When Jim got home from work Friday he and Phil took a look at the suburban and decided that it was the lower ball joint (and not the lower bearing) that had broken. The good news? The part only cost $20 to replace. The bad news...you need a special tool to remove the old one and put in the new one. The part store sells this special tool for $124. It also rents the tool...for $124, but of course if you rent the tool you get full credit when you return it. It's not a bad system but Jim decided to try to replace the part without the special tool. He had a full team of supportive onlookers while he worked in the cold and the dark. (Phil, Tiffany, Natalie and our neighbor JD and his brother.)
Following the pattern of the day everything went wrong for a while as Jim tried to remove the bad part, first he used a chisel - which broke. Then he tried a screwdriver as a chisel - which broke, then the dremel grinder - which died, and finally a really nice grinder that was loaned to us by our wonderful neighbor, JD. After spending a considerable amount of (fruitless) time with the grinder (which didn't break but also failed to remove the part) Jim changed his mind about renting the special tool from the part store. Not long after that the suburban was repaired and ready for action, which was fortunate because we needed to use it to help a family move on Saturday. (Jim's car is still out of action.)
On Saturday I had no time (or energy) for posting. Jim and I spent the entire day packing and moving. Well, I spent the entire day packing and moving, Jim started at about noon because he had a work meeting to go to first. He still worked harder than I did though because he had to unload the truck and move large pieces of furniture up the stairs into the new house. It rained most of the day which made things rather cold, miserable and wet. It was a very productive day. The people we helped were extremely grateful and we enjoyed our time with the work crew, but by the end of it Jim and I were exhausted. It is finally time to admit we are no longer as young as we used to be!
Today, like yesterday, was also rainy from beginning to end. It averaged about 50 degrees outside but the wind and rain made everything feel colder than it was. For something different to do Jim and I took a roadtrip to Oshkosh in the afternoon.
Jim wanted to show me the new Ideal Products building and I am still kicking myself that I didn't take any pictures while we were there. The place looks great but they are behind schedule with the remodel. The original plan was that the building would be ready for the addition of furniture by this Monday and ready for business a week later, but things are currently running about a week behind.
After visiting the new building we stopped at the antique mall in Oshkosh and spent some fun time wandering around. Jim is always on the lookout for a Daisy pump action (wood stock) BB gun like he had when he was a kid. He found a mini version and a full size one with a plastic stock, but not the one he was looking for. I found a few small things too, a really great vintage table runner that looks nice hanging on the shelf in the kitchen...
...and an old cookie recipe book. The old cook books are the best because they tell you how to make all the classics from scratch. I can't wait to try it!
Now it's time to make popcorn and watch the Packer game. Hopefully they will do better than they did last week! Blessings to all!!
Photos of the day:
Scripture passage of the day:
The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Ps. 135:6-7
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