No Charge



Monday morning presented an opportunity for a walk up my favorite venue - the creek.  Right now there is water roaring frantically over the berms, and more source can be seen in the foothills of the Blues.   There was a battle in body and mind about stepping out into the cool wet air.  In addition to still having a jaw that feels like someone hit it with a strong left hook (cracked tooth and extraction), the rest of my body seems to be bowing to the demands of another flexing of fibromyalgia.   But, I felt good when I got back to my car.

I saw a lone female Common Golden-eye.  She was in about the same spot that last week I saw a lone female Wigeon.  There were also several small groups of Common and Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, and Canadian Geese.  I also saw my dancing American Dipper.    Obviously it was fine weather for water fowl.

A five a.m. morning call yesterday advised us that our 7 year-old granddaughter, Goober Evalina,  was once again in the hospital as a result of an asthma attack.  After sending a prayer for healing, I always vow to pray more often; I'm sure He also wants to hear from me when everyone is well.

I think I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep about 7 a.m. when the phone rang again.  This call was to request my presence as a substitute tutor for the day.  I had to shift into high gear to make it there on time.

There has been a little ting tang walla walla bing bang coming from my car's engine the past few months.  The mechanic, who kept it overnight so that he could listen to it in the cool morning air, diagnosed it as pistons and a lifter.  He said he could charge me a lot of money to fix it.  But, his advice was to let it be.  Apparently those two parts can grow noisy as a car ages and not really cause any major problems.  In fact, he said that the lifter could be replaced and still make that clicking noise.

Then I asked about a tune up.

"Whats the makers recommendation?" He asked and I told him 60,000 miles. I'd had that done, of course.

"So, you should be good for another 10,000 miles,"  he added after mentioning that my odometer  registered just just over 100,000.

He handed me my keys and said, "No Charge."


That rare phrase deserves its own post.

Comments

Kim said…
Your mechanic is a prince.
grammy said…
Yeah for a good nice mechanic
My hubby is one and believe me his or our friends tend to take advantage of that
he is tooooo nice sometimes and I have to remind him
that he is 'WORTH' more than a hand shake
I just mean when he does this for people over and over... you know what I mean
sorry what a rant
your poor little granddaughter
how hard that must be to get that phone call
Mine have been so healthy
hardly ever have anything ... Thank you God!!!
Connie said…
We'll be going over the Cascades next week to visit granddaughter in Seattle, honey. Sure hope the roads are clear on that friday and monday.
xoxo,
Connie
Janis said…
No charge can be music to your ears! Sorry to hear about your Grandaughters asthma attack...that can be a very scary thing. Hope she is doing better.
Shelby said…
ahhhhh that's nice! so sorry to hear about the asthma in the wee on.. here's to good health really soon.
Steve Skinner said…
Little gifts from a mechanic are worth their weight in gold!
Coffeypot said…
Were you nude or something? It’s against the ‘Man Law’ to let a woman walk out of a garage without paying something.
dawn said…
Great to have a mechanic who doesn't take an arm and a leg. It doesn't even look like winter there.
Sandy said…
oo ee oo ah ah! What a nice man. Hope your little one is better.
Gattina said…
What did you do to the mechanic ?? I want the recepe !

Hope your granddaughter is better. Asthma is something terrible.
Intense Guy said…
Your writing is so exquisite.. its like poetry in prose. You take your scattered thoughts and somehow order them and make them placid in this entry... simply wonderful!

I hope YOU and yours are feeling better today.
Debs said…
You one lucky lady. :D
Jennifer said…
Whoa....keep that dude on speed dial!!
Kila said…
Yes, He wants to hear from us "without ceasing".

Hope the vehicle keeps rolling for many more miles!
Unknown said…
I love your mechanic! :0) Great news to hear indeed! Hope your pain ends soon and that you have no reasons to pray for help, just rejoicing very soon.
Susie Q said…
A great mechanic is as good as a great doctor..maybe even better!
Poor granddaughter! I have asthma and it is scary...but even more so to see a child you love with it. Prayers for her...
I always ask God to forgive me for not praying enough when things are calm and good...but I think He understands. Uh huh...I know He does.
Love,
Sue
Susie Q said…
Oh! I wanted to mention that the plant in the window is a little azalea that my SIL gave me last Mother's Day. Shhe had my mephew pick the one he wanted and I could not bear to put it outside. Silly huh? So it has been sitting in my kitchen windo ever since. Just this week it has begun to blossom again! It had been such a dreary week and ot just perked me right up to see it!

And yes, soup is Heavenly! If I had to choose just one sort of food to eat for the rest of my life, well, soup would be it!

Love,
Sue
Merle said…
Dear Pamela ~~ How different is 'No charge' than the trouble with Whirlpool. A nice chenge. I hope your granddaughter is well again.
And I am so sorry you have had such a time with your jaw and tooth. Hope all is well soon. Glad you enjoyed my post. Take care, my friend,
Love, Merle.
Ms. Kathleen said…
Praying for your granddaughter for a permanant healing from the asthma. You sound like your are doing very well. And was a super nice mechanic! Great guy! It's nice to catch up. Have a great weekend!
Peter said…
"No charge" is certainly a phrase we don't get to hear very often, hope you and GD are better now.
laurie said…
ah, don't you love it?
No charge..how lucky are you. I bet your Dentist made up for it.. I hope your mouth is feeling better. Sorry to hear about your Grandaughter and her Asthma.. about praying God understands everything, and I am sure it all must get balanced out.. I am sure he is tired of my praying without ceasing:)
bichonpawz said…
You must be one special person to get a "No Charge" from a mechanic! I thank the good Lord every day that my husband is entirely capable of fixing anything wrong with the car. I hope your little one is feeling much better and that you are too!!
kailani said…
Wow, you don't find that too often these days!
Wendster said…
... are those ice berms? That looks super cool. And cold!

Glad you got yourself out for a walk despite the pain and the temperatures.

No charge? Beautiful. Send that man cookies.
Karmyn R said…
I miss the Mill creek walk.

and No Charge? As wonderful as those words are, I always start to feel guilty thinking that not charging me is going to hurt their business and they'll have to shut down.

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