So it began with a phone call

2:35 p.m. Brr. Cold feet. Yesterday, in the early evening, Em gave me a call and asked for my help since her car had overheated. So I grabbed some supplies and headed up to see what I could do.

I am not a mechanic by any means. Anyone who knows me would agree, but I figured with the temperature dropping that I should go help if I could.

The original plan was to remove the thermostat from the coolant line since that has gone bad in the past and once it's removed it will still let the engine run without overheating - but other things might not work as well.

This involved my socket set and an elbow joint to get into a very tiny place. The wind was very cold and the chill in the air dropped quickly as the sun went behind the hills. It took a while but I finally got the bolt off and removed the thermostat. Putting it back on should not have been that big of an issue.

SHOULD...mind you.

I didn't have a long-handled screw driver to actually tap the mounting neck back onto the engine so it didn't want to sit right. When I thought I had it, I tried to screw down the bolt in hopes that it would pull things into place. It didn't exactly work. The elbow joint broke just as a huge gust of wind crawled up the small of my back and under my jacket. Well, without needle-nose pliers to pull out the broken socket or a new elbow joint, I had to call it for the evening and try again today with the sun up.

So, after a quick trip to Walmart to get a new elbow joint, I got it back together and followed Em on her way back home in case there was a problem. She got about 2 miles or so and then pulled over because of the temperature warning light. So we pulled over and let it cool down. The second leg took us into Ironton, but had to stop before crossing the bridge into Russel. The last leg got her parked in front of apartment and then I came home.

My toes are still cold.

This was not my idea for an adventure.

But, these things always seem to happen when it's half-dark and in the worst weather imaginable. Rarely have I ever heard of anyone breaking down during a nice, sunny day within 2 miles of a garage or parts store, six hours before they close. It must have something to do with the grand unified theory.

Buttered bread always lands butter-side down.

Cars always break down at 9:00 p.m. on a weekend night 20 miles from the nearest parts store during bad weather.

The moment you need to use your cellphone to call for help, there will be no signal.

Etc.

-T.