Object are closer than they appear

I am far from old...but then again that depends on the frame of reference I suppose. To my son....I am sure I am as old as dirt. Respectfully of course! I mean he is a good kid, but thinking back to when I was 13, my friends parents were old, my parents were old...hell I remember when I was 17 and a girl we knew was dating a guy who was 30.....DAMN that was like dating a senior citizen. While to a few of my friends who are more mature than I...47 seems like a spring chicken.
Why the rant about age? Well I  am sitting here with a dram of scotch(old persons drink) while I ice my foot with plantar fasciitis (old person pain) and winge about how small the letters are on the keyboard(old person eyes) and ponder my pictures for this blog post.
Last week(sunday) I drove Fillmore into the city to get the coolant leak repaired in the rear heater unit. It was a drop dead gorgeous day. A beautiful blue sky with high wispy clouds, +7C which is amazing for December. As I barreled down the highway, checking the gauges- temp, air pressure, fuel, speed(yes I did get a speeding ticket in Fillmore some time back-who knew!), and mirrors I was struck by the beauty of the highway fading into the mountains set against the prairie big sky.

It wasn't until now though as I downloaded the picture did I think 'well that pic is a bit lack luster'. What seemed bigger than life in the present, seems almost indistinguishable now. I smirked at the thought of the message often found on modern day side mirrors

"Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear."

I guess what I am getting at is that sometimes we take things for granted, our health, our loved ones, the beauty of the world around us. At times it's not until it is taken away that we realize how lucky we are. I had a close call with a lot of potential bad sh#t in the last year or so, but I am so grateful for still being here to see the sky and to giggle about my aging eyes, and aging body.

When I arrived at Polar Mobility, Michelle who was to pick me up was delayed by a half hour or so. Much to her relief I said, "no rush Fillmore has heat and I have a book!"(and of course my reading glasses)
 Frankly grateful for the opportunity to sit, relax and enjoy.....to bad there wasn't a Tim Hortons close by...

The next day Fillmore was repaired and ready to go home, I picked him up after work....yes it's dark here at 6:30. I am tickled pink at how great Fillmore looks at night. Not so tickled when I am chased down by people who stop me on the street to ask what this is and if they can come aboard for a look.

After a few failed attempts at Fillmore time, I managed only to start to cut metal studs for the bathroom.

What a difference a week can make. Now, although still mild in comparison, it is winter. But as Christmas draws closer in the mirror, I am grateful for another opportunity.

The busted knuckle

 I love this thing, Randy and Leslie were out and about when they saw this metal sign.....and thought of me. Some things are truer than life itself.
 Today was a rare day, 3 out of 4 of us had no commitments....aside from getting the 4th one to dance...and as such we were able to play at home. Which for me meant I could spend the greater part of the day with Fillmore.

 The panel project continues. Remove, re-cut, replace.repeat. I was sidelined last week when the pneumatic rivnut gun broke down. The threaded mandrel was damaged. I thought it was marred threads, so I spent time restoring them only to find it still didn't work. After playing some email tag with the manufacturer I found out that the piece I needed to replace (a grade 8-1/4"x  2" NC hex head) didn't need to be manufacturer specific, which meant I could get it just about anywhere.

 So on with the show! More cuts and test fits, which means I got lots of exercise walking up and down the hill to my shop!

 After a great day, the paneling was complete....well as complete as anything really gets. You know how it is. You take a step forward and then the next job forces you to back track a little to reconfigure things. I know that at some point in the (hopefully) not to distant future I will be removing some of these panels to modify or attach something to.

 Speaking of a step backwards....there is trouble in paradise again.....

The rear heater core is leaking coolant. I made damn good and sure that all the connections were tight, but I discovered a pool of trouble. It was a slow leak but it made a mess. Looking closer at the problem I realized that the leak was not coming from a hose clamp but rather a fixture that is designed to allow movement(a swivel it appears), but it is leaking from the swivel itself. So I may need to replace the part. Being that it is only a few months old, a quick call to Polar Mobility got me in to see them first thing Monday. Which means a drop off Sunday and I will have to figure out a pick up time.

Good thing I like to Dance