield website: three weeks (or so) a night. By now we're back to 1991.

I'd write more about what's been going on: but as I said, I've been a bit distracted.

Or fuzzy, at any rate. I knew my father's death was coming - and inevitable. I've wept, now and again, but was a bit concerned at the apparent lack of intense emotion I'd been experiencing. This morning, I had a rather satisfactory bout of grief. Not that I enjoyed it, but at least I can assume that it's not building up pressure, until I have a sort of emotional Mount St. Helens eruption.

And, on that cheerful (?) note, I bid you goodnight.

Thursday: 'New' Van, Valentine's Day Approaches

I drove my son to school today. He was carrying a motorized contraption he'd built, that took Valentine's Day cards and dumped them in a sack. His class had its Valentine's Day party today. I understand it worked fairly well: although it did fling a few cards back.

My wife and I (and #3 daughter) bought a 'new' mini-van this afternoon. It's a 2002 Dodge, with about 187,000 miles on it. It's in good working order, and I think we got a pretty good price for it.

It's good to have a working van again.

Still no results from #3 daughter's CAT scan.

This morning, I met with the psychiatrist who prescribed venlafaxine. He's increasing the prescription, for now. The stuff's expensive, but major depression is, well, depressing. Good news on the financial aspect of the prescription: there seems to be a generic equivalent to the brand-name Effexor coming soon. Financially speaking, that's a relief.

My wife, #3 daughter, and my son went to Soo Bahk Do this evening. The ladies were mostly observers, again, but #3 daughter participated a little: Demonstrating how, if someone is trying to drag you off - and succeeding - you should yell for help.

Very practical, in some ways: Soo Bahk Do.

It's late, I need sleep. Tomorrow's work will have to wait until tomorrow.

'It Could Be Worse'

#1 daughter took a few photos for me, of the van: including this one.



The damage doesn't look all that bad, until you realize that the front of the van used to be a little ahead of where the hood ends now.

Under the circumstances, I'm glad we got out of this with just a broken wrist and a couple of 'sprained bodies.' As I wrote earlier, my wife's even able to climb stairs now.

I've still got some work to do, and it's getting (has gotten) late. Goodnight.

Ambulance Chasers?

We got a rather impressive envelope Friday. It was from a law firm somewhere in Minnesota, with one of those folders inside to hold a sheaf of papers - one of them had photos of the distinguished attorneys. And, a cover letter that said they'd be happy to sue somebody for us.

Actually, what it was more like "make sure ... that our clients receive fair compensation for all their losses."

When I was growing up, an "ambulance chaser" was a lawyer or detective who, seeing an ambulance go by with the siren on, would chase it and try to get at whoever had been hurt. At that time, "ambulance chasers" didn't enjoy a very high status.

Judging from the quality of the mailing, this outfit must be making a pretty good profit: it takes money to assemble and send a package like that: Back when I was involved in direct mail advertising ("junk mail," if it isn't done right), I think it'd take a few dollars just for the package: plus the $2.02 for postage. . From a technical point of view, the whole thing was quite well done.

"Ambulance Chaser?" Maybe Not

I don't expect any trouble as we deal with the insurance companies, towing services, hospital, and law enforcement. The paperwork is going to be a little complicated - I looked up township names for the Osakis area while writing this post - but we'll get it done, and we've had a pretty good track record with this general sort of thing.

But, I know that sometimes a business, individual, or institution has to be encouraged to follow the rules. That's where lawyers and the court system come in. So, I've decided to see that law firm's promptly mailing that offer as a sort of public service.

Which we won't, I think, need. Or want.

Lots of Good Folks Around Here

And everywhere, I suspect.

A case in point: My wife told me that after the collision on Wednesday, she and #3 daughter stayed in the van. Pretty good idea, I think, considering the way she felt - particularly the way her neck felt.

Highway 127 gets used pretty often, so people noticed the accident, stopped, and asked if they could help. The driver and passenger of the other vehicle, thank God, were out and walking around quite shortly after the collision.

Meanwhile, my wife decided that, since she didn't have much to do except sit and wait, and considering how she and our daughter felt, it would be a good time to pray.

So, she was saying "Jesus please help us" over and over when a man came up to see if they needed assistance. He told her that there was a picture of Jesus in the back, and asked if it my wife would like to look at it. She answered in the affirmative - and he set it in front of her. If it's the one I think it is, I think the postcard-size picture used to be in the front.

My wife says she really appreciated that.

When #1 daughter picked up groceries yesterday, people there asked how we were, my father-in-law has been asked, too. The accident got on the Alexandria television news (maybe elsewhere, too), and in Alexandria's Echo Press.

The article got one detail switched around: my wife was driving, not #3 daughter. When #3 daughter found out, she was a bit peeved and said something like, 'the first accident I've been in, and they say I was driving?!'

Wednesday: Another Day, and a Traffic Accident

My wife and #3 daughter were in Osakis, for a guitar lesson. From the time I got the call, my guess is that they were on their way home when another vehicle hit the van.

The highway patrol called, with the news, and let me know that the ladies were on their way to the hospital in Alexandria. And, naturally enough, assumed that I'd be driving up to see them.

One little detail: My wife's car, and #3 daughter's are currently a sort of lawn sculpture south of the driveway, with a medium snow cover over them. I think that the ladies have the keys with them: and in any event, the two cars have to be pried apart before either is driven. Nothing serious, but the side of one is pressed rather firmly into the side of the other.

My wife has a plan for getting them apart, and I think I know what it is - but it'll require that we have one or both sets of keys here.

One more thing: they've been sitting there so long, that I'm not at all convinced that either of them will run. Those batteries could be drained by now.

Good news: it doesn't look like either of their injuries are particularly serious. But, they're still being checked out

Now, to see what I can do about feeding myself.

Tuesday: We're Getting a "New" Van

Yesterday, after picking up some groceries, my wife told me that we were getting a new van. What she actually said was, "we're getting a new car," but since "car" is used as a term for any vehicle that isn't a truck, and since she had been driving the van, I knew what she meant.

Where was I?

Right. We're getting a new car. Van, actually. In fact, I doubt that it'll be new: 'previously owned' vehicles work just as well, as a rule, don't cost as much, and generally have the same maintenance costs as new ones.

I'll be starting to take a look around (online) later today, to see what sort of thing is available in our area, and get an idea of what prices are like. We'll probably have to spend more than the $500 or so that #3 daughter's car cost, but I don't want to be a spendthrift, either.

My son's making a contraption in the living room - but that's a topic for another post.

Wednesday: the Forgetful Case of the Missing Supplies

#2 daughter's college graduation ceremony is coming soon, and I must be more excited than I realized. A few minutes ago, I put water in the microwave, set the timer, and pushed the start button. Three times.

I had my elbows on the counter, face up to the microwave's control panel, studying the situation, when I realized that I'd left the door open. Of course, it wouldn't start!

I'm not the only one. My wife was going to pick up testing supplies for my blood sugar checker yesterday. At least, that was the plan. I hadn't been able to spot them. So, this morning, still unable to find the things, I called my father-in-law.

That actually makes sense. My wife and #3 daughter spend part of Wednesday afternoon over there, almost every week.

My wife couldn't remember where she put the supplies, so she asked #3 daughter. #3 daughter found them in "the black bag," a sort of carry-all that my wife takes with her most places.

Yep, we're definitely excited around here.

On top of the graduation, #2 daughter's boyfriend is here for a few days. Just in time to fix our cars. Well, one car and one van.

I think it was the cold weather that did it: #3 daughter's car battery had to be replaced, and the starter in the van gave out.