I am only discombobulated when confronted with threats to life and limb.
I must tell you I blame husband, Bill and good friend, Norma who are both probably responsible for yesterday’s tortuous journey.
On the way back from Lexington, Virginia I noticed a flashing light on the dash. It was an insistent throbbing warning light with the image of a car going down a very steep hill! Yikes! I wasn’t even ON a hill!
In a real panic, I pulled into the first logical parking lot
which happened to be at our local funeral home.
Was the car DYING?
A funeral home parking lot would be an ironic resting place.
Were the brakes shot?
Was I doomed to crash at the bottom of some bottomless precipice?
Should I drive all the way home?
I consulted the auto’s Information Manual. Nothing.
I turned the car off. The flashing image disappeared.
I turned it on. The flashing image re-appeared.
Having made perfect sense of the on-off thing,
I moved the clutch up and down to different places. No change there either.
With no other options, and in a breathless state of irrational fear, I made the shaking decision to drive on home.
There is an explanation here if you will just stick around a little longer. Really.
It begins with Bill (who I blame for everything of course). He keeps a car oiled and inspected, but he doesn’t really care about keeping it pristine.
I try to ignore dust on the dashboard, and pebbles, paper, and bits of junk on the floor, but eventually I disintegrate into obsessive compulsive behavior. The obsession magnifies, especially if I will be the driver for the next outing with friend, Norma.
I do always blame Bill for everything of course, but for this incident I also blame Norma (who doesn’t yet know her culpability). This fearsome event was because her car is always immaculate! I do so admire Norma and her car but I feel shame about mine!
Anyway, it’s my turn to drive on our next outing so I began the arduous (slightly obsessive) herculean task of ArmorAll-ing, vacuuming, and removing dust and mud from door frames. “ArmorAll Wipes” help when I am in a shopping mall parking lot. That’s where I, well – o.k. I admit it – SWAB THINGS!
The results so far were a dust-free driver’s side! Success in sight!
So yesterday, in the grocery store parking lot I began swabbing the steering wheel and then moved on down to the clutch areas, etc. Of course that was before the fearsome warning light came on. Then came that harrowing white knuckle drive!
Safely arriving home with no extraordinary catastrophes, the problem was turned over to Bill, who (much as I hate to admit it) immediately solved the problem. It seems that my aggressive swabbing unwittingly depressed the downhill “assist” button (near the clutch), resulting in an afternoon of terror and erratic driving.
Please do not ask what the “downhill assist button” means or is! I have no clue.
But, all it took to restore order was to re-press the little downhill assist button once again. Voila! The flashing light is off!
However,
My Final
Messages to Bill and Norma
How to Prevent Discombobulated Ditzy Driving Among Your Peers
Answer #1: Bill, be more fastidious about keeping our car clean!
Answer #2: Norma, be sloppier and leave your car dirty for our outings!
Virginia Views 