Car done, truck to go

12/20/07 Thursday
This morning we went and picked up Cherie’s car. It cost $202.00. I am a little puzzled about it. They (Danny’s Automotive) replaced the spark plug wires and spark plugs. I had done this two and a half months ago when the rat chewed through her wires. Just went back in this journal and it was September 21 I did that. The wires cost me fifty dollars then but he charged us $98.00. I’ll have Cherie look up the receipt to see if I replaced the spark plugs as well cause I don’t remember and it doesn’t say on the journal. I just know that those wires don’t go bad in three months. He didn’t say anything about more rat damage. What he said is that one leaked and the leak etched the side of the spark plug. I don’t know anything that would etch the ceramic side of a spark plug. We took the car there because that’s where Steve and Janie go. When I told Danny Janie recommended him he asked if we worked for her. He looked kind of bothered when I told him we live on a disability check and they help us out a lot. Perhaps he thought we had lots of money or something. I don’t know. When I told him I had just replaced the wires was when he came up with the etching thing.

On the way to get Cherie’s car the noise I’ve been hearing the last few days got worse. I am pretty sure it’s the u-joint because I’ve dealt with that many times in my life. But today it got real bad fast. Didn’t feel the vibration that often comes before it really lets go but it’s escalating fast so won’t be long. Hey, the truck’s got 170,000 miles on it so it’s due. I told Cherie not to follow me too close in case it let go. Now it’s the truck’s turn to be grounded.

Unfortunately the Sear’s two ton jack I had in Toledo died when I was rebuilding the trailer there. I just mentioned to Cherie the other day that without a jack I have no way of even changing a tire on the truck. So now I need one. I decided to go to Harbor Freight in Odessa because they have some of the best prices on tools you can find. “Cool” I said to myself when I saw the three ton one on sale for $56.00. Unfortunately they were sold out and refused to sell the display. “Nuts”.

So it’s off to Walfart. They have a nice one but it was set on a shelf about head level. There is no way that I am going to attempt to pull this hundred pound box off by myself. There was a day it wouldn’t have bothered me but with all the broken neck and back bones I’ve had it wouldn’t be wise. I had a clerk call for help and it never arrived. I stopped a manager type as he headed for the employee only area and he helped, kind of. He dropped it but fortunately missed himself and me, though he did wipe out something on a lower shelf. With it in my cart I hit the check out. It cost twenty bucks more than Harbor Freight but I need it and it looks pretty sturdy. Of course it’s made in China but so was the Harbor Freight one. I asked the lady at the cash register for help loading the jack into the trunk of the car. She got one of the door greeters who looks like he’s eighty years old. “It’s real heavy” I warned but it didn’t do any good. It wasn’t far from the cart to the trunk but came close to being a bad experience. He dropped it and my hand was underneath but I didn’t get hurt cause it only slid back into the cart. We got it in and I got home. My back is pretty painful now from my unloading it at home but it wasn’t hard because I just slid it out and dropped it to the ground where I assembled it. It’s on wheels so is fairly easy to move now.

Next chore for me now is to replace the U-joints. Hopefully that is the problem.