A Serpentine Belt is a Terrible Thing to Break

Well, maybe "terrible" is too strong a word, but definitely not part of the plan. I was on my way to work yesterday making my 30-mile drive to the lodge when I noticed the air conditioner was blowing warm air and the car didn't feel right. I looked down to check the a/c controls and saw that the battery light was on and the temperature guage was almost pegged in the red. I quickly turned the heat on full blast (didn't somebody tell me to do that one time, to blast the heat to help cool the engine?) and pulled over immediately. My commute is beautiful, but in it's beauty are lots of mountains and little traffic, and the mountains make cell phone reception very tenuous. I called work to let them know that I was stuck on the side of the road and would be there as soon as I could. But then I couldn't get signal to call anybody else, namely David to come help. I couldn't get the hood to release for some reason. Later, I was able to easily do it so I don't know what was up. I sat there for a minute, took a deep breath and decided to ditch the car. I locked it up and started the walk into town, probably about 6 miles plus another 3 miles to my work. I stuck out my thumb, and within 2 minutes, was ensconced in the most beautiful motor home with a lovely couple from Iowa. They drove me into town and disconnected their SUV from the motor home and she drove me the rest of the way to work. I introduced myself but they didn't offer their names, so I didn't press for more info. They did divulge that this was their first time in Texas and that they found the people here delightful. I thanked them profusely for stopping to pick me up and for going so far as to deliver me to work. I wish I could thank them again, but we parted with the agreement that I would pay it forward, and of course, I will. I finally got in touch with David, and he and two of our friends from down south who happened to be visiting our town, drove together to get the car and get it back home. Thanks to our friends, who shall remain anonymous for now and whose kindness and generosity is unlimited, David was able to limp the car back home where he quickly diagnosed the problem and here it is:

After the dust settled, I was only 15 minutes late to work. I'm glad I leave early or I could have been later. I hate being late, but it could have been so much worse. I could have been working my usual shift which means that I would have been driving in the middle of the night. It could have been something very expensive instead of a belt. After getting the replacement parts, some available at the local Auto Zone and one to arrive tomorrow, the total cost of repair is about $80. I'm usually the prepared one, but I really let things slip with this. This was my wake up call and reminder that, although my new environment is beautiful, it is harsh. The belt should have been replaced months ago. And although I did have about a half gallon of water in my trunk, I usually keep some non-perishable snacks, a couple gallons of water, a hat, a coat and a blanket in there in case I get stranded. But I had taken that stuff out a few weeks ago to make room for something else and didn't put it back. I usually make sure I start the day with a fully charged cell phone, but I didn't bother to plug it in the night before and my car charger was in David's truck from our last trip out to the land. Thank you, God and Universe, for taking care of me even though I know you are very busy with bigger problems right now.

Now, here is a funny and unstaged photo that AJ sent David and he forwarded to me. AJ (our daughter Jamie's fiance) took two of their dogs with him on errands. He ran into the parts store and when he came back out, he found them ready to go cruising. He snapped this photo of Diego (passenger seat) and Spaghetti with his cell phone. Both dogs are rescues and were abused in the past lives but now live life in the lap of luxury. Diego has been with them for a couple of years and Spaghetti started with them as a foster dog a short time ago, but they have decided to give him a forever home.