It takes a village.... - Giving Voice

… to charge my car battery!

So, I got gas yesterday on my way home from school. I also picked up a prescription out at Lewis Family Drug on Highway 10. No biggie, right?

I got home and parked and juggled the dog and the bag with my prescription (and walked on crutches) to go in the house. All is well…

Except.

Except, I had left my car’s hand-controls in the “latched” position which is oh-so-handy because it engages the brake so you can start the car (Many cars won’t start unless you depress the brake.)

Which, as you can surmise, also results in … keeping the brake lights on. This is not a good thing when it is overnight.

Sigh.

This is (true confessions) the fifth or maybe even sixth time I have done this. But, this is the first time it was on Labor Day weekend when Twin Valley Auto and Tire is closed. They are very gracious about my repeated stupidity, but after the fourth time, I suggested that they START to charge me, which I pay out of my personal budget, in an effort to remind me to, duh, unlatch the hand controls.

Anyway, this time around I had two helpers who came to the rescue. Bruce lives upstairs. He has a falling-apart-but-with-a-great-battery Blazer. Gail lives down the block. I know her from dog-walking. She had the jumper cables. And she also had the device that let us unlock the car door when we inadvertently (Duh Number Two) locked the keys (not just the car keys, but my house keys, too) IN the car while trying to jump start it.

Teamwork prevailed. It helped that it wasn’t 50 degrees below zero wind chill.

After the successful jump start, I drove myself and Koda to Sica Hollow and back to recharge the battery (while enjoying a beautiful late summer evening).

I am so very grateful for the neighbors we have here.

And I will be purchasing a pair of jumper cables as soon as possible!

View westward just outside town.