I just took the stairs down to grab a breath of fresh outside air for the first time since arriving at the office this morning. Happened to be near a window, and noticed what a sunny day it was, quite a change from last night's storms and norther that blew through.

Brrrr! Yessir, I think this one is the real McCoy - time to break out the sweats and gloves and layer up for the bike rides for a couple or three months.

The next couple of mornings, promise to bring some near freezing temps here, and I will be paying the price, for being a procrastrinator and somewhat of a throwback to the old shrimper without a spare tire/country boy, fix it to get through the day kind of mechanic.

Most newer model vehicles, such as mine are well beyond the old shade tree mechanic days of points, plugs, a carburetor and my being able to grab some baling wire or duct tape and get back on the road in a few minutes. The same technology that allows me to publish this in a matter of minutes, has for the most part, sidelined me when it comes to auto mechanicing.

Not so on the heating and radiator part though. The same liquid that cools the engine, heats the cabin. Simple concept, until the heater part buried under the dash springs a leak and fills the front seat with yellow Prestone steam. This happening back in April, for me, I just whacked that heater out of the system and bypassed it with a nipple and a couple of hose clamps, and I was good to go - except no heater or defroster.

Now, here I sit, eight months later(coincidentally the length of a Texas summer) with only one way to get to work, facing the prospect of some serious Pilot shrinkage going on, and a fog on my glasses for the ride to town for a few days. It just doesn't pay to be a shade tree mechanic and a procrastinator. Well, it does pay - for my new mechanic. This time next week I'll be lighter in the pockets, but cozy and warm.

I'll learn one of these days.........