Some days I think we should just stay in the house and not go out into the civilized world. 

We had to get some parts for the baler. The main thing was a thing that looked like a big chain link. There are two of them that hook into a heavy chain on each side of the baler door. Their job is to keep the door from going up too high and flying into outer space like a UFO when Dean "dumps" a bale of hay.  Anyway, one evening he called me and asked if I knew if we had an extra link. I said I'd see what I could find and bring everything to the field. 

Well, I think I threw everything but the kitchen sink into the back of the pickup.  That included bolt cutters, pieces of old chain, cotter keys, and an old coffee can full of goodies (links from old chains that have been long gone from this earth). When I got there, he was encouraging when he said, "Hey, that's great. I think there must be something in here that will work." So, in the fix-it-up fashion that farmers have, he proceeded to rig a contraption that did indeed work until we could get the right part the next morning.

Under the lure of getting me a cup of coffee if I went along, I jumped into the pickup with him. As usual, the parts department at Heritage had the piece we needed, and we were on our way. When I looked at the bill, I asked Dean to guess what the chain link hooker-upper-fastener cost. He guessed about four bucks. I said, "Nope, eight and a quarter!" I thought he was going to run off the road.  Then we both shrugged our shoulders and said oh well, we had to have it.  However, the point of the story is to remind folks when you read the front page story about high grain prices, the fact that inputs and repairs are high -- but we gotta have 'em.

Just today Dean looked at the dash of the pickup where there was a weird shaped warning light shining. While he drove toward Woodrum's, I dug out the manual and saw where it had to do with emission control. When we got there, Larry Graves had the mechanic check the diagnostics, and said to leave the truck and they would fix it quick as they could. We drove away in a "loaner" car to finish errands. That's where the fun began. 

The car had the gear shift on the floor, but being creatures of habit we are so used to having it on the steering wheel that it was no time before we had the windshield wipers going full blast -- with washer fluid squirting! We were both laughing so hard, and both remembering the other evening when grandson Erik said for us to take his truck to our house. We got in and the sound was so loud that Dean yelled over the music, "We've got to get that turned down. I can't stand to ride home with that loud noise." I said I didn't know which button to push even though I was pushing them. Nothing seemed to help, so I yelled, "Do you want to ride home in the back of the pickup?" "No!" Then we hit a button that took it to about half-strength which was bearable. 

That's why I say that sometimes the two of us shouldn't be turned loose on the road.