Grateful is sometimes scraping the bottom of the barrel

I guess it's time to take out my "lucky list". I do this when I am feeling especially UNlucky or UNgrateful, as I do right now. My cute little car blew up again this weekend on my way to visit my parents in Reno. What a hassle. Just got it back from the mechanics in Pleasanton, revved it up, and off to Reno we went. Not quite.

The good news is that the tow truck driver really liked my homemade chocolate chip cookies I was taking to my parents, and that made the 10:00 p.m. call in the middle of nowhere a little sweeter for him. Plus, he drove us all the way to our destination, and entertained us with tales of a horrific 62 car pile-up on Hwy. 80 between Auburn and Tahoe. Not 62 separate accidents. No, sixty-two cars in one really, really big fender bender. He also provided us with an illustrative account of the woman in an SUV who jumped out of her SUV and flew down a mountain to search for her dog in a snow storm; she then got confused and lost in the snow storm, and didn't realize that the search and rescue team had found her dog and was looking for her. Oh, my.

The good news is that the search and rescue team found her, alive. Cold, miserable, shaken, but alive.

So, I guess the first thing on my lucky list is that I didn't break down in the snow. See, already feeling so much more grateful and lucky. It was a balmy evening, actually, by Tahoe standards. I actually remembered to pack a sweatshirt, so I was set. Plus, I also remembered to bring a lot of water. So, watered and bundled up, we were able to tear into the chocolate chip cookies (remember they were for my parents) after we finished cussing and cursing the mechanics that had just finished repairing my car last week, to a tune of $2,500, which doesn't even include the part the extended warranty people paid (Old Glory, I think is the name, who paid another $2,500). Once the sotrming and stomping and cursing was finished, we were thirsty and hungry. Out came the cookies. Yum. Plus, we had some cold coffee leftover from our pit stop at Starbucks earlier in the drive. Double yum. We were set.

The car was towed to Sacramento. No clue how I am going to get it back, or when, or how much it is going to cost. We were towed to Reno and arrived very late, but in one piece and full of sugar and caffeine (parents always love that).

Grace in Small Things: 33/365

1. While I am not happy about my car, I didn't kill it on purpose, nor was I killed
2. I did get to Reno and then home in one piece; not happy, but in one piece
3. 7 days of the semester left
4. My friend Cindy, who I heard from when I got home; just hearing her voice was so delightful, and reminded me how lucky I am to have such interesting and thoughtful friends
5. Little Johnny Handyman, who can curse and stomp around even better than I can
5.