Every year we encounter a phenomenon called weather change. It usually
happens in the fall or the spring where we go from one season to another.
During the fall weather change, when we finally make the transition from
warm weather to cold, around late October or early November, my car(s)
break down in the wind rain and snow.
It must have something to do with the material and science where metal
stresses and tensile strength cause the material to finally give. I'm
getting ready to settle in for the winter, and take it easy after storing
up enough firewood and making sure everything's painted and all and then
my car gives out. Usually it's something major enough where I have to
crawl around in the mud and rain to fix it for a day or two, but
eventually get used to the cold soon forgetting what the warm days of
summer were, when I could have crawled around in dryness and comfort.
I've tried over the years to anticipate the autumn break down, but
never could. I'm usually so busted from doing summer chores each day that
I put off car repair until the last minute and that's when the weather
beats me to it. Often corrosion on electrical contacts are at the culprit
and it takes a couple of days of sanding, testing wire brushing, screwing
and unscrewing little screws and the dropping them in the mud before I can
find the problem. Other times hoses will give or a radiator decides to
spring a leak. Head light switches and brakes are not uncommon either as
driving cheap cars is better than working for someone else twenty hours a
week to balance credit and car payments.
The truth is I've gotten used to doing all my car work in the autumn,
everything from oil changes to spark plug gaping and I actually look
forward to it now. It's kind of rewarding to come in out of the cold and
dry out by the wood stove after a hard day working underneath the car.
It's become routine to flush the radiator, change the oil, gap the plugs,
grease the fittings, look and the brake pads and replace whatever part
made me go out there and do it in the first place. I think I'll buy a
bike.
