I did something the other day that reminded me of Dad. And it was something he did every year when it got cold, and it was something I think very few if any other Dads did. So, I offer this as yet another Dad-ism entry. It happened on his birthday no less. Sibs, tell me if you remember this one.When the weather got cold, Dad would get concerned about the battery in a car parked in the car port and whether it would start the car in the morning. So, he would raise the hood and place a "trouble light" next to the battery to warm it throughout the night. Then in the morning the car would start right up. I don't ever know of it ever failing to do so.
In my situation, it was not the battery but a frozen windshield washer bottle. I tried thawing it out with a hair dryer, but that didn't work. Then I thought of trying to get some kind of heater down in there to do the job, but there was no way anything very large was going to fit. Finally, I realized the trouble light I was using was quite warm and I thought it might possibly be enough to at least start things thawing out. So I tried it overnight and ... IT WORKED! It worked so well the fluid I removed from the bottle was actually very warm. It probably saved me a lot of money I would otherwise have paid a mechanic to do it.
Then I thought of Dad. All through this repair I had not thought of Dad using the trouble light to warm the battery. But I bet somewhere in my brain is a collection of all the successes Dad had doing that. I thought of how proud he would be to see my success, especially if he could have been the one who recommend it.
2 comments:
Oh yes, I remember the trouble light!! He had to make sure he could get to work even on bitter cold mornings. I thank him for that work ethic...
I certainly remember this. He would sometimes cover the light with a blanket to hold in the heat. We always counted on him to support us by getting to work on time--and he never let us down. I, too, thank him for that work ethic.
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