Addiction is ...................

ADDICTION

It enters our physical bodies through every natural orifice. It affects the physical and emotion aspects of the temporary host we use to interact with the world around us.

It will steal your good name, your character and your soul.

It will cause many of those that love you, to wash their hands of you and shun you.

It will cause many to rue the day that you came into their lives and the world.

Some will even wish you would die as a result of your addictions.

A great many WILL realize the fulfillment of that wish and come to know great regret and remorse for their feelings and thoughts about you.

I don't believe God had any of that in mind when He created us.

Which one of us can say they have no addictions and be truthful?

Today, there is a great void in the ether. It is there as a result of the deaths of so many due to their addictions. So many of them were gifted as few have been. They were great, wonderful, talented and as weak in their flesh as every other one of us. We are aware of their absence because they were icons, role models, stars of one public arena or another. Their names are household names. Everyone knew, respected and looked up to them as examples.

The fortunes their gifts has brought them could not protect them from the desires of their flesh. The truth is, it enabled them, making it easier to afford, acquire, abuse and share with those close to them, who were also addicts.

The addicts are not alone in what they give up and lose to sustain their addiction, for eventually, their addiction leads to an early demise and those of us who have loved and followed their talent and the wondrous treasures they gave to the world also know great loss. We grieve just as their immediate family members grieve. We shed torrents of tears, sobbing so intensely we feel as if we will die also because of the loss. Our hearts are no less broken than are the hearts of parents and siblings of the departed.

We will miss you terribly dear Whitney. May God be merciful to you. We know He loved you.

Of cars and subsequent repair enigmas.

I honestly do not know what it is that mechanics and dealership service department agents detect in a customer that tells them, "This person is ignorant when it comes to anything mechanical, especially their car ... so I can tell them anything or use their ignorance to make more money for my employer and make myself look better in the eyes of my boss."

It happens to women more than men but there are some men that know as little as certain women when either of them are dealing with well experienced service representatives. Now, it is not my intent to paint all dealership service people with the same wide brush, but I know for a fact, there are some who will take advantage of the unwary and unknowing, just because they can.

It's the same with anyone that sells cars. If you saw any of the episodes of "Men of a Certain Age" you probably witnessed the goings-on behind the scenery of a normal car dealership. Nothing matters much but the numbers. Salesmen will cut one another's throats to make that next sale and collect their commissions.

I've been a dedicated believer in the Toyota brand when it comes to value and dependability. I've always held the belief that I got my dollars worth with every buck I spent with them and that even extended to their service department. I only think like that because I'm a male of the species and know quite a lot about mechanical devices. My dealership's service department had one woman service representative for the last five years or so. She was a delight to do business with. She was a southern girl; I loved her accent and always believed I was getting the best treatment my dealership had to offer because she was taking care of me. I always asked for her every time I called for any kind of maintenance or repairs. Last week, I found out that she no longer works for my dealership. She's working for another dealership just down the road from there now. I hated to hear that and instantly was wondering WHY she left. Was it her decision or a mutual one or did my dealership's managing staff fire her or make it impossible for her to stay. She was good at her job; knew a lot about the products she was working with. Knowing how office politics works and how jealous some men can be when it comes to any kind of competition in the work place, especially when the competition comes from a female, I wouldn't put anything past them.

Getting to the reason I felt the need to write and post this blog entry ... My daughter's latest service department experience. Here's some facts.

She drives a 2007 Toyota Carolla because her parents believe it is the car for her and she trusts our opinions about such matters. We have been involved with several of her car purchases since she got out on her own. We raised her to be as independent as possible in life. Still, she is our baby girl. You know what I mean if you are a parent, especially of an only child that happens to be a daughter. Parents will worry or be concerned for any child that has left the nest and is out on their own, all alone and doing their best to make a life for themselves, but it is different for fathers who have daughters. Don't ask me to explain that last statement, it just is ... that's all.

She has had a few maintenance issues come up with this particular automobile. She complained about certain vibrations she felt during braking. She took it in for a look-see and they did a brake job on it. That wasn't cheap but it was within reason so no one thought much of it. That didn't take care of the vibrations altogether though. She drives pretty much like me but I didn't teach her to drive. I chalked that up to her being very observant while riding in our car all those years. Being the independent woman we raised her to be, she took professional driving lessons and took and passed the driving test for our state all on her own. I was impressed by that. Now-a-days she only consults me when certain matters gets the better of her.

This time, she went in for an oil change and asked them to check for that nagging vibration in the brakes again. They told her the problem was with an ABS sensor unit in the right, rear wheel assembly. Then they told her it would cost almost seven hundred dollars to replace it. That's when she called mom and dad. I was more than perturbed when I heard the number. Seven hundred dollars to replace a sensor unit in the ABS braking system. What was it made of ... GOLD?

Clearly, if you look at the image above it is obvious that it isn't made of GOLD.

