I have started to really fret about the car, so I went out to the garage and opened the hood. The first thing I noted was that my coolant was extremely low. This, alone, puzzled me since the tire purchase included a 29-point inspection. That inspection specifically mentions a fluids check.
So, I called Goodyear to ask a question I already knew the answer: Why was the inspection not done? It was a 6:00 PM appointment on a Friday night.
I would really like to go back there because I thought the men were friendly and not out to sell me farmland in southern Louisiana. Plus, I got a coupon for $25 off a service appointment, plus a $9.95 oil change. But it bothers me that I did not get service for which I had an appointment and which I mentioned when I checked in that night.
I talked with the manager, who encouraged me to give them a second chance and let them take a look at my vehicle to see what is really needed. Again, I am not opposed to going back. In fact, the coupon makes me really want to go back. But as I was weighing when that might actually happen, I started to weep and got off the phone as soon as possible.
It is difficult to be single.
It is difficult to be single and without family support.
It is difficult to be single and without family support and chronically ill.
It is difficult to be single and without family support and chronically ill and facing increasing cognitive deficits.
The last two years in Alexandria were brutal and confusing and full of too much. So, in all seriousness, I have not tended to the maintenance of my vehicle in five years, other than the required state inspection and vehicle emission report. Yes, I bought the battery, because it had gone dead from my leaving the lights on a few times and was really old. I did get the breaks, but that was because of the state inspection. My warranty service ended at 55,000. Between that service and 69,000 miles, when I moved, I did nothing. I checked my Highlander binder and I think that between 55,000 miles and last May (somewhere just before 72,000 miles, I only had the oil changed twice. I have totally and utterly neglected the care of my vehicle because everything else was too much. SIGH.
During the phone call, I was overcome with just how incompetent I have become at dealing with a whole, a real life. I want so deeply to have someone else who will take care of some things ... of anything.
So, of course, I coped with the overwhelming loneliness and fear by trying to have a culinary success. The problem is that all of my recipe finding of late includes ingredients I do not have. What I ended up making was trying to do something with apples and chicken.
I whisked together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and pure maple syrup. I then put a chicken breast into one of my French Ovals, salted and peppered one side (the peppercorn medley), brushed it with the mixture, flipped it over, and repeated the process. Then I put the cubed pieces of an entire Granny Smith apple (peeled) around the sides and all over the top. Finally, I cut up a pat of butter into small pieces and stuck them amongst the apple pieces on top. I ended up with Baked Apple Chicken.
As I noted on the recipe, I really like baking and serving in the French Ovals. Primarily, I like doing so because it maximizes the amount of sauce/juice one gets. In this case, the chicken was unbelievably tender. The sauce was more of a juice than anything else—mildly flavored I thought. I could taste nothing of the vinegar and little of the maple syrup. Primarily, it was just ... tasty. I found eating the baked apple pieces with the chicken odd, but good.
Maybe Marie will eat this with me so I can know if it is something that is truly good or just something that I think is good. She did make my Myrtle's Medley Black Eyed Peas; both she and her beloved found them to be exceedingly tasty. Of course, in following my recipe she kindly pointed out a few mistakes I had made ... such as soaking the beans in bear instead of beer.
Amos carried around the French Oval for quite a while after doing his pre-cleaning. So, I suppose at least one other of God's creatures found the recipe I made tasty.
He and I are ensconced in the GREEN chair, tucked beneath the new electric blanket. He is dreaming of some happiness or another, given the muted yips and fluttering of his paws, and I am trying very hard not to think about the Highlander. Yes, I will need to do so soon ... how long can one drive with near empty coolant?? ... but not now. I do not want to think about why I need to think about the Highlander or how I discouraged and despairing and alone I feel about the whole mess ... the whole mess that is me.
I am Yours, Lord. Save me!
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