When Leaving Working Items Alone is Not Embarrassing Enough.

It did not start this way. 

Cheryl shows how I feel. 

It snowed today in Iowa.   I should say, "Snow-ing in Iowa."  It has not let up since 9 A.M.!   We had planned on running/biking....  But it was very cold... and began to snow. 

Running in the cold... without snow. 

Cheryl's still injuried.

It has been getting colder as the days in February progressed.   And Cheryl has not fully recovered from her little "Runner's Knee" issue.  So we have tried to bike a little.   Of the three times,   every single time, something has gone wrong.  Bumpy Trails for sore saddles.   A FLAT TIRE on Saturday!

And angry!

Flat tire third time out!  Are you Kidding?

   Cheryl's Bike!   A flat tire the third day out!  ( I was able to repair it...but com' on!)  Yesterday was simply blisteringly cold with a wicked wind chill.   I'm beginning to give up on the possibility that Cheryl will ever view bike riding favorably. 

Cheryl finally wants to go bike. 

Light snow,  but extremely cold. 

But then came today.    ( Pause for dramatic effect)

Cheryl said she was actually looking forward to biking a little today.  Something was about to go wrong. I was not disappointed in my prediction.

But today the snow is deep!

At 10 degrees above zero,   Subie refused to start.  This frightened Cheryl.   She is always afraid that Subie will strand us in the middle of Nowhere.. Or in this case:  Wellman Iowa.  (Where we live) I tugged on the throttle cables a bit and that was enough to get him going.. but the confidence and reliability persona that is Silver Bullet Subaru was already shattered. Cheryl nixed the Bike Ride. 

Fixing the car in a blizzard. Easy!  Right?

It was ok.   Riding in the extreme cold is never really much fun for me.   And it began to snow lightly on our way to Iowa City.   I figured  I would take a look at Subie when we got home and make sure there was nothing "unusual".   The extreme cold also makes the power steering whine and I thought I could adjust some things.  Simple!   What could go wrong?

Opps!  

Well,  Just  enough to mess up my day,  Ruin my reputation as a "fixer",  and Confirm Cheryl's already strained relationship with Subie.  I shall explain. Mostly because I have had very little to blog about in the month of February. 

Broken bolt?   I hardly touched it. 

As the snow began intensify,  I decide to take a look under the hood to see what caused that "little" problem this morning.   In my zeal,  I try to tighten, loose, and adjust a few things and discover that the alternator bolt was wobbly again.   You can probably guess what happens next.  ( Breakage!)  I snap the bolt off... again!

No prob!  I can go down the road and get one from the  local mechanic... again.  Sure it's snowing,  I can ride my bike there!  I end up purchasing it from NAPA...  Just as good.  The snow is really getting deep now.   Perhaps riding a bike in snow this deep was not the wisest of ideas.  But since when have I ever said I was wise? 

And where did these sparks come from?

One little thing I forgot to do...  was disconnect the battery terminal when working on the alternator.   Opps! A few sparks,   A whiff of Ozone.   A gentle reminder that I forgot something kinda important.  I disconnect.  All is well... Right?

Cheryl tries to help. 

With Cheryl's help,   We embark on the task of reassembly.   The snow is falling like crazy now, and Cheryl's job is to hold an umbrella as I patch up the car. Snow is blowing and collecting all over the engine.    Everything goes together easily and like clockwork...  until. 

The snow continues to pile in. 

Was that wrong?   I KILLED SUBIE!

We attempt to start the car... Nothing!  No lights, no dials,  only the beeping of the door alarm.   Did I blow a fuse?  A wire?  A Harness?   THE COMPUTER!   My mind quickly spirals out of control!  (Because the worst case scenario is the most likely outcome in all of my thought paths!)  I have fried the entire car!

We head inside,  dry off,  apply tranquilizers to Ethan.    We look up fuse locations on the car.   I find them;  but the snow is falling so hard,  that I only have 2 seconds to look at anything before it disappears behind a sheet of white.  I dig out the fuse for the alternator.   Still good!   I look around for any other fuses that might be blown.  Everything is as it should be, and is now covered in snow. 

Time to give up and call the pros.

Could this be the problem? 

Disconnect battery and attempt recharge,  check my connections, everything in the chain of command I can think of.  I'm totally out of my league now.   Time to call the Mechanic?   It is 4:45 and they close at 5.   As well as NAPA and every other establishment that could possibly help us.   With defeat in the air,  I make the call.  They will be able to look at it on Thursday.  And We will need it to be towed there.   I accept the terms.

Looks fine from this angle. 

 And then Cheryl finds that the main fuse might be the problem.   I looked it over,   It seemed fine before.  But I actually go in and discover that under that yellowing windshield,  the fuse is actually blown.   A Break!  In the fuse AND the entire CASE!  I now have an idea what the real problem is.  We discover this AFTER 5.   And the snow continues to fall. 

Ah HA!   I SEE IT NOW!  Only after all of the shops close. 

So now Subie is under 12 inches of Snow,  missing a fuse and his battery.   I will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if they have a part at NAPA that will get Subie back in the action.   Looking back there are many life lessons to be learned here.   And I'm sure I will forget every single one of them the next time something happens.   Perhaps that is why I catalog all of my "screw-ups"  on this blog.   To help me not repeat history.... again and again and again.   Also because I have not had anything to blog about in the month of February.    Ah! the things I will do for the blog.