This just hasn't been our week for cars.
First there was the putt-putt-putt noise in my car, which necessitated us having to leave my car for several days at the mechanic and then fork over large amounts of money for the privilege. Next it was Richard's car, which went in for its normal maintenance and came back with brand new front brake pads. And then, just as we were reeling from all of that, my car decided that the fun wasn't over, and developed a high-pitched squeak that sounded as if something metal was scraping on something else, and started to get louder and more persistent. Back my car went to the mechanic and Richard and I began immediately trying to figure out how we were going to manage travel plans for the next week if my car had to stay in the shop.
Luckily, they finished my car today. Unluckily, it needed rear brake pads, since that scraping noise was made by the fact that the pads had worn down so much that the drums were being scratched. Chalk up another hefty auto maintenance payment. Wince.
I am hoping this is now over. I'm not going to be in any position to be able to drag my car in to see a mechanic again until April. When I was picking up my car this afternoon, the mechanic did mention that the front brakes would eventually need to be replaced as well. But he assures me that they won't need this for another few thousand miles. And in between now and then, I have all my fingers crossed that our bad car karma is over for a very long time. ******** When one owns multiple pets, one despairs of ever getting a picture of the whole horde at one time. One is usually lucky to catch a shot of only a handful or two at a time. So last week, when I walked into the bedroom and found this sight, I prayed to whatever deity might be listening, dashed for the camera, and managed to actually get this shot. Counter-clockwise from left to right: Azzie (sitting on the pillows at the far end of the bed), Rosemary, Zuchinni, Sebastian, Tangerine, Rebecca (behind Tangerine), and Allegra. They're all looking particularly annoyed at me because of course I woke them up during their prime naptime. But sometimes a cat lady has to do what a cat lady has to do.
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