Crow on a snowbank and car trouble

I am sitting in the Wal-Mart parking lot and spot this crown on a snowbank.   Snap, snap.   photo by Gary Walts

It was one degree here this morning. Yesterday we had more snow. I also had a guitar gig at the library in Alexandria Bay as part of their Art in Winter event. I pulled out of my driveway and got one block and the van was making an odd noise. I get out and discover a rear flat tire. It must have gone flat over night. Then I look at the other rear wheel and it appears to be at an odd angle to the van. It is cocked outward at the bottom. Something is clearly wrong. The night before that I was driving home from Syracuse and the van was going down the road in a peculiar fashion. It would swerve oddly when I turned the wheel. It's hard for me to describe, just that something was not right with it. Now it's obvious to me that something is wrong with the rear suspension. Now I'll have to remove the rear wheels and take them into town for new tires. I'll inspect the rear suspension and hopefully it will not be something impossible or expensive to repair.

I had plans to drive to Philadelphia, PA today to visit my niece and her family. While there I was planning on visiting the Classical Guitar Store I am more than ready to buy a new guitar and they have a great selection. However, I now plan to go there in April nd be there for Thomas Jefferson's birthday.

Mom: Day 15 In The Hospital

It is a gray and windy day here in Chaumont, New York. The temperature is 55 degrees.

It was two weeks ago today that Mom was admitted to the hospital. Yesterday and the day before she seemed very talkative and peaceful. She doesn't appear to have any significant pain, just some general discomfort. She seem to have accepted her fate. She is anxious to get home. My sister C arrived yesterday from Arizona. Sister S will be here tomorrow.

Yesterday the water pump on my 2002 Dodge Caravan went bad. The serpentine belt came off as a result while I was driving down the road about five miles from my house. I managed to drive it another 5 miles to a garage in Brownville, All Good Auto, where I have had good luck with car repairs. I often do my own, and am confident I could repair this one, but I don't want to. It would eat up too much time. They will probably have the job done sometime tomorrow. The price is $325.00 What can I do? I have to pay the man. That same damn van cost me $2,000.00 about 3 months ago for a new transmission. I hate it.



I snapped the above photo yesterday afternoon. It was Mom's 14th day in the hospital. This is not a flattering picture of her, but she was very talkative, very much at peace with her situation.