Last week while I was at Dad's, he wanted Mom and I to drop the pickup off to be repaired. He hit a deer on July 3rd and while the grill was damaged pretty good, the bumper was only slightly bent. There was no other body damage.
However - as we prepared to leave, the truck wouldn't start. No click, no slow turn - nada. Dad taught me a lot about cars. This would be easy. The truck had been sitting for weeks - at least since before he went to Phoenix for treatments. The battery was dead.
I popped the hood. Sure enough, the battery was corroded, the negative cable was smashed and coming through the insulation. I tried to jump it, but nothing. The battery was more than dead.
I ran to the hardware store (Linton's Big R) and picked up a new battery. $71 with tax.
Nada.
It had to be the negative cable - probably shorting out. I took it off and headed the auto parts store - I needed weather stripping and Big R didn't have what I wanted. $15.
Nada.
The positive cable was trashed as well, but this time I got smart and bypassed the cable jumping directly to the solenoid. It didn't work either. The solenoid was shot. Back to the auto parts store. Cable $9. Solenoid $19. I have now spent $114.
Nada.
Call the towing company and billed the insurance. We towed it to the dealership and told them what I had tried. On Friday after Thanksgiving they called and said it was fixed.
It needed a new battery and battery cables - total with labor - $168. "What? I already replaced those!" "Oh yeah," said the dealership, "the ones you replaced were for the trailer towing package back to the camper - not the starter. It is on the other side of the engine compartment."
Sorry Dad - a new battery costs 71 bucks - but this truck is gonna be like new since I spent nearly $300!
- Craig
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While waiting for the Packer/Cowboys game tonight, I remembered a PHS football anecdote Duane might enjoy. Ag instructor Fay Thompson was also an assistant football coach. Al Meyers was the owner, announcer, chief engineer, janitor, etc. at KPOW. Al had a brainstorm one Thursday. He would hire Fay to be the football announcer.
Things started out okay. Fay would get somewhat excited, but not out of broadcast standards. Not that the FCC was monitoring little old KPOW, but still there rules. Late in the second quarter things were not going well for Powell. The other team scored on a run through our line. Fay slipped in a "Dammit!" or something like that. He began coaching from the mike. Then, in the third quarter, Powell on defense, Fay saw the other team lining up on third and short and obviously for an off-tackle run, right through Harold Miller's position. As the teams lined up, Fay shouted "Miller! Get your ass down!" Al Meyer took back the football announcing after that game.
But Al was no verbal virgin. Announcing a basketball game against Thermop, he came undone. Thermop had a short but fast team, so they wove and passed until someone had a good chance to drive to the basket. No tall boys to rebound, so every possession had to count. And there was no shot clock. The Thermop first string was Radovich (remember Moe?), Todorovich, Chinkovich, Mihailovich, and Jelenek, if I remember correctly.
Poor Al "It's Todorovich off to Chinkovich, Chinkovich into Radovich, Radovich drives, Smith blocks the drive, Radovich out to Mihailovich, etc., etc., etc., until in the third quarter Al, frustrated and tongue twisted, said, Sonofavich, I don't know who has the ball."
Al's office, and "studio" was in a room over our hardware store. Wasn't his antenna in one of Edmond's fields? Anyway, KPOW was broadcasting a war bond drive with local talent. He asked me to sing the Spike Jones classic "Der Fuhrer's Face. Raised about a hundred dollars in pledges. Then he announced "and now, we are taking pledges for little Jimmy Elder NOT to sing "Der Fuhrer's Face" again. That raised over $150! So much for my WW2 war effort.
Jim
Spike Jones & His City Slickers
Note: Each "heil heil" is accompanied by what is variously
called "the bird", "the raspberry", or "the Bronx cheer"
CHORUS
When der fuehrer says we is de master race
We heil heil right in der fueher's face
Not to love der fuehrer is a great disgrace
So we heil heil right in der fuehrer's face
When Herr Goebbels says we own the world and space
We heil heil right in Herr Goebbels' face
When Herr Goring says they'll never bomb dis place
We heil heil right in Herr Goring's face
Are we not he supermen Aryan pure supermen
Ja we are the supermen (super duper supermen)
Is this Nutsy land so good
Would you leave it if you could
Ja this Nutsy land is good
We would leave it if we could
We bring the world to order
Heil Hitler's world to order
Everyone of foreign race
Will love der fuehrer's face
When we bring to the world dis order
CHORUS
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