Pack, Prep, and Panic

I was up by 7am and ready to get my Saturday underway. I had lots on my plate in order to be ready to depart bright & early Sunday morning. After exercise, a walk with Ykraps, and a long run, I was ready to dig into my list of chores. First on my list was a stop at Home Depot to pick-up some nuts and bolts to aid in making some minor boat trailer repairs while taking advantage of having the boat docked on Lake Norris. Bella went along with me. After Home Depot, we stopped at Tim Horton’s for a dozen scrumptious donuts. It seemed with each selection I was warmed that that type wasn’t included in the $5.99 a dozen price. Geesh! We finally settled on 12 good ones. Next stop – picking up the boat. We attached the boat without any issues at all. Bella was a big help pulling on the heavy, long chain both opening and closing the storage door. Before heading home, we stopped at Thornton’s to gas up. We filled the Trooper, the boat, and two five-gallon gas containers - $115. Lastly, we checked and topped the air in all six tires (Trooper & trailer). Once home, it was time to get busy. Before starting lawn chores, I decided it best to take care of the boat and Trooper. I started the boat using the water muff. All systems go! Next, I checked all the fluids on the Trooper. I was surprised to find no oil registering on the dip stick. After all, I had changed the oil back in March or April but had driven less than 3000 miles. More likely than a leak or excessive burn-off was a lack of focus by the oil changing attendant. They’re often more concerned with the upsale versus getting the oil changed properly. If you may recall, they left a vacuum line off my engine causing my engine light to come on. Knowing this, I didn’t panic. I had roughly half of one quart in the garage. I poured all of it in. It still didn’t register. Yikes! Mindy was heading out to shop for our vacation food so I asked her to pick-up some anti-freeze and motor oil. While Mindy shopped, and before starting my lawn chores, I loaded my list of must have tools into the Trooper. I certainly hoped that I wouldn’t need them. But I’d rather have them and not need them then to need them and not have them. Next, the lawn. I did a nice job trimming, edging, cutting, and blowing. The lawn was beginning to show signs of stress. It hadn’t rained in a handful of days. I began watering as soon as I finished cutting. I would water all day and all night. Mindy returned with her bounty around 3pm. I helped lug everything inside but then grabbed the oil and anti-freeze to finish up the Trooper. The Trooper took another quart to bring it up to the proper level. That worried me some. I topped off the anti-freeze too. Feeling good about what I’d accomplished, I got to packing my gear inside. I wouldn’t be taking too much, especially after seeing how much I brought home from a week in Florida unworn. Dad stopped by early evening to review his to-do list. He’d be caring for the house, Ykraps, and our outdoor plants, a service that is much appreciated. Not feeling up to cooking a meal, we ordered Minelli’s pizza for dinner. As the evening wound down, we had everything ready for the go. All that was left to do was load our gear into the boat and Trooper in the early AM. We headed off to bed just after 10pm.