Well, mixed news on my truck – they fixed it.  Hard to believe, but after five times in the shop, over forty hours of labor, and after replacing over $3,500.00 worth of parts (all under warranty, thank goodness), my truck is back and running right.  They never actually found the source of the problem, but they ended up replacing three primary wiring harnesses under the hood and behind the dashboard.  Deep down I was hoping they wouldn't be able to fix it. I really, really, really wanted that MINI…

Remember that New Year’s message I sent about the hawk siting being a good omen?  Well, it wasn’t.  In fact, so far 2009 has been a disaster!   Let’s see – we had ice damming which led to roof leaks and mold, our dishwasher started leaking and will probably have to be replaced, our hot water heater started leaking and had to be replaced, my music download service went belly up, and my new truck has been in the shop five times with an electrical gremlin they can’t find or fix.  What else will go wrong?  About the only good thing about all of these problems is that my truck may qualify for a refund under the Mass. Lemon Law.  It’s not that I want a new vehicle already – the truck is only eight months old – but I have started lusting for a MINI Cooper S Clubman. I made the big mistake of test driving one and fell completely in love!  If I got one this is what it would look like: