A couple weeks ago I noticed that the truck’s brakes have been acting funny. When I stop at a traffic light for example, the brake pedal tends to keep sinking as I sit there, and if I’m not paying enough attention the truck may start to roll forward even if my foot stays on the brake. Ab & Tom’s was not able to get the truck in for a few weeks, so I took it to Boggs Automotive instead. I figured we’re towing the camper a few hundred miles (next week!) so I better get the brakes taken care of now. Anyway they said that the front calipers were seized and the rear rotors and pads all needed to be replaced. So I had them do all that….and when I picked it up at the end of the day it appeared to me that nothing had really changed after $1300+ worth of work. So I took it in the next day and asked them to check out what I was telling them it was doing. The manager agreed to have the lead mechanic test drive it, so I took it in at the end of the day and he did so. His test drive lasted less than a minute and he was back, saying as he came back in the door something like “it never should have left here in that condition.” OK, so bring it in tomorrow morning! They had it again the next day and replaced the master cylinder which appeared to be shot. Another $343.17 there. But at the end the truck has all new brakes for the trip up north tomorrow, and we should even be able to stop when we need to. 

I took a load of scrap metal to Lewis Salvage on Monday, mostly things that Beth has been bugging me to get rid of. An old patio chair that the webbing has ripped, an old table that was by the front door, my old bike that the shifter’s been broken for a year and I’ve taken parts off of, and some miscellaneous scrap from the garage. That all got me $3.68! I bought a drink and had some change left over.

Tuesday the softball game was cancelled, rather postponed, because the opposing team had too many players out due to the fair to field a team. The league manager tried to get another team on short notice but couldn’t, so she’s scheduled a doubleheader next week. When I’m out on vacation, dang it.

Another medical milestone for my journey to being old: my first cortisone shot. I finally went to see my family doctor last week hoping for a referral to an orthopedist about my shoulder. It’s been sore for about 6 months now, and chiropractic isn’t really helping. Dr. Dick said he thought it was “adhesive capsulitis” or frozen shoulder, and sent me over to Ortho Northeast. The same doctor that sees Beth about her knee and back saw me, took some x-rays, and told me he didn’t see anything on them so apparently Dr. Dick was right. He gave me a cortisone shot, which may help like flipping a switch, or not, and gave me some exercises to do. Apparently the shot and the exercises and icing should cure it but it may take some time. Well, it’s already been months. I need to get a resistance band.