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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Uhauling it.... to be continued

Phoebe and I decide to get a uhaul. She pays a fellow to help us off load from my truck to the uhaul.

I have to decide what to take from my truck, what to leave.

Do I think I'll only come back to dismantle her, or to drive her away? If I come to gather my things, do I leave only those things I can pack easily and take on an airplane; therefore putting things in the truck I can't easily transport at another time.

I always thought that if I ever broke down, it would be in Atlanta, and I'd park the truck in Tessie's back yard and turn it into a playground for Jasi and a little home for me when I visit there. I never dreamed I'd break down in fuckin red fuckin springfuckinfield.


$13,000 to 17,000 THOUSAND DOLLARS????

My red and blue monsanto buddy comes out to inform me that it is going to cost $13,000 to $17,000 to fix my truck.

I can't take my eyes off him. I see my life as I know it, my work as I do it, over.

There is no way in hell I can come up with that kind of money - would I want to even if I could.

I have 320,000 miles on my baby, my truck - most of those activist and anti-war miles. I am grateful I have been able to go so far in her.

I'm crushed. Do I even consider how I can get that kind of money together? $2,850 just to pull the engine and put another engine in.


Hot Pink, Red and Blue

We have to be towed to another truck place, one we passed on the highway - the officer apologizes for passing it by as he had us following him into town.

When we get to the trucking place, I notice immediately it is full of white males - one white female works behind the counter answering the phones, of course.

A very tall, big and kinda young white man approaches me, grinning, informing me that - he sweeps his hand horizontally from left to right across his forehead, indicating the part of Illinois that is "blue".

He wants me to know that those 5 inches of the top northern part of Illinois is blue - and the rest of us are red! Did I know I was in the red part? hmmmmm

Then he glances at the anti-monsanto mural, squints to his buddies who have joined him, and waves in a kinda southernly and easternly direction, telling me that monsanto is the largest employer in these parts here.

Okay.

I am happy it only cost $90 to tow my truck and the tow truck is a bright neon pink with royal blue trim. hmmmm

On the road again.... NOT

It is a beautiful, reasonably cool morning, crisp blue skies void of but a singular cloud here and way over there, promising lots of heat soon. A nice breeze is blowing and we are all feeling well-rested, well fed after our crack-of-dawn breakfast of quinoa with apples & cinnamon, and papaya.

And on the road we go.... for a brief moment! Suddenly, maybe 20 miles down the freeway, the temperature gauge swings wildly all the way into the red, the engine dies, and we pull off to the narrow shoulder bordered by tall grass on one side, 75 mile an hour steady traffic on the other.

I don't know where we are - I look around and see nothing but grass and fields, a few clumps of trees here and there, but no freeway signs, no buildings in site, an overpass about 50 yards away.

I examine the engine and see that the dip stick is poked out of it's receptacle and there is oil around the opening. We lift the cab over, I examine everything and crawl under the truck to see if there's any other evidence of oil or water/antifreeze. There isn't.

I think maybe someone fucked with the truck last nite at the rest stop & pulled the dip stick out a little bit. I don't know if that would cause the engine to overheat and oil to spew out the dip stick - I HOPE maybe that's all it is.

Phoebe and I look at each other. We get out a blanket, more papaya and cherries, and make a picnic by the side of the truck with our food and toys for Jasi.

After waiting for 15 or 20 minutes, I realize no one is going to stop so I call the highway patrol. The dispatcher helpfully identifies our exact location - about 6 miles from Springfield, the capital of Illinois.

They show up - two huge white males, although just one gets out of the car. He is friendly, doesn't know jack shit about engines, but knows there's a truck repair place about 6 miles ahead. He offers to call a tow truck.

I decide to try to start the truck - the engine has cooled - and attempt to drive there. He agrees to follow us. The engine starts with little power, but we make it to the dealer.