2/10/2019
Some weekends are not as good as you wished. We just had one of those. It seemed like a good start, going to Chattanooga to visit a friend in a convalescing state and dinner with some friends. We started home and about 45 miles away from our destination, the battery light began to blink and intermittently continued for several miles. Then, getting more steadily staying on meant to me we were losing power and soon we would be beside the road.
But, as we got closer it looked like we might make it to where our truck was parked. As we left the interstate at an exit close to the truck, the car died and had no power to start again, sitting smack in the middle of the exit lane at the stop sign. I called AAA, they were gathering my information while I was waving more exiting cars away from our car. Then, a young man stopped and began to try to help me, all the while me telling him I was calling AAA. He kept insisting, thank the Lord, and from what he checked he said if the battery would receive power, he could follow me to where we needed to go and leave it. He put jumpers on and in a few minutes, it had a battery powerful enough to start the engine, and a few more minutes with a policeman showing up to stop traffic we got the car out of that lane and a mile around the curve to where our truck was parked. Barb jumped out, got in the truck, and followed me in the car and the young man in his truck down the street about 10 blocks to the garage I wanted to leave it at.
I thanked the young man, all he would take, and we drove home, frustrated and tired, but safe and sound, we thought.
A friend had parked next to our truck on Friday and had called to tell me the right rear tire had a nail in it, but it was still full of air. The tire sensor had already been telling me the left front was low, but just a bit. However, knowing we were not going to have the car to drive to Chattanooga on Sunday morning, and I had told some friends I would be at church, on Saturday morning I took the truck to get the two tires fixed. My tire place of choice and who had put the tires on the truck when new, was very busy, making me have about a 3 hour wait. But, they said they rotated the tires and fixed both tires with the problems.
So, this morning, off we go to Chattanooga in a heavy rain. Just after passing the Trenton, GA, exit, the left rear tire blew (formerly the left front that was low and supposedly repaired.) I pulled off the pavement and proceeded to call AAA. The first person I talked to was in Texas someplace and she transferred me to a “Georgia operator” to speed up my service! What a joke that turned into! After a rather long wait, the GA rep, wanted to know my exact location. I told her “on I-59, about two miles north of Trenton, GA” and that the Trenton Exit number was 11. Somehow, that seemed to confuse her. She asked me if I was in Alabama or Georgia. (??)
I told her again, I was in Georgia on I-59. She told me “I-59 is a long road!” But, I said, not in Georgia. and told her again where we were. She then, put me in a holding state and came back after several minutes and said the Tow Truck would be there in an hour!!! I said OK, and we waited. We were good humored about it, and thanked the Lord for the safe stop and warm truck to wait in. In just over an hour, the tow truck driver called to ask where we were. I explained it to him and he said, with a groan, “Oh, I think I’m about 12 minutes away, sorry.” He came after about 25 minutes and it wasn’t a tow truck, it was a “light” service truck (a pickup) and he was very apologetic. He showed me where the instructions told him to go and it was no wonder he was late. (That poor lady still doesn’t know where we were. She sent him off I-59 and onto Hwy 11–I shouldn’t have given her the Exit number!)
But, he did have the wherewithal to get the spare on and we arrived back in our town at noon. We didn’t get to Chattanooga nor go to church, but we made it home safely. What a weekend! Now, to get both vehicles back into road worthy condition, if possible, tomorrow.
Incidentally, the SIMH this morning was “Some Day Soon”—by several artists, all women, talking about some day soon running away with a rodeo cowboy: in my head (SM/LOL.) But it reminded me of berea’s song by the same name, partly written by me with filler words by Scott Mitchell. I enjoyed remembering that one and glad I was a part of it.
Looking forward to a great week, and to forgetting the frustrating moments of this weekend! Hope you have a dandy, as well.
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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