“Summer time and the living is easy,” so goes the old Gershwin song. It’s easy, until July hits and the gardens are exploding with produce. Our mornings are spent picking while the cool of an evening is spent cutting, cleaning and canning up the harvest. If it sounds like I am complaining, I am not. July is a bountiful month and a busy one too. All of those cans of tomatoes, peaches and green beans will be reward enough for our efforts, come winter time.
Newer vehicles with all of their bells and whistles are a wonderful invention, but sometimes I prefer cars that don’t blare bright red warning lights at you. I was ignorant with my older cars that the oil might be a little low or the windshield fluid needed filling. And that was okay. I didn’t spend my driving time worrying near as much as I do now.
A few weeks ago, the big red light and bell started blinking and chiming so violently, I thought surly my car would explode. I was in Mint Hill so I immediately drove to Mr. Inspection and asked the guys if they could please check the air in my tires. Turns out, the tires had too much air. Chris and Andrew, the managers at Mr. Inspection, promptly diagnosed the problem, solved it, and the light went off. When I asked “how much?” they said, “not a charge.” That’s not the first time those fellows have been good to me like that. Once, a few years ago when my car was loaded down with three children and groceries, another warning light about the oil came on. When I stopped in and inquired to the guys at Mr. Inspection about my blinking oil light, they checked it out and saw that I was very low on oil and put two quarts of oil in it for me. Trouble was, I had just spent all of my money at the grocery store and had no other means to pay them. Embarrassed, I told them that I would have to go home and get the money. With a smile, they said “no problem”. I told them that I would be back the next day to pay them (and I did) but I left with a feeling that I had just been to a trusted brother’s house, who will kindly take care of you if you need it.
We are lucky to have folks like Chris and Andrew in Mint Hill. They didn’t have to do that for me, either time, but they did and I appreciated it so much.
That’s the news from the homestead, see you next week!
