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This past week has been an interesting one to say the least. Our little 1995 Ford Ranger has finally given her all. I won't hear hubby roaring in the drive anymore when he gets home from work. {literally roaring from a missing muffler} That was such a familiar sound that I had grown very accustomed to over the years. She hasn't looked pretty for a long time, but she ran like a trooper and got hubby to work day after day... month after month... year after year. I really wanted to see just how long she would keep on trucking, but it was not meant to be. I had visions of being in the "truck hall of fame" for accumulating over 300,000 miles and still running. lol As it stands now, I believe she has about 190,000 and we are waving the white flag of surrender...reluctantly. |
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Let me start at the beginning of the end: Last Wednesday the weather was horrible and we were snowed in again. Hubby couldn't get out of our driveway let alone down our horribly drifted road. He was plowing out the driveway with the John Deere and after quite a while of that, it just stopped running. Dead in the drive. Long story short, he had to pull the JD into the pole barn with his truck {don't even ask why we couldn't just push her} We noticed radiator fluid leaking underneath the truck . This started a chain of events, the first one being driving to town when we could get out , purchasing and installing a new water pump. It is never that easy you know. There ended up being three trips to town on three different days and the drive there is over 15 miles one way. Finally, Friday evening he got it all back together and I happened to be in the shop as he was finishing up. "Sandi, can you help me find the radiator cap?" We looked high and low, up and down, in and out and found no cap. I even suggested that we "shake"the truck to see if it would fall out from somewhere...anywhere. lol So there we stood shaking the truck! Hubby even pushed the truck backwards to see if it had rolled under the truck. After much searching and getting very frustrated I suggested that we purchase another one. He sent me on "the mission"and I headed up to the house to get my keys. Part way up the drive he yelled that he had found it. It had fallen down in a small area behind the front headlight! Who knew!! Not me. I used my "skinny" fingers to rescue the cap and he was ready to give her a test drive. Now, this is where the story gets really interesting. I was back in the house watching out the window. {after all that is where I belong right?? *giggle*} I watched him back the truck out and turn the left front wheel right into a snowbank. He manuevered his way out of that, but I noticed the truck was "slip sliding away"...no, NOT the song! ha! The drive and road was a solid sheet of ice so I opened the door and yelled, "Don't test drive it today. We don't need you to get hung up on the road and need to call a tow truck and spend another $150". Now, I am thinking he will pull it back in the shop and come in the house. Not so fast folks. Next thing I know he is way at the other end of the driveway almost on the road! Now, I have lived with this man for over 36 years and I am wondering WHY in the world he is out there when the pole barn is in the opposite direction?? I thought he had decided to test drive it anyway...grrr. So , I ventured outside yet again flailing my arms {not a pretty site} asking him why he is out there. Now don't laugh, but he told me that he wasn't going to test drive it, but was trying to drive it UP the drive and couldn't get anywhere. Every time he would try to drive forward the ice held him back so he backed up a bit to try and drive forward. He kept doing this until he backed himself right out to the road and one tire dropped in a little dip and he was really stuck. |
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NOW... Sandi can't drive a stick shift. So I asked him, "WHAT are we going to do?" to which he replied, "I have no idea because you can't drive a stick shift". I don't know about you, but when someone reiterates to me what I KNOW to be true, but has the word CAN'T in it...something rises up in me. *giggle* "Okay, I will try to drive it , but this will not be pretty!!" I hopped into the truck, put my feet on the pedals and said, "okay, now what do I do" "push in on the clutch" So I promptly pushed in the emergency brake!! HAHA!! "NO, NOT THAT!!!" He released the brake and I pushed in on the clutch, gave her a little gas and she just purred like a kitten right up that driveway to the shop. As I am driving, I hear hubby yelling "STOP!!" to which I yelled back "I AM NOT STOPPING!!". {I am thinking... by golly I got this truck moving and she is gonna keep on moving} I stopped in front of the shop because I really didn't know what I was doing and I didn't want to drive her through the shop and make another doorway!! About that moment I was wondering where hubby was at. I glanced behind me and here he comes...up the driveway. "What took you so long??" Apparently he had been slip sliding away again, but this time on his feet!! heehee He was also carrying two old bath towels ?? They had been in his truck and he had laid them down in front of the tires for traction. He then proceeds to tell me that when I took off with the truck it shot one of the towels across the road!! too funny!! He had to retrieve that before he could make his way to the truck. Would have liked to have seen that , but I missed it. Shucks! You had to be there. It really was a comedy of errors worthy of Saturday Night Live! Back to the little truck, he did end up test driving it, but not that day. All seemed well after he tested it, so he loaded up his RC stuff to go racing and he drove that baby right out of the drive. WHEW...we dodged the bullet yet again!! Sandi and Hillis are thrilled!! Suddenly, a familiar noise breaks the silence...a rumble, a roar!! NO!! IT CAN'T BE!!! Why is he back? I watch hubby walking to the house just shaking his head...over and over. He tells me that he lost his brakes down the road a bit ! "You are kidding me!" "NOPE!" Precious little truck needs too much work so we are finally waving the white flag of surrender, but not before putting $300 into her. Wish someone had told us this would happen before we spent that money. The ad will read: Precious 1995 little Ford Ranger has given her all. Her bed leans a little to the left, her gas tank is held in place with a bungee cord and she has rust in all the right places. Perfect for someone who loves to tinker. She does sparkle in a few places because she has a brand new water pump, along with new brakes and rotors and she just had her oil changed as well. Her motor runs great, but she is just plain tired...will part out. Pm if interested. {pic above taken years ago} Blessings~ |
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