get the car inspected

every year, but this year I didn’t have the help of my talented mechanic son. All by myself… I did it!

It was difficult to get up and be at the glass shop by 9:00 am on Friday. I am not a morning person and I drank way too much wine the night before but I made it. I walked home, got a blister on my foot from my sandals to boot. It was ready by 12:30 and I was walking back to the garage. (running shoes this time) The damage $169.

Off to the garage/inspection station. They changed the muffler. I must admit it was making a lot of noise. I am sure he overcharged me and I hate a man who won’t look you in the eye when he is telling you the price for something. But he was willing to give me the inspection sticker after this work so I went with it. So $316 later, I have the inspection sticker and that is really all that matters.

Off to the police station. The looked at the inpsection sticker, they took my warning and said they would take care of it. Now the car is good for the year. I am relieved.

to the point of depression! Really! I sat here this morning hemming and hawwing about getting the windsheild replaced. What happens if there is a bunch of other stuff wrong wtih the car? I cna;t afford this with the lawyers bill coing due at the end fo next month and ust gettng caught up on the bills. I got to the glass place and I was late, I hate being late but I was on the fence about the whole thing to begin with. It ended up that they had a person call out and because I was late they were unable to replace the windsheild. Okay. I took that as some sign.

Later I had an appointment at the garage to have the inspection done and told the guy about the windsheild but wold he still look at it and see if there was anything else that the car needed. I have a lot of rust on the wheel well as most older Hondas do and I was worried that I would have to spend a day with the Bondo before it would pass. He came out to tell me that it looks like I have a problem with my muffler, which I suspected given the noise it was making. $300 he said. Okay, not happy about that but I will manage. I have an appointment for that right after the windsheild.

I was pulled over twice in one week about my inpsection sticker being overdue and I only have until tomorrow to have it inspected and brought to the police station for verification so that warning doesn’t turn into a fine. Looks like I will make it.

I grew up poor and it is not fun. Even when I was first married and we rolled pennies to buy milk it was still not romantic. It came to pass that I enjoyed a much better lifestyle when I married my second husband. It was nice to not have to worry how I was going to pay for car repairs. But since I have left him and things are sometimes hard on my one income I have a great sense of accomplishment as I manage these irritating expensive issues. I am making it through and that feels good in the end.