Progress Report

Current Level of Progress: 47% of items to pass state inspection complete.

(45.7% if you count having to replace the bungee cord with a real battery hold down which, curiously, is not an area of inspection in this state)

Sabotage!

Remember the last post, where I told you not to mix family time with repair time? I warned that you would not get good results if you tried. This was most certainly the case today.

As I was rolling around under the front axle trying to resolve the Death Wobble, Toddler was in the bed of the truck - being Toddler. Just as soon as I would fit a wrench to a bolt and start to pull, a little voice from the bed would shout "Daddy! Look! Do you see the stick now?" as he jammed the CB antenna down through a hole in the floor. Not the best game to play as you're trying to calmly think about the problem you're fixing.

As we were packing up to head inside for dinner, this is what I found as I came around the back of the truck:

Toddler took some bungee cords and ran them from the trailer hitch to around a metal shelving unit. That shelf holds a few odds and ends and my toolbox. I don't know for sure, but I think Toddler was attempting to have me pull the truck out of the garage so that he could see a fully-loaded four-drawer toolbox smash to the floor.(Or maybe he's seen the truck drive and knows that the wheezy old engine couldn't pull its way out of a paper bag....)

Anyway, I think Toddler is out to sabotage the truck project. I'm worried that he's going to start "tripping" over the wheel chocks as he kicks them out of place. Maybe he will "helpfully" bring me the trouble light by handing the hot bare-bulb end to me. He's been asking to help grease the truck ever since he spotted the grease gun on the shelf. I can only imagine what handing him a grease gun would result in....

I hope I survive this project!

Intertwined

It's been somewhere near a decade, but I used to know that owning an old Jeep wasn't just about driving that Jeep. It was trying to balance the business of daily life with the repair needs of your vehicle. There were things you had to do, like work. There were things that you needed to do, like put the wheel back onto the axle so that you could get to work. Then, there were things that got put off until later. 'Deferred Maintenance' - like the oil leaks or dripping gear lube - things that weren't critical, but still worked their way into life.

This new (if you can call 1972 new) Jeep is the same. There are the urgent things that need to be done, like replacing the leaking fuel line. (Things that can cause big KABOOMS get done first!) There are other things that need to be done, like pass the state's vehicle safety inspection, so that you can get to work. Then, there are things that will wait until later, like paint (but, really: who paints an entire truck white but runs out of paint right at the end, leaving a gray door? Are you kidding?)

It's all intertwined. The must-dos, the need-to-dos, and the dream list all compete for time along with family, work, and chores. What you do in one area affects the others. (Note: do not try to combine family time with truck repair time. A four-year-old does not 'help' with any part of repair. You will not have quality family time or quality repair time. Just. Don't. Try. It.)

Jeep ownership is even twining itself into matters of the house and yard. With the fuel leak, the various parking spots of the truck are evident. See the photo below.

Those aren't spots caused by the neighbor's dogs peeing on the grass (or Toddler. He doesn't pee in the grass. Mommy encourages him to pee on the flower garden. She says it's to keep the deer away. I think she's training him to be a redneck.) There are dead-grass craters like this every where the truck has been parked. I'm trying to figure out if I should dig up the dead grass and reseed or just dig a hole and plant some perennials (maybe peonies, geraniums, or daisies) - there'd be random flowers all over the side yard!

So there you have it -  Jeeps come in and get caught right up in the big spider web of life. Maybe all of this intertwining could go a little way toward explaining why my fingernails now have grease under them all the time or why there is a 9/16" hex-shaped bruise on my forehead.....