i've told this story a couple times but haven't had much luck getting people to understand why i'm so paranoid about empty fuel tanks and very cold winters.
one winter i lived above the deli in mt. vernon iowa as i worked and went to school. i had an old pontiac and on weekends i'd take it to iowa city, pick up my daughter who was about three, and bring her back to mt. vernon to be with me. it was on one of those trips she said to me, "daddy, this car's all crashed up, you need a new car." she'd taken it upon herself to improve my life along with her mother's.
but i was so out of money, i let the gas tank get down to empty, and it froze. when i talked to my friends about it they said, wait 'til spring, or, get. a long extension cord, a hair dryer, and a piece of cardboard to lay on as you slide yourself under the car (in 0 degree weather).
I could borrow the hair dryer, but would have to buy the cord and that would require a special trip to someplace that was a long way to walk. but the biggest problem was that the deli itself opened out into the parking lot, which meant that if i ran that extension cord into where i could plug it in, it would be right in the deli and i'd have to leave that back door ajar while i did my car repair.
the people who ran the deli, and rented the apartment to me, were very nice, but they had made it clear that they ran a business there and i was not to make such a scene as some college kids might make on general principle. in other words i'd promised them i'd be good, wouldn't yell and scream on weekends, etc. i never even asked them about the extension cord; i just waited until spring.
in iowa that meant something like january to late march when things thawed out and stayed thawed out. in that three month period on weekends i'd hitchhike to iowa city, pick up my daughter and put her on the bus back, spend the. weekend, then take the bus back to iowa city, and hitchhike home on sunday night. i assured everyone i wouldn't hitchhike with my daughter.
finally things thawed. what i really needed was money so that when i got to the gas station, i could put gas in the tank. this i did, eventually. it was a long winter.
one winter i lived above the deli in mt. vernon iowa as i worked and went to school. i had an old pontiac and on weekends i'd take it to iowa city, pick up my daughter who was about three, and bring her back to mt. vernon to be with me. it was on one of those trips she said to me, "daddy, this car's all crashed up, you need a new car." she'd taken it upon herself to improve my life along with her mother's.
but i was so out of money, i let the gas tank get down to empty, and it froze. when i talked to my friends about it they said, wait 'til spring, or, get. a long extension cord, a hair dryer, and a piece of cardboard to lay on as you slide yourself under the car (in 0 degree weather).
I could borrow the hair dryer, but would have to buy the cord and that would require a special trip to someplace that was a long way to walk. but the biggest problem was that the deli itself opened out into the parking lot, which meant that if i ran that extension cord into where i could plug it in, it would be right in the deli and i'd have to leave that back door ajar while i did my car repair.
the people who ran the deli, and rented the apartment to me, were very nice, but they had made it clear that they ran a business there and i was not to make such a scene as some college kids might make on general principle. in other words i'd promised them i'd be good, wouldn't yell and scream on weekends, etc. i never even asked them about the extension cord; i just waited until spring.
in iowa that meant something like january to late march when things thawed out and stayed thawed out. in that three month period on weekends i'd hitchhike to iowa city, pick up my daughter and put her on the bus back, spend the. weekend, then take the bus back to iowa city, and hitchhike home on sunday night. i assured everyone i wouldn't hitchhike with my daughter.
finally things thawed. what i really needed was money so that when i got to the gas station, i could put gas in the tank. this i did, eventually. it was a long winter.
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