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November 18, 2019: Fireball X-L 5

I have a love/hate relationship with my vehicle. I have hesitated to articulate this, but yes, this is what it is. I was calling it Deathtrap X-L-5, but I’ve decided instead to call it Fireball because the Deathtrap part is just too ominous. It also takes away from the good karma aspect of this vehicle.

We purchased it several years ago from Ellie Vande Visse, a friend who is heavily into organic gardening and composting. She wrote a book many years back entitled Ask Mother Nature: A Conscious Gardener's Guide, which is about communicating with plants and insects. I edited it for her, and she subsequently published it with Findhorn Press. The

Fireball XL5
Alys and Jenna with Fireball XL5

Findhorn Press is associated with the Findhorn gardens in Scotland – here, mother nature has (they claimed) given them an assist with this garden. Ellie has spent time there.

So we acquired this vehicle for $2,000 plus my editing work. It then, and now, seems like it was a fair trade. It came with 10,000 miles and now has 154,000 miles.

The name came from an old television series – this was the program that most kids were watching during the 1964 Alaska earthquake. It starred two marionettes, Steve and Venus. Fireball X-L 5 was the name of their spacecraft.

Fireball is what I call a fair weather vehicle. She does best on warm, sunny days when the roads are clear. I can’t drive at night because the glare from other vehicles headlights is blinding. I go very slowly and keep my eye on the white line. This could be because the head lights are dim. I dunno. The windshield has some cracks, and the vehicle has no container for windshield wiper fluid. This at times is a real pain in the ass, particularly when the tires of semis and larger than life trucks send snow, mud, and ice up onto the windshield.

For the longest time, the radio didn’t work. Pete figured out that if we tap it underneath, it goes on. I now have this figured out just right.

If it snows and there is any accumulation, I can’t get Fireball up into our parking area. Pete is able to do this. Must be a gender issue.

The right side view mirror fell off some time ago – Pete said a horse knocked it off. This hasn’t been a problem.

The heater works just fine, and though loud, the engine is working. Fireball is now also very rusty.

I was going to get an older Jeep, but its owners never got back to me.

So we are “sort of” car shopping. In the meantime, I’m able to get around in the daytime, in good weather. Pete and I are now carpooling quite often, and though this does inconvenience him, I’m okay with it. It is sort of like sharing the same cell phone.

We are now working on paying down our credit card bill. Once done, we will begin doing some “very serious” car shopping. I, of course, have some mixed feelings about this. I know a new car would be safer and reduce car pooling time. But on the other hand, I really like Fireball. She gets me here and there, and will continue to do so, even though right now darkness impinges.

Next: 320. 11/19/19: More Trauma Drama

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