Finally! Shiney and rust free

I've had my cutie little car for nearly 10 years. I bought her used and you would never believe how well she runs. I've had to take her in for minor repairs, but never anything major. She has never broken down on big trips and I've managed not to smash her up so far. She still has most of her original components. I spend more time with her than anyone. My Ruby Red Pamplemousse (or "grapefruit" in french) is a great car. So great that I totally take her for granted all the time.

Well, Ruby has been developing a little problem:

See the rust growing around the ding-guard? (Okay, I don't know what that strip of plastic is called, but it helps prevent dings, so that's what I call it.) I realize that the dirtiness of the car in this photo lessens the impact of the blight. Yeah, that rust has been a problem for at least 18 months. And, like any pest with no regard to decency and politeness, it's been getting worse and worse. My dad first suggested I get it fixed December 2009. But, at the time I was doing a play in Centerville and kinda needed the car. Then I did another play, and two more after that. Then I got a job where I work far away... there were always so many reasons to postpone this admittedly cosmetic repair.

I'm single. I have one car. Not having that car for a week or so for something relatively trivial was a really inconvenient prospect.

Well, as you can see in the photo above, it's pretty bad. I was starting to worry that sometime soon it would start eating right through the door. When I start worrying about things like that is when I take action. So, I got a few estimates (I had a really hard time not laughing at the first guy - $1800? Seriously? That's more than it costs to paint the entire thing!), found a likely place... and then did nothing for three more weeks.

I decided there would never be a really convenient time to get it done, so I scheduled an appointment and made arrangements for rides and stuff... and then had to reschedule to accommodate a surprise meeting at church.

But finally, FINALLY the day came. And as I was leaving the parking garage at work to drive to the body shop, I did this:

You have no idea how glad I was that I scraped that yellow pole BEFORE getting the car repainted. *Sigh*

It took eight whole days for them to fix the door, some small spots on the hood and another door, and repaint the whole thing.

Did I mention I'm single and have no other car to get me places?

Fortunately, I have the sweetest mom I could wish for, and some wonderful, dear friends who were all willing to give me rides to all the places I had planned to go. Mom drove me to and from the Trax station everyday. I rather enjoyed getting to chat with her each day, though several times I forgot to tell her when I was coming home, which resulted in her having to hurry to pick me up. She was good-natured about it; I felt like a complete space cadet and terribly guilty for inconvenience her even further. I also liked having some quiet time to myself while on the train to work, and not having to deal with traffic. It was a nice change of pace.

Mom even let me borrow her car Tuesday night so that I could audition for Annie Get Your Gun. If mine hadn't been ready to pick up before the weekend, she would have loaned me her car while she was out of town. Someday, I hope to be that kind of darling, loving mother. I sure do love her!

Finally, finally the shop called Thursday morning to tell me the car was finally ready for pickup. I was thrilled to see it that night. Look at how beautiful it is!!!!

Clean AND rust free! I could apply my make-up in that reflection!

 

And, of course, someone -- actually, multiple someones -- dinged the new paint job the next day. I'm trying not to be annoyed, because the important thing is that I finally got it done.

Having to depend on others was hard on my pride. I didn't realize until I got my own car back how much I missed my independence, and not having one kept me from seeing my best friend when she needed me. I wasn't really kept from doing anything that I had planned -- because most of it involved friends who were also going anyway and didn't mind picking me up along the way -- and it was still emotionally draining.

The difference in my emotions from Thursday morning to Friday was HUGE, prompting me to post this on Facebook:

I can't remember the last time I felt so optimistic. I slept in this morning, sang happy songs in my newly-painted car on the way to the office, don't have any meetings today, am excited about the work I'm doing, and have fun plans for tonight and tomorrow. Today may not turn out perfectly, but right now I feel content and hopeful!

The expression of my relief and euphoria in this post is so inadequate. Needless to say, it was a huge weight off my shoulders.

So ends the saga of the rust repair. This blog post wasn't quite as interesting as I hoped. I'm over it.

Here's a big THANK YOU to all who gave me rides to church, plays, work, and mutual friend's homes, as well as those who came to MY house to pick things up and who called to check in when I couldn't go to you. I am so grateful that you all were willing to serve me in this way. I really don't know what I would have done without you all!!

I missed you, Ruby! You look beautiful! It's positively WONDERFUL to have you back!