Forest of the Plains

For the past couple weeks I have noticed a couple of lighting issues in my car. Not enough to take the car into the shop, just enough to be annoyed. The backlight behind the clock wasn't on, the dome light wouldn't automatically turn on when the driver's side door opened (it would for the other doors), and the helpful dinging wouldn't happen when I left the headlights on. Since I rarely drive my car after dark, these things usually aren't a problem.

Today it was pretty dark all day with rain and a strong Kansas wind. I turned on my lights so that I was compliant with the new Kansas law that says if you are using your windshield wipers then you must have your lights on. I stopped in at the office to wrap up a few last things before going on maternity leave. I left the office glad that I didn't have to worry about work.

Apparently I had left the headlights on, and because on no dinging sound, I didn't notice it. My car almost turned over, but not quite. I had jumper cables in my trunk. Feeling very much like a helpless poor pregnant woman, I very nearly cried and couldn't think about how to get someone to help me. I called John who calmly convinced me to go back into the office and ask for help. Luckily a coworker called the maintenance man who was happy to get out of whatever else he was doing.

I opened the hood of my car to discover two nests: one wasp and one rodent. No longer was I a poor pregnant woman, I was a disgusted not-quite-used-to-living-in-the-country woman. I should have known that a rodent was the cause of my problems. I can't believe that I've been a rodent taxi for so long!

So, in the end I missed meeting someone for coffee and my car started on the first jumped try in addition to being exposed to rodent activity. What a stressful afternoon!