Summer Me

To paraphrase a line from William Shakespeare’s Richard the Third, Act 1, scene 1, “[Then was] the winter of our discontent.”

Gone are weeks upon weeks of unseasonably cold days and freezing nighttime temperatures, testing the wills of people with the mindset that the Sunshine State should always and forever provide weather conditions conducive to wearing shorts, T-shirts, tank tops and sandals as they bask in the sun beneath the shade of beach umbrellas on sandy beaches or lounging on open air pool decks with coolers filled with such thirst quenchers as bottled water and cans of beer.

Whew! We sure missed out on a lot this past winter! The proof of the matter came with a report from the National Weather Service that the average temperatures in the Tampa Bay area were about seven degrees below normal, the coldest winter since 1914 when data were first kept.

Surely, these past months have led to many a conversation that reinforced some people’s beliefs that the global warming scenario is more a contrived script of fiction than it is a fact of scientific research. Never mind international government assessments to the contrary – a statement released last fall from the G-20 Summit read, “We underscore anew our resolve to take strong action to address the threat of dangerous climate change.”

The few reprieves from global warming chitter-chatter were worrisome exchanges on health care reform, the unwavering disdain between Republicans and Democrats, and the squabble mongering from Tea Party enthusiasts. The unknowns of the health care bill are so numerous that the debate will go on and on for years, as will the daily droll about the weather.

And yet, some of us truly appreciated the brisk, fresh air that provided a respite from using no-drip 12-hour pump pray mists for temporary relief from constant bouts of inflammation of the nasal passages. Too soon, airborne pollen put an end to those free-breathing days; colorful patches of yellow still lay in contrast to the gray-painted floor on my back porch.

People who may have suffered most of all are those stricken with hypothyroidism. Layers upon layers of clothes, including sweatshirts and insulated coats, still left some in bone-rattling shivers. Even prescribed medications were unable to overcome the symptoms of the disease. Since I couldn’t imagine the discomfort, empathy was replaced with sympathy by turning up the thermostat a few degrees.

Fortunately, spring is now securely upon us with daytime temps hovering around eight degrees and, finally, the opportunity to get a little burned while soaking up the warmth of the sun. Caution: melanoma can be safely treated in its early stages – otherwise the cancer can be a life-threatening disease. But, oh, isn’t it so worth it to wear upon the face and body a deep, dark tan?

Within weeks, sunshine supermen will be mowing, trimming, landscaping and sweating under the blazing hot sun through twelve-hour days of sunlight. Soon, a growing number of pickup trucks will be on the roads hauling lawn equipment and loads of debris on trailer-beds. As they add to traffic congestion, and annoy the heck out of aggressive drivers and scare the pants off timid slowpokes, get over yourself and be grateful that hundreds of your fellow citizens will spend a few months making money that hasn’t been there since last fall.

In this economic climate, the added flow of currency will lead to an increase in consumer spending, thus bringing income to local businesses that will need to replace inventory and perhaps add to their payrolls. Anyway, that’s the way capitalism is supposed to work as a means to get us out of our economic doldrums. Most of us have a relative, friend or neighbor who will benefit from what will hopefully be a work-filled rainy season.

We’re also just a few weeks away from hurricane season. It’s an unknown equation but meteorologists foresee increased activity, quite different from the past few years. If El Nino weakens this year as predicted, Florida may see its first named hurricane hit landfall since Wilma crossed over the southern part of the state in October 2005.

That said, a heavy rainfall might also shake and shimmy your home and bodies as layers of limestone crumble beneath the sandy surface and create the dreaded sinkhole.

Never mind the falderal. It's all iffy stuff anyway. Duke ended March Madness winning the 2010 NCAA Tournament Championship. Tiger Woods is back in the swinger’s circuit in the Masters. The Red Sox won the MLB season opener. There you have it – baseball, the quintessential sign of summer. Water parks, barbeques and vacation trips are just a flip of the calendar away.

Winter has passed. Spring is here. But to quote Henry James, “Summer afternoon, Summer afternoon… the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

Mike and His Mechanics

Just beyond the border of Mississippi and the final stretch along I-12 toward I-55 there’s a little town of Hammond, Louisiana. From what I could tell, it’s not much of place of action but it was at that point in the trip that a long than wanted stop found the first full day of driving seeking some assistance with the car because the engine light had displayed on the dashboard. The Camry was running and riding fine but the need was still there to find out what might affect the journey to the north.

I quickly found a local auto supply store whose attendant routed me to an AutoZone where they were able to do a diagnostic check. Almost in the snap of a finger, the woman identified the problem to be the “oxygen sensor before the catalytic converter”. I quickly made a silent inquiry to myself as to whether there may other oxygen sensors branching from the converter – maybe after, under, over? Of course, I had no idea so the question was never verbalized. It was a silly thought and a pointless idea but it momentarily distracted my attention from the immediate problem.

The lady was pleasant enough but her insistence that it be checked out further by a qualified mechanic to avoid other problems (such as poor gas mileage) gave a bit more concern as to where I could take the car since it was a Sunday afternoon. A Toyota dealership had been seen on the way about town but it wasn’t open for business and I began to wonder if the night was about to be spent where I didn’t want to dawdle. She suggested K-Mart automotive could handle the job. Wrong.

Hammond, LA, is quite small - about 18,000 people according to Rand McNally but the directions seemed vague and confusing. I couldn’t believe it but I ended up on a highway that took me to another highway, taking me around in circles because their were three different exits. Exasperated and a little touchy, I got back on a surface road and lo and behold! a local police car was idling in a parking lot. How joyful I was and much relieved that he was very friendly, probably noting a bit of "I don't know where I am" facial expression; the officer pointed me in the right direction, one turn and just a couple streets away.

Of course, K-Mart auto strictly does tired so there I was listening to my traveling companion, the owner of the Camry, going through another bout of panic.

Not to worry. Although I didn’t have the business card with me, and knowing his place of business would be closed on Sunday, I thought of Mike at ToyoDoc in my hometown just a short distance across from the St. Petersburg/Hernando Times building. But I quickly thought of his last name, O’Connor. A directory listing from 4-1-1 and a quick dial to his home number availed me the opportunity to leave a message with a simple summary of what I had been told at AutoZone.

By the end of the day, when the Boost Phone voicemail was retrieved, Mike said don’t worry about it, that the gas mileage might be affected but definitely nothing to be concerned about. He’d check it when we were back in town. It’s scheduled for an appointment this coming Thursday. What a relief it is to have such an excellent Doc to handle maintenance and repair servicing with an expertise that fixes what needs to be done rather than any other auto place that would most likely soak the wallet.

Mike and his mechanics are just shy of being saviors for all my automotive needs. Since moving from Chambord St to his recent location on Cortez Blvd some time ago he answered my inquiry as to how business was going. I thought with the economic situation things might be shy of business goals. Not so. He explained that, because word of mouth is the best means of advertising, he has no need to drum up business from any other source.

The motto of ToyoDoc: Proverbs 22... A good name is more desirable that great riches.
I say, great riches to the honest man.

A sincere thanks to Mike and his mechanics.

UPDATE

ToyoDoc quickly identified the problem as the catalytic converter, which is under factory warranty for 8 years/80,000 miles. Fortunately, there's no cost. Unfortunately, the Camry has to be taken to a Toyota dealership.