Sunday, November 15, 2015

Weaving a new set of wheels

I have been thinking about this little tapestry made by Sarah Swett the last few days.
Sarah Swett, four-selvedge tapestry
You see, Sarah and I had a conversation about her search for a new car when she was in Colorado this past summer. She had worn her car all the way out and was in the midst of the difficult process of moving on.

I have been dancing around that decision for a couple years now. I will reach a moment where I am sure that I need to get a new car and then I'll decide that it doesn't matter if the door gaskets leak on me in the rain or that the air conditioning only works when the car is moving or that the paint is peeling off in sheets now. My mechanic has consistently told me it is safe and I have believed him.

Until Friday. My ride to the mechanic had just pulled away and the news across the desk was emphatically (from three different men with a liberal amount of grease under their fingernails) that I should not drive this car until they are able to work on it again next week. When three different people who really do seem to know something about cars tell you this, you have to listen.

And with the rest of the news about the parts attrition which happens with advanced age and mileage, the thought of getting a new car now instead of waiting just "one more year," suddenly became a reality.

The thing is, I really like this car. I've had it more than 16 years now and it has given me surprisingly little grief. It kept me safe when I skidded off the road on black ice at 50 mph. It witnessed the entire life of my 14-year-old yellow lab who died two years ago now. It carted a 28 inch 8-harness Macomber and boxes of books and yarn along with me, my dog, and what clothes I could cram between the harnesses of the loom on multiple traveling therapy assignments. I love its 5 speed engine and the way it performs on icy roads and steep hills. And I love that for 16 years it only left me stranded at the side of the road one time (well, twice... but the time I busted the oil pan on a rock driving up a rural Colorado 4WD road can hardly be held against it). I never wanted the green color which was all the dealer in Reno, NV could get me in 1999, but this Volkswagen Golf never held that against me. She has been a gem of a car.

But all mechanical things do come to the end of their life at one time or another. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it, but somewhere I'll find the courage to go car shopping. Perhaps I need to follow in Sarah's footsteps and weave my new car into existence. I took Emily's car to the grocery store yesterday and was so delighted that there were both electric windows and a cup holder. Perhaps change won't be so bad after all.

There is a great photo on Sarah's blog of her little car weaving at Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in South Dakota. http://www.afieldguidetoneedlework.com/blog/what-i-meant-to-do-today I don't know what car she actually bought, but I hear it all turned out okay.

12 comments:

  1. 11.16.2015.........To the most sharing, helpful tapestry teacher in the US.....from Janet in NJ(former on line student) who with your help conquered the nasty warp and is now conquering the shading in the dress in the portrait I'm weaving now.....my advice is to buy a new car.....I have driven Jettas for many years now and am so glad I do....the trick is to interview customers in the waiting room of the service department of the dealer you choose....that's right, I just went in there and sat down with them and found out their opinions--all valid.....I turn my Jettas in after 5 years just to have the next modern car.....you will have Roadside Assistance and even beyond if you want.....you will have New Car Smell....you will have a modern radio and a modern phone system....you will have confidence and peace of mind....hopefully you will also buy a new yellow lab puppy to help you adjust.....

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    1. Thanks Janet. I love your idea of talking to people in the waiting room of the service department. Great way to hear about cars! I have loved my Golf. I think the next one will be a Subaru though. The AWD is so useful here in Colorado... and the snow is going to fall perhaps today.

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  2. I subscribe to a computer newsletter. The writer is always urging his readers to try hard to adapt to changes in technology....his slogan is Embrace Change!
    Time for a new car, Rebecca, and be assured that it won't take long for you to feel great about cup holders, power windows, GPS....maybe even heated seats!! Like warping looms, the more you do it the easier it becomes. We'll be happier knowing you'll be safer on the snowy roads. We all love you too much to want to visualize you "schlepping" on mountain roads in your friend, the Jalopy.

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    1. Thanks Dea. I just have to find the courage to go to the dealership. I know I can do it. New car coming my way.

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  4. Hi Rebecca. I too was in a similar situation this summer. My beloved 16-year old wagon was in need of a bunch of expensive mechanical repair (which I had been having to do every couple of years over the last 6 years) and was to the point where it was needing cosmetic repair as well. I began toying with the idea of trading it in and looked on car websites. But, just couldn't bring myself to pull the plug. I loved my car! It was an extension of myself while driving; like a comfortable pair of familiar slippers. Well, fate intervened in the form of a car accident that totaled my beloved car. So, I had get a new car; a Subaru, because I too wanted AWD for snow. That was the one thing my old car just didn't do as it was rear wheel drive. The long and the short, though it isn't as zippy as my old car (it had a V8 engine!), it is solid, comfortable and completely reliable so now I never think about my car. I've even done a couple of road trips in it already. Subaru has a good website. A good place to dip your toe in!

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    1. Thanks Traci! I appreciate the little shot of courage you gave me here. We're going to test drive some Subarus this week.

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  5. I have an eight year old yellow lab I can loan you......so you can get some lab hair in your new car so it feels broken in!.......am sure you still have yellow hair in your car even after two years!.....:)

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    1. Oh you bet it does! My old car is still completely full of lab hair. I can't get it out. It is such a generous offer to loan me a lab to break in a new car. Thanks! :-)

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  6. I have an eight year old yellow lab you can borrow........so you can get some lab hair in your new car to break it in........am sure your car still has yellow hair in it!.......

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  7. .. I couldn't imaging living in CO & not driving a Subaru! all I drove when living in VT (the unofficial "State Car of VT" .. just check out the % in the Co-op parking lot!) now in PA & own Subie #6

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    1. The guy at the dealer told me that 37% of new cars sold in CO are Subarus. I completely don't believe that... but there are a lot around!

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