Folks-
I notice the ole mailing list is a little slow these days, so...
Those of you looking for meaningful automotive dialogue...hit the delete
button now.
The other day I needed what little shop space that isn't filled with that "too
good to throw away" stuff, so I pushed the GT6 outside. No problem, what could
happen!
I hadn't quite finished my project when the hot tub timer went off, so I
cleaned up, grabbed a bottle of a Hungarian distilled product, my rubber
ducky, and hit the tub.
So, I'm relaxing and sipping when I notice that some sort of weird flakiness
is descending from the heavens...good grief...SNOW. My first thought was, hey,
finally a rationalization for that gas-sucking 4 wheeler I bought. On further
reflection upon the amounts of the aforementioned Hungarian distilled product,
I demurred, but first thing in the morning...
Logic tells anyone who has seen where I live, that it was not built for a
snowy clime. My driveway has about a 30 degree rise for the first 20 feet.
Interesting in most vehicles, scary in some, and impossible for the most
interesting. Now picture that little bit of blacktop covered with a few inches
of snow...Chrysler's best couldn't make the grade. OK, so I had to leave the
chagrined 4 wheeler at the bottom of the drive.
I spent the rest of the day licking my "virtual" macho wounds and finishing my
project. At the end of the day, I had to finally open the door to push the GT
back inside (I was a little reluctant as it took all day to get the temp up to
"cool," but I went for it.) After I used the air compressor to blow the evil
flakes from it's crevices, the GT went back inside. As I shut the door I
noticed that a bird, maybe a Scissor-tail Flycatcher, or an immature Whooping
Crane, or maybe... a Sparrow, had flown into the garage. The poor thing is
freaking out and slamming into the walls (ok, maybe it WAS a punk bird). I
grab my fishing net and chase that poor sucker around the garage. Did you ever
do something that you saw happen in slow motion? When you knock the toe-in
gauge of the wall, it could possibly hit the aluminum baking pan that you use
to hold all those carb parts, flipping them into the air where a metering
needle could fly across the garage and stick into a new anniversary Landrover
poster. The gauge could then possibly continue down to knock over a door onto
the floor jack where it could get 4 nifty dents in it, and the bird could
still be loose....but I doubt it.
Now that I had the aforementioned Albatross, I decided to let it out the front
door as opposed to opening the garage door where it could fly back in. So, I
opened the door, shook the bird out of the net...and it flew directly over my
head back into the house. Now I have a bird in the house. The bird is freaked.
I'm chasin it. Bill, the dog, is beside himself. There's barkin, net wavin,
and bird do-do' in. That bird was really loaded, there was bird "stuff" all
over the place. The bird finally found refuge in the Christmas tree...Bill was
not pleased. A little fancy "net" work got the bird out the door.
OK, Enough drama...but no. Not an hour later a "woods pussy" trundled onto the
front deck and decided that the Welcome mat would make a nice place to bed
down. I don't know about you, but I don't know how to deal with a resident
skunk nestled outside your door! Bill is beside himself, the woodpile is
outside, and it's gettin cold in here. I can't open the door to try to scare
this olfactory unit away, it has got its head ON the glass of the door. OK, I
can slide out the bathroom window and grab some wood so I don't freeze to
death, however, the skunk it still out there, Bill is crossing his legs so he
doesn't have to go out, and I'm a little tired of squeezin out the bathroom
window.
So, does anyone have a good de-skunking technique?
Fat tires, stiff springs, and fat bars do not make for good handeling in the
snow...
Nick in Nor Cal
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