The Last Thing to Break

Meet Bridget.  Bridget is my big blue half-ton Toyota Tundra truck, a veritable powerhouse that I am loathe to replace.  And why should I?  Although she is 17 years old, she has only 80,000 miles on the odometer.  Moreover, she has a 5.7L 8-cylin

der engine and can accelerate into traffic on the highway on short ramps even with a fully loaded two-horse trailer in tow.  They don’t make them like this anymore. I made an appointment at the local dealership to get tires rotated, oil changed, all the things….before hitting the road to return home. This visit should have been quick and financially painless. It was not.  First, they pointed out that the tires were now 7 years old – and this is about the lifespan of tires no matter what the tread says.  Gulp.  Then, they noted that the tie rods were worn. Whaaat?   Tie rods are what keep the tires together and linked to the steering wheel. No tie rods, no steering….  And all I pretty much do with the truck is high speed highway driving with a trailer in tow. I remembered thinking not too long ago that there seemed to be a bit of “play” in the steering wheel, but it didn’t register.  However, getting in the truck and driving out of the dealership post repairs I realized just how much tighter the steering felt.  I may have dodged a bullet.

While in the shop, I had them look at the cabin air flow vents, which did not seem to be functioning well.  It turned out that they and the cabin air filter were stuffed full of leaves, dirt, straw, and general debris. The technician said that was nothin'. Once he had to pull a possum out of a truck air vent. So I can now blast the air conditioning.  However, one week later I was appalled to look down and see tons of mouse droppings on the floor.  But these weren’t your typical small mouse droppings – these were droppings from mice on steroids.  So, now I am setting traps in the truck at night.  The first night both traps were sprung and the bait was gone.  The second night, the traps were not sprung and there was no sign of activity.  Let’s hope it stays that way.  I don’t want to be the basis for one of those Farmer’s Insurance accident advertisements with a mouse running across my foot while driving.

            Otto is as happy as can be and was very welcoming to Kari Washburn when she came to visit.  In fact, as you can see, he liked to join us as we watched TV.  I had to check Kari’s luggage before she left because I thought she might try to abscond with Otto.  Bob, poor Bob, continues to be broken. He has now taken to pulling tufts of his hair out and leaving them all over the place. He seems happy and active, and plays with Otto but he is getting raggedy looking.  He’s had a bath in case he got into something he was allergic to.  The vet suggested some anti-anxiety medication, which seems to help a little bit.

            Barry and I have now competed at second level with some success. Saturday the temps reached 90 and with the humidity it was not very pleasant.  In the interest of horse and rider welfare, I only did a 5 min warm-up ride before heading to the arena.  Despite that and to my great delight we put in a steady, fluid test with solid scores.  Performances in previous years have often featured moments of brilliance interspersed among episodes of not-so-good.  I have posted a video of Saturday’s ride with a blow-by-blow voice-over by Laura.  It is something that many trainers do down here when someone else is able to hold the cell phone.  If you are the person holding the cell phone you really cannot see or assess the ride.  It is really useful after the fact for the rider. You will also note that Barry has turned into an absolutely gorgeous hunk as his muscles have developed and his summer coat has come in so shiny.  It is going to be tough to send him home to Pennsylvania on April 12.