Not that you can tell it by me. It's 40ºF right now, and I'm still cold. It could be -40ºF as far as I'm concerned. I'm tempted to go grab another sweatshirt, that's how cold I am right now. I'm sitting here at my computer underneath a blanket and contemplating grabbing the space heater, because that's how cold I am right now. Even though most of my brain is yelling at me because it's sunny at 40ºF above fricking zero and I shouldn't be cold, but, I'm cold.
I mean, I'm glad it's "spring". I know it's still winter, but I'm happy to be able to call it something with the word "spring" in it, even if it's just to trick myself into feeling warmer. (Which isn't working!) It's only March 3rd. We've probably got at least one snow storm ahead of us before winter is actually over, but the good thing about March snow storms -- as any Midwesterner will tell you -- is that the snow doesn't last long. And that's the best kind of snow!
But spring isn't my favorite season. It really is not. I like that things are warming up and new green things are starting to grow, don't get me wrong. But I don't like the mud. So much mud... the only thing I don't like about living here. (And even then, it's not enough to make me want to move back to the city!) Aaaaaand, now I'm having flashbacks to last year's Flood. THAT was horrible... that made the usual spring thaw look like nothing. I'll have to keep that in mind this year. After The Flood, there was mud caked on the grass and the trees and the fence posts and inside our vehicles and on the walls of the barns and the garage and every-effing-where and forever... there are still muddy tools out in the barn. I think that's why I'm even more anti-spring-mud this year. I'm still traumatized by The Flood.
But anyway...
So here we are, it's almost spring and I didn't plant any tulips last fall like I always say I'm going to, but so far have not done. I want to have a prettiful yard, I really do! And it's not like I don't the space for it, it's just that I don't know where to start. I've never had a green thumb before. I was actually thinking about that earlier today while I was watering the Easter lily I've had for a few years now. I used to be a plant hospice worker, but now I actually do okay with them. (I don't think I've improved much, I've just learned which plants can survive the longest without being watered!) I don't know. We'll see. I'm getting too far ahead of myself here. There's still snow knee-deep behind the barn, so I've got a while before I can fathom planting pretty stuff in my yard this year.
I had the fun of driving an all-electric car last week! I had to take the Nox to the shop, which is another annoying story. This happened while my hubby was on the other side of the country, of course, and we were in the middle of the polar vortex or whatever it was. I was driving to work one morning, and it was about 5ºF (so it was warming up after the polar vortex!) and I was contemplating getting a car wash because the Nox was super dirty and before you tell me that's too cold for a car wash don't even get started because IT IS NOT, in fact that's about the lower end of my limit but it is NOT too cold. Anyway, it was just after 6am, the odometer had just turned to 17,901 miles (don't ask why I paid attention to that but I did), I had the cruise control set to 75mph and the heat cranked up to max and was listening to a-ha on shuffle when all of a sudden the warning beep started beeping and my driver information center flashed up a message that said, "Driving Power Reduced. Service Engine Soon." and the check engine light came on and I was like.... well, I'm not going to tell you exactly which words came out of my mouth because they're not flattering. Instinctually, I cut the cruise control off, turned off the fan, and turned down the radio so I could hear the engine. It sounded fine. Checked the gauges -- wasn't overheating, oil pressure was good, still had power. As I pulled off at the next exit to stop at the gas station (because I was running at about a quarter of a tank and thought maybe that had something to do with it), I got a text. I still have it saved! It says: "Diagnostic Alert: Service the engine and transmission system in your 2020 Equinox within 7 days." Which of course sounds much more ominous when it's like three minutes after lights and bells and whistles started going off while you're driving said Equinox to work in the morning in the dark during a snowstorm (oh yeah, I forgot to mention it was spitting snow that morning) when you're halfway to work and your husband's on the other side of the country and you can't hear anything because you have an ear infection and you're kinda just fed up with life at that moment because it's so cold your drain pipes are also frozen and you're not sure who you would call if you actually did break down because your son is home but even if he is an adult he's still your baby boy in your mind, and it occurs to you for the first time that you wouldn't call your dad to rescue you anymore either because it'd be dangerous for him and that makes you kind of sad because he's always been the one to rescue you when your vehicles have broken down but you don't have time to get all nostalgic and emotional because you have to Adult Now. Right Now. And oh Lord, transmission problems didn't even occur to me until then! I didn't want to go back home because I had clinic that day, and I didn't want to put that off on someone else. So I stopped at the gas station, topped off the tank, checked the oil (it was fine -- clean, not low). And that was about all I knew how to do, lol. I did text DH and let him know he'd be getting an email from the Equinox (because after it texts me Diagnostic Alerts, it emails him. Weird, I know.)
SHORT STORY LONG, I had to drop it off at the dealership last week to get looked at. Turns out it was some sensor that got messed up when it was super cold and then warmed up again. They took the sensor out, cleaned it up, put it back in and reset the codes and it was fine. Oh, I mean, they ordered a new one, too, but the ETA on it is "who knows?!" and they said it was safe to drive so I picked it up the same day and have been driving it since without any further issues. But when I made the appointment, they said they'd get me a loaner car. I didn't argue :) I'm a car girl, it's fun driving something different for a short time! Of course I imagined (wishfully) that I'd get a nice new Camaro, or a Silverado, or even a Cruze or a used Impala or Malibu. (In order of least likely to most likely there, of course!) When I got there that morning to drop off the Nox, they had a Cruze about the era of ours parked in the garage with the key in the door handle, and I was convinced that was my loaner. Not bad, I thought. I've driven a Cruze before, I can handle it. Then they had me go to the front to sign the papers, and the nice lady said something like, "OK, this car is all electric..." and I was like -- um, what now? Quickly trying to remember what Chevy has that's all electric. What's it called -- a Volt? A Bolt?
It was a Bolt. Which is something you use to put cars together, not something you should be driving on the highway, if you ask me. I got to drive it from the dealership to work and back. It was alright. Roomier inside than I thought it would be. Under-powered. Smaller than just about every other vehicle on the road, which displeased me greatly. (I have issues.) It had a heated steering wheel, which would be nice to have on the Nox. Super easy to park, but, I can parallel park a Suburban so that's a bonus but not a deal-breaker. All in all, it was an okay car, but not my deal. I was very glad to be back in the Nox at the end of the day.
And on that note, I have to get back to work now. TTFN!
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