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fire station calls I'd watched him set the apparatus up, so I kind of knew what I was doing. And I hate standing around while someone else is working. So, knowing that it probably violated some insurance regulation, I bent down and pulled the cotter pin from the left arm, while the driver worked the right side. And then pulled the arm forward and out of its slot, freeing the left rear wheel. Hand the arm to him, and jam the cotter pin into its resting hole and slide the arm mount back in towards the middle. I forgot to push in the lever pin for the arm mount, but he caught that. We don't use our AAA towing service much, but it's always been handy when we needed it. Even if the tow is just half-way across town (the tow truck operator had to drive at least twice as far back to their garage as he did to tow our Explorer from the Armory down to the mechanic's). He says it's been a slow winter. Not much snow, so not much work. He didn't mind being called out 9:30 at night. We had our youth group meeting this evening, which went well. When you have activities planned, and folks know what they need to do, it goes quickly and smoothly. Need to try to make that a regular occurance. Wife stayed home, with a horrible sinus headache. Youngest son was working, and eldest son was at his 12th viewing of The Two Towers. So when I went outside, always the last to leave the Armory, with the door locking behind me, I was alone. And the SUV no go. Not even a click. The headlights weren't left on (I checked), but the ignition switch is getting old. You can pull the key out while it is still running. Which means it can also sometimes be pulled out while the ignition is in the on position. Which will drain a battery just as quick as headlights. Maybe faster. Okay, youngest son may still be at work, just 7-8 blocks away. I start hoofing it. Slipping on ice on the dark curbing and almost stumbling, like a drunk, in front of the lone truck on the road. Then I saw the lights. Fire Station 1. They have a phone. And I know who's on duty tonight. Sure enough, more than welcome to make the call. And soon youngest son, who is home from work already, is on the way back to town to give me a jump. As I wait, the phone rings. A bona fide fire? Nope. An irate citizen, upset over something he saw on the live broadcast of the Town Council meeting (either in progress, or just concluded), wanting to talk to a member of "the executive committee." (By that nomenclature, I assume the caller is a new resident.) And he expects the Fire Department to take care of that for him. Since no one answers at the town offices (well, it is nine o'clock at night, sir). I cannot believe how respectful my friend is being. Three times I hear him explain that nobody is in their offices this time of night. Three times I hear him recommend that the caller call the police dispatch, and they can send an officer over to relay a message to the council if they haven't concluded their meeting. And three times the citizen complains about how he can't talk to his representatives in this town. And he is unwilling to talk to the police. (Why, I wonder?) Ever heard of office hours, sir? Ever heard of attending the council meetings? Apparently not. Anyway, that delayed my return to the dead Explorer, which youngest son has already found. And it's not the battery. I'm guessing the alternator or the solenoid. Hence, the call to AAA. Good outfit, even though they routed my call to the Arizona service center. And after we had gone through and input all the required data and numbers, only then does he ask where I am. Which is a looong way from where his center dispatches. Don't think I want to pay the mileage fee from Phoenix. So I got forwarded to the Montana center. Which was actually the right one for our state. And hence, the ride across town in the tow truck, and the assist to the operator in unhooking the Explorer. Which is where this entry started. |
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