Spring drive

[TC Chris]

As I was pedaling home after work, it was obvious that the roads were perfectly dry with not even pools of melting snowbanks. It was 47 degrees out. Why not roll out the Mustang for a drive? So I rolled the Magnavox and the Evinrude out of the way, hoisted the hood and removed the battery maintainer, and it started right up. Off we went. I headed up M-22 along the west shore of the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay. There was Lake Michigan, right next to me, glass-smooth in the evening sunlight. What a pretty evening. It reminded me of my good fortune to live in such a cool place. There's a specific memory of driving north along the same road shortly after I had moved here, almost 30 years ago, coming from the place in Michigan that's about as far from a Great Lake as you can get, and realizing that Lake Michigan was just a few feet from me, and now I lived here.

The round trip was about 25 miles, most of it as around 60 mph, just a good way to get things stirred up and dried out. The car ran flawlessly. Then I came home and started the truck to go recycling and buy groceries. It takes a few seconds to adjust the muscle memory to a different clutch each time do that.

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

It looked like this thread was going to be about wind up vehicles...

[walyfd]

I'm jealous... weather's been crap here since New Year's.

[electra225]

We are going to take a spring drive to a little local car show in the morning, if I feel better. I've been battling "the crud" the last couple of days. This show is at a housing development and they figure old cars are a good way to snare some suckers into buying a new house. Entry is free and they will furnish free food to folks who enter their cars. It is really close and only lasts three hours. Instead of trophies, they will give you gift certificates to your favorite retail haunt. I don't know how many cars they will have, but the parking lot where the show will be held only holds about 50 cars. The lot will be full. Car shows around here are as attractive as the buffet at restaurants.

[19&41]

Michigan Is a particularly nice state to travel in. When I worked for a scale repair and calibration company in Plainwell, I guess the dispatcher didn't like me much and she would send me on jobs crisscrossing the western 2/3 of the state. I could rest my aching back and take in the scenery as I went from job to job. One day I was sent to the Cook nuclear plant, then to a business in Adrian, then to Hillsdale, then to Howe, Indiana. I spent so much time on the roads, I didn't do many jobs each day. Then on the weekend, I'd visit my mother. What did she want to do? go on a long drive. I'd say great, you drive.

[TC Chris]

It looked like this thread was going to be about wind up vehicles...

I just noticed that too--thought of Victor or Edison, not a Ford. Should have said "spring driving."

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Well, my "spring driving" just hit a brick wall. The crud is winning, I feel awful. I am going in to take the hottest bath I can stand, take my crud medication, take 800 mg of Ibuprofen and pray I don't die before morning. Then I'm going to hit the rack to get some kip. They can have their car show without me tomorrow. I hate to miss it, but I need to be able to go to work on Sunday.....

[TC Chris]

Do a Covid test? I ended up with it and after two positive tests made a call to my doc for Paxlovid. I qualified because I was old and my colitis medication made me more vulnerable. With the Paxlovid, the experience was like a bad cold for three days. No complications.

Chris Campbell

[walyfd]

Definitely get checked. I had a flu around Christmas and still fighting a cough... so much I just went for a CT scan.

These new diseases are murder. Age doesn't help.

Guy Lombardo did a recording: "Some Little Bug Is Gonna Find You" https://m.soundcloud.com/junkyard-palac ... -his-royal

[electra225]

No to Covid. Just the crud. I haven't had it in almost four years. I used to get it once a year in Missouri. I think it starts out as allergies, but nobody has confirmed that. I believe this episode was started when I used contact cement on the Tolex on the GE stereo without adequate ventilation. I should know better. I'll have to use it outside to finish the cabinet. With a mask. Lacquer thinner, acetone, all that stuff with strong fumes can cause the crud. The fumes irritate my throat, it dries out, gets infected, then I have "the crud". I'll leave my colorful description for another day.....

[TC Chris]

Hopped on the bike for a trip downtown to the movies today (2024 Oscar nominated short documentaries, a very interesting group). On the way I passed another guy who had backed his Mustang out for some exercise on a sunny, dry day in mid-winter. We have two seasons here--Mustang and Subaru. This is technically Subaru season still.

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

I took the new er truck out for my errands today and took it through the car wash. Got some vegetables to boil up with some stew meat for my supper at work and a nice acorn squash and some sweet potatoes to make up in the microwave and Saturday night's artichokes.