02-03-2021, Wednesday, the beginning of spring in the lunar calendar
Nowadays, we all know that cars are indispensable to modern people.
The first snowstorm in February also made us realize how cars are essential towards ensuring our sound living conditions during snowstorms. This led to a joyful and unique blessing for a car: reciting a poem and pouring a bottle of wine.
On Monday, 02-01-2021, the weather report forecasted that there would be 7 to 15 inches of snow within next two days. The local government reminded citizens to stay home to avoid car accidents on the snowy road which would block traffic; it also reminded citizens to bring water and food with them when they have to go out to prevent starvation in the case where they’re stuck in a snowstorm and can’t get help.
On Tuesday morning, 02-02-2021, after I shaved 5 to 6 inches of snow off of and around my car, I got into my car to start it, then I saw a warning sign: “Auxiliary Battery Malfunction”. This is my first time seeing this warning, so I didn’t know how serious the problem was. I was afraid to drive it out during a snowy day and create more problems. We had to drive another car.
Tuesday, a very snowy day, our other car worked hard for us. In the late afternoon, while taking a short cut and driving over a big pile of snow, we suddenly began to hear a constant loud noise coming from the bottom of the car. After parking, we immediately took a close look and found the plastic undercarriage cover had dropped to the ground and it looked like a big opened mouth. The insides of the mouth were filled with snow already. The open mouth plastic undercarriage cover converted our car into a snow gobbler while driving. The constant noise we heard was the snow gobbler gobbling the snow.
On Tuesday evening, two cars, all we have, had problems. After checked online and found “Because the car will still turn on and some functions will still work. The auxiliary battery does not affect the car’s mechanical functions”, My daughter planned loudly: “Tomorrow the first thing is dropping our snow gobbler to the shop. Then I will drive the car with ‘Auxiliary Battery Malfunction’ warning sign to shopping to test it.”
I replied: “OK.”
On Wednesday morning, in order to be the first customer, my daughter dropped our snow gobbler to the shop before the shop was open.
After driving the car with the warning sign to shopping, my daughter said: “Good news, the warning sign is gone now.”
Our snow gobbler was repaired quickly too.
To make sure the “Auxiliary Battery Malfunction” sign is really gone, we did a test drive to the Walden Pond and visited the snowy pond too. The Walden Pond was completed covered with snow which looked like the clouds from the sky had dropped to the earth, very different from the icy ponds and lakes I often saw around. The scenery of the Walden Pond covered with heavy snow appeared very unique to me.
The test drive to the Walden Pond showed that our car was back to normal. We guessed yesterday’s warning sign was related to the cold weather.
On Wednesday evening, all of our cars were back to normal. My daughter was very happy and decided to celebrate our hard work and try to hold onto our good luck: “Let’s use poems and wine to thank our cars for recovering quickly in such a heavy snowstorm and for bringing comfort back to us, also to appreciate them to stay well and be good to us.”
Maybe because I was bored from staying home, I happily replied: “Sure. How to do it?”
My daughter said: “You go to find one of your favorite poems and a bottle of good wine. First, you recite the poem to your car, then you pour the wine all over your car.”
I carefully found the poem I wrote to myself before I graduated from college in 1985, I also took a wine glass out, prepared to pour a glass of good wine.
My daughter said: “Mommy, don’t be so stingy, please use a bottle of good wine, not just a glass of wine.”
Little Episodes
In June 1985, before my college graduation, I wrote a poem to myself and draw the sailboat. In January 2021, my son sent me rainbow roses as birthday gift.
Building the boat and making the sail for 14 years
In a safe haven
Now let’s set out
Will the boat be stable in the ocean wave?
Will the sail be strong in the storm wind?
Who cares, raise the sails
Gather all the strength, let’s sail to the ocean
The world, the sea
14 year’s preparation, Could
Hold out against the ocean wave?
Survive the wind storm?
…
(14 years staying in school: 10 years public education and 4 years college)
Today is the beginning of spring in the lunar calendar. A unique snowy scenery of the Walden Pond in the afternoon. Blessing for a car with a poem and a bottle of good wine in the cold dark night.
