minutia

i've cleared away the clutter, in a few cases, tucked it out of sight, out of mind, so i can focus on my papers once again. the way humid nature of where i've moved, and coupled with the endless rains of late, have conspired against my pony, and yesterday it wouldn't start. i could tell it wanted to. so thankfully, i had roadside service. the guy showed up and cranked her hard, he had the hood open and told me straight away what was wrong.

your engine is soaked

true, i had been parking on the grass, and true, i hadn't started her in a week, as i'm in that curious between semester lull, in which i tend to all the details of my personal life. but i had never seen this.

she was sopping wet. like someone had taken a hose to her. it took some time, and an air compressor to blow the water off her plugs and wires, but she started up. coughing (not literally, but not sounding smooth as she always does).

and in my anxiousness to dry her out by opening her up, i pulled out of the driveway and proceed to stall out, right there halfway in and halfway out of my driveway. fortunately i live on an unbusy road, so i just slipped her into neutral and pushed her back into the drive. it's a bit of an incline so before i got back in to pull the parking break, she was nose to the white line in the road. i started her up again and sat there for about five minutes. she coughed and sputtered like i do when water goes down my windpipe.

and finally, i heard her begin to purrr again.

what a relief. i pull out onto the road, wondering what will happen, and she dries herself out with the heat of her engine and we are off.

the mechanic who came to assess the situation said,

she'll be fine. just give her a half hour to dry out, then start her up. let her run for ten minutes and she'll be fine. i do recommend a tune-up as soon as possible though.

so i drove her around town yesterday, glad to have her back. i made an appointment for her for friday, and parked her in a new spot, on an incline which will help her stay dry.

with all this rain we've been having, who would have ever thought it would affect an engine like that. i'm just grateful that i started her up this week and not next when i'm setting off for school in the wee hours. everything happens for a reason my friends, and everything happens when it must. i believe that.