Well this was a bouncing day.

First, the wife's call about the owls being mentioned on the radio. That was good.

A couple hours later, she calls about the Explorer. As I suspected, major bad. At least a blown head gasket ($1300). Possibly also cracked heads (another $800-900). Mechanic, who is second generation of this family of mechanics that we trust, recommends we consider a rebuilt engine instead of trying to fix the one we've got ($2400).

I should mention we don't have that kind of money. Will just have to be added onto the perpetual credit card debt. And whittled away again somehow.

After that news, needed something pleasant to happen, so the heelers and I went to check on the owls.

As we left, a neighbor came across the street and asked if the deer was still in our yard.

Not after the way the heelers went charging out. But now I know what got them so excited.

Could see one owlet on the same branch as before, sleeping in the sun. Add one good point to the day.

After lunch, wife calls back. Mechanic misspoke, or she misheard. Replacing with a rebuilt engine would be $3400. She is torn, considering going for just replacing the gasket, and heads if need be.

This is our primary means of conveyance. And we are in no financial situation to replace it in any foreseeable future.

Call mechanic. His biggest concern, besides the fact that this engine already has 150,000 miles on it, is that it ran hot for so long with antifreeze and water in the engine.

I remember my physics. Oil floats. Which means water sinks. Bottom part of an engine is.... the crankcase. So?

The bearings. They are nearing replacement age anyway. Even more so if they've been run hot without proper lube. If they go, just the labor alone will eat up more than we would save by just fixing the heads.

And the wife didn't mention... rebuilt engine comes with 3-yr/36,000 warrantee.

So, we will be out $3,400+ soon. And be Explorer-less for ~two weeks.

Not a good day.

I had an auction I was eagerly waiting on this afternoon. Something we do not need, but I did really want. How to justify that when we just lost so much $$?

Wife said it would be an early birthday present, and late Father's Day. Go for it.

Nice wife. Think I'll keep her.

Then I lost the auction. Made the winner pay twice what I originally considered my maximum, but still lost.

Chit.

This item was unique, not replaceable. And I so wanted it for this Fourth. And it would have been perfect with the cheaper auction I did win. Was quite bummed.

Still am.

This weekend wife was complaining and fretting about the lack of a report on several tests she had done last month, as well as a biopsy. Already getting the bills, but no results. So she called his office first thing this am.

Well, naturally Doc called her office when she was gone to lunch. So he called home a little after five o'clock. Naturally she is not home yet, since she had to walk from her office to youngest son's place of employment in order to steal his car to get home. And to the store.

So Doc gives me the results, with me scribbling on the newspaper as fast as I can. Apologizing for the delay (which he admits is his fault... wife gave him an article to read, and he set it on the desk. On top of the lab results. And there it sat until she called his office today.)

The good news? The biopsy on the skin growth they removed: benign. Not even pre-cancerous, but probably a good thing they took it off just the same.

Okay.

The bad news? Both CAT scan and MRI found a mass at the other site they were concerned about. Most likely benign, but should be biopsied. Not an emergency, but it shouldn't be put off. (Thanks, Doc. We'll remember the two or three weeks it spent on your desk.) Depending on location and difficulty of reaching, may be able to do a needle biopsy.

May require surgery.

Probably will require a trip to Central City just for the biopsy. And remember, we just lost our primary, reliable vehicle for at least two weeks.

Oh, joy.

Day ended on a high note. Let the heelers out after their dinner this evening, and the masked one caught a whiff of something and went tearing around to the back. And her sister raised her back hairs in mid-pee and went charging the back gate without really finishing her business.

Before she got to the gate, I spotted their target.

The little mule deer buck. But his antlers aren't so little, now. Three points and still growing.

Herded heelers back into the house without spooking him, and let the wife know. From the bedroom window we got to watch the guy enjoying our mountain ash tree. Specifically the new seedpods. And the yellow sweetclover weeds in the boys' old dirt box.

When he got to munching on the plum trees in the garden, I managed to sneak out for some pictures. Got within 5 meters.

Unbeknownst to me, wife was on the other side of the garden, in the street, getting pics of the deer that left biogenic fertilizer pellets in our driveway, yard and garden.

Unfortunately the neighbor came outside to move his sprinkler, which spooked the buck across the fence and down the street.

But still a neat way to end a bad Monday.