Jul 012024
 

Yesterday was quite a day.When I got into the car to go see Virgil, of course it started right up, but when I backed up and started to turn, the power steering was clearly dead. I decided not to call USAA, even though that’s already paid for through my insurance, because they are kind of a one-trick pony – if it doesn’t fit into the most common categories, they’ll only tow it. And if it turned out to be just brake fluid, I wanted to be able to see Virgil. Instead I called the guy who (you may or may not remember) I called on our anniversary who successfully jumped it, noticed there was a spill under my front end ad topped up the radiator, and noticed my tires were low and inflated them all. Well, it wasn’t the fluid, and it wasn’t any of the fuses,so he went under the car, and it turned out it was simple after all. I learned that under the car there are spindles around which the belts get rotated which send electric power to whatever needs it. there are more than one (I think he said three) and there are at least two belts on any one of them. It turns out the steering is on the same one as the air conditioner. The steering belt was in place, but the air conditioner one had gotten knocked off (which can happen if one hits a pothole or a bump) and without both belts, the spindle wasn’t turning right. He put the A/C belt back in place and that fixed the steering belt and therefore the steering. Trying to explain it to Virgil, I just said “Dude’s a wizard,” but actually he’s just a mechanic who is trained all around and therefore has a lot more know-how than the guys who just jump or change tires or bring gas or tow cars. And, yes, he charges, but he also gives veterans a discount. So I got there, almost 2 hours later than I had planned, but I was and am so happy to have gotten there. We weren’t able to play as much cribbage as usual but we did play some. The hands ranhed from dire through mediocre up to halfway decent. But we enjoyed it. Also – las night – my local radio station devoted is pretty new Broadway show to “1776”   For me that’s a hanky alert in a good way

On Friday, Marian Wright Edelmann posted a piece on the Sandy Hook survivors now graduating from high school. It’s a hanky alert. and I held it over the weekend to try to stay upbeat. But it deserves a read.

It’s anybody’s guess what SCROTUS is going to do with this when it gets there – and, in some form, it will. Personlly, I think if they ere truly the originalists they claim to be, they would decide, Sure, anyone can have a gun, aslong as it was made prior to 1800, or a replica of a gun made prior to 1800 with no updates. (‘m inclined to doubt whther any of the RW gun nuts can even load a musket.

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