February 20: Blessings & Budgeting

Some wonderful men turned my yesterday from a bummer to a bunch of blessings.

It started off in the early morning when Monty at Integrity Diesel Repair diagnosed my braking problem as too much to handle, and called Glase at Elpex Hickman’s before sending me there with a long list of problems resulting from hitting a monster pothole in Miami. Glase went from “Make an appointment for us to look at it next week” to “Wait here, let me check on something.” He came back with the news he’d have a mechanic diagnose Karmalita in a few minutes. It turns out I not only needed new brake pads, hoses, and calipers, I need to replace the upper control arm bushings, buy two front tires, and get them aligned. The estimate was approaching $3,000 … and I’d have to leave the bus because repairs could take more than one day. No doubt my face reflected my horror as I frantically tried to figure out how to find a facility where I could stay in my bus overnight if needed. Glase must have taken pity on me because he did some creative scheduling and assigned a mechanic to the bus for a whole day next week, with plans to pre-order all the parts I would need so they’d be there when I arrive at 7am.

Next I made my way to a UPS office to return a camp chair that was too big to fit in the space of the one that went missing at Love Burn. It was heavy and awkward and the box was ripped up before it ever arrived. A gentleman offered to carry it to the counter, but I thought I would make it … until a few steps later the box ripped again … and he came back and took it to the counter.

I decided I needed something to boost my mood, so I found a thrift store along the route home, only to follow my GPS to a group of very large warehouse buildings in some sort of unnamed business park with unmarked roads that were not even on the map. Being directionally impaired, after a few tries, I still could not find my way back to the main road. A nice man with a badge assured me there was no thrift store anywhere around, and pointed to way I needed to go to get out. Only I made a wrong turn somewhere and found myself on another side of the building. The man reappeared on a golf cart, had me turn around, and led me to the main road. If it weren't for him, I might still be circling those buildings.

I spent much of the rest of yesterday crunching numbers to find the money I will need for repairs. At kept saying, “I hope the bill is not $3,000,” but then I stopped and laughed, realizing $7,000 is not $3,000, just as $2,000 and $5,000 are not $3,000. I changed that thought. I also figured out how many Peters and Pauls I need to rob to pay Glase so the wheels on the bus will go round and round for 1,500 or so miles back to New England.