Minor technical nuisances, and a major canine success

 

 

 MINOR NUISANCE 1

 

Plastic cover for engine.  Finding the engine block is hard if you don't have an adjustable wrench with which to remove the four bolts which hold this in place.

 

Dead battery

 

 

 

My brother Martyn, and his son Sam will remember that my car battery died one night back in 2011 after we'd had dinner at Barnacle Bill's on SRQ's "North Trail".

 

After resting the engine for a bit we managed to start the car just as the AAA techie arrived.  He was very nice about this.  But the car would start the next morning.  AAA replaced the battery which was just as well, since M and S were heading out to Sea World that day.

 

That new battery "died" in Feb 2013, and was replaced, fee of charge, under warranty.

 

This morning, less than two years later, the replacement battery was wonky.  I thought that I might have left headlight on overnight, so I jump started the battery with the help of y neighbour Garry's car, and my jumper cables.   I drove to the bank, and left the engine running while I made a deposit, hoping that I could get so charge into the battery. 

 

The it was off to the Opera House and the Library, to pick up a ticket at one place, and a book at the other.  (They are opposite sides of the same street).  As I  walked back to the car I did two irrational things.  I crossed my fingers, and I prayed that the engine would start.  I didn't.

 

I put on my friendly face and asked a woman who was returning to her car if she would help me jump start the battery.  She was pleased to so do.

 

I suppose that car manufacturers believe that jump starting will never be needed. In the case of my Santa Fe, since the engine is covered with a plastic shield, it is almost impossible to find a place on the engine block at which to attach the negative clip of the jumper cables.  I had to manually hold the clip against a bit of the engine which was visible, whilst my kind helper turned the key.  (She had offered to hold it in place.  I declined on the grounds that if anyone was about to be electrocuted it should be me). 

 

Back at home I ran the engine for an hour in the hope of getting a bit of a charge, but to no avail. AAA arrived at 3:30 p.m., and replaced the replacement battery under a pro-rated rate dating back to the 2011 battery replacement.  So I am eighty four bucks out of pocket.  Darn!  Batteries should be good for more than two years.

 

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 MINOR NUISANCE 2

 

 

It will print a test sheet

 

It is connected to Wi-Fi

 

I bought a new Wi-Fi enabled Epson XP 310 printer last September at "Best Buy"  It cost the princely sum of $75.

 

It has worked so well -  until two days ago. 

 

'Tis all very strange. 

 

(1)  It will print a test sheet. (So the printer itself is fine)

 

 

(2)  The screen on the printer indicates that it is connected to Wi-Fi  (But  it refuses to print from my computer, which "says" that it cannot locate the printer).

 

What goes?  I do not know: but I will go to the American "Best Buy" chain tomorrow, (test sheet in hand)  and check in with their "Geek Squad".

 

Should their fee for repairs  be excessive (They are rumoured to start at $99) I will ditch the Epson XP 310, and buy a cheap, basic, and non Wi-Fi printer for abut 40 bucks. 

 

Why would a printer work one day, and not the next? Such is the mystery of this electronic age.

 

 

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A major success.

 

 

 

 



 

The ever adorable, and always loving canine "Penne" has been an important part  of my life since I adopted her back in 2007 or 2008.

 

 

Ever since then her "Tummy troubles" have bothered me.  She would so often refuse to eat until she had a first eaten grass, and then thrown up.

 

 

Earlier this year it dawned on me that she was always vomiting  un-digested kibble.  I sussed  that dry food was not good for her.

 

 

So I adjusted her diet.  Now I feed her only good  quality canned food, (supplemented with a scrambled egg).  She eats it with glee, and the days of grass eating and vomiting are in her past.

 

Poor dear Penne.  Even though I had bought the very best and most expensive kibble, it was not good for digestive system.

 

 

We do what we think is the best,  even if it is not the best for our pets.

 

Makes me think about how much the human parents of tiny babes must "agonize" about the best ways to feed their infants.