We had to take our old jeep in for some specialized mechanic work.
We bought this little vehicle five years ago, and it's served us well. However it needed some electrical work (relays, etc.) replaced as well as additional maintenance that were beyond the capacity of our primary mechanic (whose specialty is tires, but who does some mechanic work on the side), so off it went. Yesterday afternoon we got the call the car was fixed and ready to pick up.
The mechanic is a young family man, and he works in a shop on his property, which is located on a lovely stretch of road surrounded by broad meadows. Nice place to raise a family, especially since the dad works at home.
As Don and I crested the hill and crossed the meadow toward the mechanic's home, we saw elk. Lots of elk. Dozens of elk, possibly close to a hundred. I'd never so many elk in one location. With such a broad expanse of meadow, I suppose it's a natural place for them to hang out.
While Don paid for the vehicle, I crept to the edge of the lawn, peered through some bushes, and tried to photograph a few of the animals.
The herd was scattered over several acres, so I could only get a few animals into any single photo at a time.
The animals were calm and unhurried.
We've been in Idaho over 20 years now, and never have I seen such quantity of elk as we've seen around this place. It's delightful.
I followed Don home in the newly repaired vehicle just as the sun set.
Mechanicking, country style. Gotta love it.
There has to be a system of accountability. Over the years I've been ripped off twice by mechanics working from home. Both times it was "sorry charlie". They kept my cash and kept on keeping on. Now I only trust repairs to reputable places of business. It isn't just that people can screw up and be unwilling to right their mistakes. Vehicles now sometimes really need that fancy diagnostic equipment good shops invested in. And diagnostic equipment in dealerships has been in place for over two decades now. It works.
ReplyDeleteSimple things, ok. The local fellow may be fine. Otherwise you are flipping a coin.
Ah, but that's another advantage of country mechanicking. Our regular mechanic recommended this new guy, whose reputation is excellent. In fact, his specialty is diagnostics and fixing stuff deep in the bowels of the vehicles. If he was in the habit of cheating his customers, the back-fence gossip would spread fast and he'd be out of business. Fortunately his reputation preceded him.
Delete- Patrice
Long ago, it was neighbors who recommended another neighbor to replace an engine. He did. We all live in the same country community. It was a dud. I even tried to have it repaired but it was junk. I'm glad that hasn't happened to you, Turns out that man, who is long dead, liked to drink. But not everyone knew that then.
DeleteMy rose colored glasses broke eons ago, but I still love this rural community.
I so love that in this story of taking your vehicle to the mechanic for a repair, which rates very high on the nerve-wracking scale (similar to getting a root canal), you choose to focus not on the negative aspect, but rather on the good things in abundance around you. God is great.
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