You can also clearly see a "heat affect area" just behind and above the lug, stud, bolts at the bottom of the assembly. This dark area is the result of bearing failure and heat from the friction allowed by said bearing failure. You see ... I'm concluding that the ABS sensor DID NOT FAIL as a result of some component defect. It was forced to fail by excessive heat. How many out there knows that heat is a constant threat and fatal for electronic assemblies?

I would also have you note that the wiring plug-in receptor at the top of this image is mounted to what appears to this dumb, sidewalk mechanic, to be a compression fit cover on the mounting hub. Notice also the hammer dent where the mechanic "knocked" the assembly out of its mounting. Was that necessary? Surely a small chisel or thin pry-bar could have been driven into the crack where the hub flange set up against the rear-axle housing. My real question should be ... wasn't it possible to pry the now dented housing cover off the hub assembly, exposing the connecting nut that held the lug plate, then remove the bearing and race? That way, an all new wheel assembly would not have been required and then, replacing the sensor housing along with the wiring plug-in receptor and the internal sensor assembly would have finished the repair. I'm sure it would have taken longer to complete the repair thus increasing the labor cost but would it have been more than seven hundred dollars to do it the right way?

I suspect that we are hearing or seeing the truth of the situation here. The service rep told our daughter, hereafter referred to as "Kellie" that they did not have the parts needed for the repair and would need to order them. It would be a long wait. That information had something to do with Kellie needing to call us along with a desire for some assurance that she was doing it correctly. If there is anyone out there who has experience and knowledge about this exact component of a 2007 Toyota Carolla, right, rear, axle assembly ... Please speak up and verify one or the other's position here.

Being logical and suspicious as I am and thinking that I know a bit about how the human brain functions within a service agent's head and the rationale he might use to hasten the situation and affect a speedier repair, cost not being a factor for him ... would he, instead of making Kellie wait or leave now and return later after the parts had been acquired and the repair made the right way, find out that the part they did have which could accomplish that end, was on hand and available for use? It was a complete rear wheel hub assembly. All that would be needed was to remove one and replace it with the other and it was a fix. Never mind that it would cost three times as much to do that way. Also, getting it finished the easy way would make another mechanic available for another critical repair where a customer was waiting.

It is difficult for this long time customer of Toyota to believe that some engineer working for Toyota would design and have approval of their manager for such an expensive item with no other recourse for any and all Toyota car owners but to pay seven hundred dollars for a repair if any one component of their own rear wheel assembly should ever go bad. It just doesn't sound like the Toyota I know.

Until I am shown to be totally and completely wrong about my opinion, I will say that the responsibility for this expensive repair lays with the dealership's service agent and mechanic or even the service manager, if he was consulted and had some input into the matter at hand. For all I know, it was the service manager's decision to make after all, his desk and ear is where the buck should stop.

I'm thankful that I thought to request the defective part. If I hadn't, it would have ended in the service department's office when the bill was paid by Kellie.

Perhaps it will turn out that it would have been best if that was the end of it. Who would have known but the perpetrators involved?

I'm considering submitting this post to Toyota's District Manager or the main headquarters customer service representative. Should I? Would it do an ounce of good? I'll let you know.

The bottom photo is a close-up of "Chewy." The top one is an image I borrowed from the web of a supposed Blue Tick Hound/Beagle mix puppy. Chewy's muzzle is not as "boxed" or "square" looking and her ears are certainly shorter than the other pups but other than that, she is spot on with her body and leg markings. I don't see any representation of an Aussie Cattle Dog in her. She already weighs more and is longer and higher than our Vet's expectations and predictions.

Yesterday I noticed that one of her razor-sharp baby fangs had come out and the smaller teeth both top and bottom look like a set of new human dentures. They are so white and perfectly matched. I believe our little girl is growing up quicker than anyone expected.

Our back yard (her playground and toilet) is a muddy marsh. We had some snow a few day back and then yesterday it got up to the mid fifties and everything that was frozen melted including an inch or so of the frozen soil. Those are the ingredients for a mess when an overly energized young adult Coon Hound mix gets out with her friends next door and have constant foot races and wallowing matches. I do not know what our neighbors do with three muddy dogs at once. I tried to wipe Chewy off but soon realized it was a losing battle. Two or three towels could not have gotten her clean. So ... Maureen and I took her into our bathroom and placed her in the tub, giving her a long needed bath. So much hair came off with the dirt, it stopped up the drain, requiring constant removal to prevent an accumulation of dirty, soapy water. As it was, she left a whale of a bathtub ring after we were done.

Why is it that dogs go crazy right after a bath? We kept the bathroom door closed until we gave her a cursory towel down and soaked up the majority of the water. When we did all we could and opened the door, she ran out and went crazy. It was some time before she quieted down enough to give her another rub down with another towel. Maureen ended up with back problems before we were done. She stayed bent over the tub longer than her back could bear it and it too went wild. She confessed, that had never happened to her before. I believe age is getting to us both.

