Sense of Humour Failure

So.  In the continuing saga of the aftermath of hitting a deer....

A few days after hitting the deer, I was driving to work and the engine quit on me.  Not just a little cough and  a sticky transmission, I mean it stopped.  Stopped dead.  In the middle of a six lane highway during the morning rush hour.  The Gods who watch such things had a bit of mercy and I was able to get it restarted and off the road to a safe place where I called CAA and was able to get a tow back to Perth.  Faulty Crank Sensor is what I was told.  So that was replaced and as things go, it wasn't too bad.  Less than $200 for parts and labour.

The following week I took the car to the insurance-company-designated body shop in the nearby town of Carleton Place to get the grille replaced, a few dents knocked out and some paint fixed up.  They had my car for a week, during which time I was given an all-singing, all-dancing 2012 vehicle.  The loaner car and dealership shall remain anonymous to avoid a libel suit.  In all fairness, it did actually drive well and was comfortable, but I think the center console with the on-screen controls is a huge safety hazard.  After a week, I still struggled to adjust the heat, the wiper blade controls are actually complicated (this is an issue when the remnants of a hurricane are passing by) and there is no way this particular Bluetooth/hand's free system is safer than just answering a phone.

So I was thrilled beyond words when the repair facility called and said my little no-frills Jeep was ready to be picked up.  So I went in, handed in the other car, got my keys back, turned it on and saw this.

The Check Engine light is on.  The Check Engine light was not on when I dropped it off.  This is something I'm very particular about. Hell, I just spent $200 to fix it the week before so believe me, I would have noticed.

Now, I understand - I do have an older vehicle that is approaching that time of it's life when parts start to fail.  The warranty is long done and I do have to assume that there will be expenses with keeping it on the road.  But I ask you - is it just me or is it reasonable to assume that when you pick up a vehicle from a garage that has just completed an exhaustive examination of the front end and engine, and completed a weeks worth of work, that they won't give it back to you with a check engine light on?  

A Sudden Moment of Quiet

It's been wild around here lately.  For many people the summer is when things get really busy with everyone moving in different directions, but for us that happens in the Fall.  I haven't done much knitting - I haven't even been able to make it out to my regular Saturday afternoon knit group, but I've certainly been busy.  I've got most of the garden put to bed and lots of food in the cold room.  We've had people come for a visit, a new wood stove was installed, Chuck and I attended the 30th birthday for the Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch Association in Ottawa (he's the VP, I had to go), closed the cottage and celebrated Thanksgiving #1.  #2 is going to happen tomorrow.

Thanksgiving #1 was a riot of a celebration this year.  Friends who live in Perth Australia were in the US visiting friends in Washington so we invited them up to spend some time with us if they could work it into their itinerary.  As it happens, they were here for Thanksgiving!  So we spent the entire weekend playing the "Do you remember when...." game.  A weekend wasn't nearly long enough with them so I think we need to start planning a return trip in earnest.

I mentioned a while ago that I had made Chuck some socks for hunting.  So today while he's off golfing in a kilt at the inaugural Kilted Classic in Pembroke, I'm able to get a picture.  The socks were a huge success; he really likes them, says they're really warm and wears them all the time.  I think I'll need to make more.

My big knitting project now is Autumn Arbor Stole by Anne Hansen.  Mine doesn't look exactly like the one on her website because I'm making the smaller version.  I'm  now 10 rows away from having the first half complete.  Lace was described to me once as having the look of a "dirty tissue" until it's been washed and blocked.  I have to agree.  This looks like a total mess here, but I think it's going to be stunning when it's finally done.

Chuck is getting ready for a few weeks of hunting.  He's been out for ducks and geese already.  So far there's only one duck in the freezer but I'm sure there will be more.  He's going moose hunting this week and deer hunting in early November.  A deer or a moose will mean we need to get a new freezer but it will also mean I won't need to buy much red meat this winter.  

Speaking of deer, I hit one coming home from work the other day.  It was dark and raining and all of a sudden I had a very different hood ornament.  Lucky for both of us, I didn't hit it very hard so didn't kill it, and there's only minor damage to my car.

Even the headlights still work.  Still, I was lucky.  It was a small deer and I wasn't going really fast - it could have been much worse.