Oh dear!

My car is still unwell. The urchins and I drove it to my parents' house today (about 70 miles away) for my dad to have a look.

He did the easy stuff first -- changing the oil and brakes. Just as he was finishing with the oil, he got sick. That's how the flu comes on him, with no warning. One moment he was fine, tinkering with the car with Spyder "helping" him. The next moment, he was freezing and had to go inside. He didn't even clean up the mess, and he never leaves a mess in the shop. He may leave his socks on the floor, but he's fastidiously clean with his shop and tools.

He didn't get a chance to look at whatever engine problem there is, and I certainly wasn't going to ask. For some reason, he's very susceptible to pneumonia, and his cold/flu troubles usually lean that way.

I decided to drive it home and hope for the best. I had gotten about 20 miles into the trip, and it quit on me. Totally quit in the middle of the highway. I recognized it early enough to coast onto the shoulder. I sat for a moment and tried again. It started, and I began to get back onto the highway when it died again. I tried this several times, each with the same result, then I called my dad. And I hated to do that. Ultimately we decided that I'd just leave the car and have Skeeter come to get me.

Being the stubborn, er, tenacious person that I am, I finally got it moving and back onto the road. I immediately turned it around and started back to my parents' house. I figured that the closer I got it to the house, the less time it would take when my dad could finally come and tow it.

I ended up making it to the house, praying the whole way. Most of the drive is on roads with no shoulder, and I had to go over a huge bridge. The bridge was where I was most worried, and it's definitely where I prayed the hardest. :o)

Skeeter did come to my parents' house to get me, and we just left the car there. So now I'm completely carless, with my last minute Christmas Eve party shopping to finish! YIKES! At least I'm mostly done with gifts.