Vehicle Update

First, the good news: The van is running again!

Now, the whole tortuous woe-is-me tale of exhaustion, frustration and heat-stroke:

The rain finally settled down to a steady drizzle, I got dressed and girded myself for auto mechanics. I started by removing the Focus battery. Sounds simple, right? It involved countless trips to find the correct tools, followed by more trips in to search again for the right socket, a vertical ratchet (because there was no room to turn a right-angled one), a pair of pliers, finally wrestling the cables off the terminals and lifting the heavy beast up and out of there without dropping it. I did the same thing in reverse, moving the van battery into the Focus. Didn't fit. Cables wouldn't reach. Scrap that plan.

I levered the van battery back out of the Focus, and hooked the Focus battery up to the charger. The charger said it was fully charged. Rats. I went back outside, put the Focus battery back in again, and hooked it up again. With a nod to the car-gods, I turned it on to start. At least this time there were no alarming, flashing electronic displays--just a click and a whirr. Not the battery. Maybe the solenoid? This time I was able to get the car out of Park and into Neutral, rolled it back and around, so maybe sometime in the future, it could be jump-started, if needed.

Next, the van. I rigged up an airport luggage wheely cart with a piece of 2 x 6 lumber, placed the van battery on it and bungie-corded it in. I put Echo's collar on and let her out, while I wheeled my package s-l-o-w-l-y down the concrete driveway, bumped and dragged it across the gravel, all the way down across the wooden bridge and to the van.

I unloaded the battery, popped the hood, and hoisted the monster into the tray, avoiding the swarm of hornets that apparently built a nest inside the engine compartment. Hooked it up, another nod to the sky, and vrooom! It started!

Echo hopped in and we bounced out of the field and up the driveway to the house.

Now at least I have one working vehicle. I have a diagnostic problem with the Focus, but as soon as I get my game-face back on again, there are some things I can try to pinpoint the offending car part.

Or not. I cleaned out the van in anticipation of trading it in this week for my Obama-money, just in case.

Is it time for a nap yet?