It continues to rain heavily here. The rain runoff has moved some of the muddy build-up along the fence perimeter down into the lower area we have fenced off to keep Chewy out from behind the shed. That helped but there is no getting away from mud this time of year, no matter how thick one's grass is. I ordered myself some Mudrucker slip-on, water-proof shoes and a shoe cleaning brush assembly I'll use to clean the Mudruckers next spring when the monsoons move in, as they always do. I'll need to mount the brush contraption onto something stable, so I can stand on it while forcing the shoes back and forth through it. It's like one of those brushes golf courses us at the clubhouse entrances. Now ... if we only had a mud room to let Chewy into before she is allowed into the house. A guy can dream, can't he?

Maid of Mayhem - No ones BFF

She's usually the perfect pet during the nighttime. She has matured enough now to only need to go outside once each night and then, it's a quick squat to pee, a meandering tour around her yards' boundary and then, back to the door rapidly as if something is chasing her. It's a good thing I'm there to open it on her approach or who knows what horrid end she may come to.

We three adult, humans are learning, slowly, but learning. Tooth and claw is a good teacher, much as life has always been for us. Yet, last evening I had to take Gail over to an Urgent Care Center in Independence to stitch up the gash resulting from a playful encounter with Chewy's still razor- sharp puppy teeth while Gail chased her up the stairs trying to retrieve a shoe that has become Chewy's favorite item to steal and run with. I took a look at it before we decided it needed professional medical treatment and estimated three or four stitches would be needed to close it up again. I may be wrong; but I doubt it. It's a caption on one T-shirt Kellie gave me for Christmas. It fits me to a "T" pun intended. Three stitches is what it took, plus a Tetnus shot, a prescription for an antibiotic and a request for a recheck today out of caution related to the fact that the gash came from a dog's tooth.

Chewy has experienced two sessions of crate confinement today, one while Maureen took down the Christmas tree and decorations and stored them again till the next time and once more while I went over the kitchen floor with a damp mop to remove most of the muddy paw prints accumulated since yesterday. It's impossible to accomplish any chore that requires a fast moving object at floor level if Chewy is present. It's all a wonderful game to her. We purchased one of those as seen on TV magic rugs that claims to capture all moisture and mud or grime instantly. It has the potential to work that way if it could be place outside in the varying precipitation, which would afford the most contact length as she waits to be let back inside each time. As it is, she hates to have her feet wiped or be toweled off after being out in the rain. She has had no contact with snow yet this year, so we have something to look forward to soon. I wonder what new set of problems snow will generate for the household?

We are in the midst of rearranging living-room furniture. I wish you could have seen Chewy's reaction as she got her first glimpse of all the changes that had taken place so far. You could see the bewilderment on her face. It seemed to ask, "What is going on here?" Only a blind person could have been more confused in that situation. My imagination is working overtime conjuring up various scenarios as a result. What a joy it would have been to have witnessed her dashing down the stairs with some contraband she had swiped, leaping up into the air to land on a sofa that is no longer there and imagining her crashing into the wall that is behind where the sofa had been before. Is that wrong of me? Oh Well! So be it. She needs to suffer unexpected consequences due to her behavior now and then. How is she going to learn otherwise? We haven't been able to teach her anything so far. It's true, you know. An Old Dog has no chance of teaching a hard headed pup any new tricks.

Honestly, we are shocked at how fast and how large Chewy has grown in six weeks or so. She seems twice as long and twice as tall as she was when she first arrived here.

I've got to put that new video camera to work, capturing her herding behavior, her heel nipping techniques and how she goes about teaching stupid human tricks to stupid humans.

Chewy's not all bad. There are some beautiful aspects of her character and personality and of her physical appearance. Her profile is perfect for her breed. Long, square muzzle, closely set, beady little eyes ... Ha-Ha, I am joking of course. Her ears hang perfectly, her coat is thick and silky to the touch but one must be careful how and when they do the touching. She is quick to admonish the uninvited digit in forbidden areas. It's difficult to learn exactly where all the forbidden areas of her body are. I believe they keep changing as she ages. It less risky to only touch her when absolutely necessary.

I believe it was Fred First's admission that there was once a time that he had considered returning Tsunga to the breeders he had gotten him from that caused me to realize Chewy wasn't all that different or worse than any other puppy.  All she needed was some more time and understanding from us.  Patience Clarence ... Patience!

It may be premature to state that I've begun to notice some calming and better behavior in our little darling but I actually do believe it's taking place.  I suppose it compares to being charged by a lion, only to discover that all it wanted to do was get acquainted with you and lick some exposed skin, not rip you limb from limb. Perhaps if Chewy could manage a sound like a purr when she's in that mood, then I wouldn't cringe and adopt a defensive posture as I normally do when she gets playful. Torn flesh and ripped skin takes a while to heal over when you reach my age.  It's not easy to alter one's fears once a relationship has been established between man and beast and their interaction has been a painful and bloody one.

So, there is hope on the horizon.  We will see how it goes from here on.