"If you're afraid of being lonely don't try to be right." - Jules Renard

from friend, Sherry

It was a Wagner kind of afternoon.

Today I learned that the Dodge truck's ignition switch is worn.

The way it's supposed to work: Put the key in, turn it one notch to "on" and then the second notch to "start." Once the engine is running release pressure and allow the key to return to the "on" position. When you're ready to turn the vehicle off turn the key counter-clockwise to its "off" position and remove the key.
If you want to sit in the vehicle for the two hours that your wife is in Target or ______ put the key in the ignition (if it's not already there) and turn it one more notch counter-clockwise to "accessory." Note: you cannot remove the key from this "accessory" position, but must return it to "off" to remove.

Unless you're driving an '04 Dodge Ram pickup truck. In that case it seems you can turn it to any spot your little heart desires and remove the key. So, for example, you can turn it from "on" toward "off," but stop just short of that, and remove the key. In that case circuits are still open and juice is still flowing. So that when you come out in the morning to go to CHURCH the battery will be stone dead.

This might not be a huge problem unless you happen to be, say, the PASTOR of that church.
Oh, and your wife's car, parked to your right, has the battery on the right side of the engine compartment while your battery is on the left side of the engine compartment, far enough away so that no set of jumper cables ever made on planet earth will reach from one to the other.

Understand that at this point I had no idea why the battery was dead. I didn't figure out the key issue until I got home and hooked up the charger, and for no particular reason put the key in the ignition and turned it to the right and then back to the left. "Wait. It shouldn't go that far...."

Yeah, it was a Wagner afternoon.

Oh, and the check engine light that was on yesterday was off this afternoon. Have no idea what's behind that. Or the transmission that wouldn't shift into third for the first five minutes but was just fine after that.
I've got some "sorting" to do.
That said, I like the truck - the way it drives (when it drives), its size, shape, and color, that it's almost devoid of bells & whistles....

I worked on the other truck today, too. Got the left vent cable attached, the parking brake handle hooked up and the seats in. That last one makes a huge difference, makes it seem more like a real, legit truck. I'm very happy with the way it looks.

Super Bowl Sunday is about two weeks long. And because the stadium is about eight miles down the freeway from our house we see all the extra things that come with that three hour game. The stadium parking lot is filled with HUGE temporary structures housing opportunities for fans to have a "Super Bowl experience" (all at a significant fee), and all manner of businesses have staked out areas in the now-empty cotton fields to cash in on the hoopla. On the drive in to church this morning (Pam's Kia) I noticed a group of hot air balloons providing rides for tourists.
They're all inflated to 11.5 psi.

I'm enjoying the Australian Open. Just wish it wasn't on in the middle of the night.

I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I have some things I must get done, but somewhere in there I need a mental respite. The question, what will provide that?
BACON