The Hogsty

Morning all . . .


22° and we got about a half inch or more of snow last night, will have to see if the leaf blower will move it or was the ground still warm enough to melt the first few flakes causing a thin ice sheet under the snow layer.

My first winter living in Denver, my '67 VW busses sliding half windows on the front doors remained frozen shut until the spring thaw. I did learn about hydrostatic drive leaving Gates Rubber one fine morning at -10° and it would creep whether it was in gear or not. Also learned the value of silicone mold release sprayed on the rubber seals of the doors so they wouldn't freeze shut.

When living in Indiana the winters were rough. I had a VW bug at the time and Had to put a heating blanket over the engine at night, so it would turn over in the morning. A heated dip stick also helped the oil from turning into molasses. A good hair dryer helped with the door locks . All this worked because I could park it next to the house and run the extension cords out. Now I have a car I car remotely start and let warm up, but I now live in the desert so....
48-71 today.

Morning. Cloudy, still, 24 degrees but sure feels and looks colder.

I had a 69 VW bug when I moved to Laramie. One morning, I turned the key and the thing roared like I had the accelerator to the floor. Scared me. I'm not mechanical, had no idea what was wrong, and was a couple of miles from work. I ran into the apartment to call my boss and tell him I'd be late. Couple of Jehovah's Witnesses came up the stairs. I explained I was having car trouble, no time to talk. One asked the problem. I told him. He said, "I know what's wrong. Let me leave this book next door and we'll fix it for you." And so they did. Accelerator cable had frozen. I've been nice to a lot of persistent religion purveyors in their memory.

Except for that incident, that little car never failed to start, even in the coldest weather. Amazing Grace went anywhere- snow, sand, mud- as long as I was careful to avoid high-centering her.