One year ago today: July 9, 2023, grits, eggs, & coffee.
Five years ago today: July 9, 2019, 32 boxes wasn’t enough.
Nine years ago today: July 9, 2015, shifty police tactics.
Random years ago today: July 9, 2013, it’s neither clay nor cheap.
This is a day that gets remembered, it cost me $5,000. All is not lost, because my system absorbed the impact, so much of the money was spent on assets I had not planned on buying. The lesson here is I did not resort to credit over a triple-run of bad luck. I spent the morning fixing the last of the porch door, deciding to make the trip back in two days. That would include a trip down the Florida gulf coast. I made good time, checking in regularly. My planned stop was Valdosta, where I pulled off the freeway for gasoline.
Two motorists stopped but we could not move the van, it was seized internally. A police car pulled up, and lent a hand by calling a local tow company, and waited until Tonio arrived. We towed the van to the nearest Wal*Mart with an agreement to meet in the morning to find a repair shop. It was a restful snooze, the last I would have until Friday.
Downtown Walla Walla, WA
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The next 48 hours will be blogged out of chronological order, because it will be written on the fly. Thus, in case some of it doesn’t not make sense, here is a preview of the events written days later to keep things lined up over here.
The van gave out 241 miles from home. The transmissions, I found out, do have a differential which I thought were obsolete on front-wheel drives. The shop could not say what caused the break, since they had never seen one break. I must have the KIA curse. My thinking, and I had plenty of time to go over the situation, is simple. I know the only real thing wrong with that van is the transmission. I thus had to compare the cost of replacing the van with the cost of getting it home and repairing it.
Foremost is that I actually do put away $100 per month for vehicle repairs. I know I drive used cars. Hence, I have the first $1700 or $1800 put away. If I spend it getting the van home, the shock is minimal. But, I will have to shop for the repair, which means I will require another vehicle. I have a $3,000 budget for that, as I was hoping for a lot more out of the van, but you know, I may be able to get something for that small price. Florida is a used car gold mine.
Thus, over the next two days, I will arrange for a tow to Florida, park the van, buy and insure a second vehicle and use that, with an arrangement to possibly sell it to JZ at cost when this bad patch is over. There are other items besides this break-down that lead me to say this was all a triple-disaster. The Reb is still driving that Volvo and that cannot continue. When I add things up, I need to cobble together $6,000 to be sure of success here. I’ve just relearned a valuable lesson I first encountered when I was 21 years of age. In America, to get by effectively, you need a second vehicle.
I was soon to meet a number of helpful people, so I’ll mention the ones who went out of their way a lot. The teacher from Valdosta Elementary, the policeman who waited. The tow driver (Tonio) and his brother, the staff at the transmission shop. The lady trooper who gave us a lift 18 miles into town, the staff at Autozone, and strictly for moral support, the college babes that are all over Valdosta. No matter what you hear on the news, America is still a country of good people who are happy to help.
