Look at this beautiful purple and white crocus.  Our crocuses (croci?) have finally fought their way out from under the daffodils and are showing their faces to the world.

This has been an interesting week here in southern new jersey.  Besides the fact that the days are about 20 degrees warmer than they would normally be, the pollen is also starting to float along in the air making everyone miserable.  We don't usually have to worry about this for a few weeks yet. 

The not-really-scary-but-disconcerting-nonetheless thing was the car stalling and not restarting yesterday at the train station.  I got there before Pk so I got the car and pulled out of the lot to pull in front of the pickup area to wait for him.  This is standard procedure for whomever gets there first.  I got out of the lot and was working my way around the bend and the car stalled at a stop sign.  We have a stick and stalling is not a common event but it's not unheard of.  But this time, the car wouldn't restart.  It cranked enthusiastically and tried so hard but just wouldn't catch.  I let it roll backward toward the curb so that I wasn't blocking the intersection and sat down to wait for Pk.

We had to have our baby towed home and called Jim's dad, Big Jim, to ask for a recommendation for a good local mechanic.  He's an excellent mechanic but we don't want to take advantage of him for being a nice guy.  We just figured mechanics know who's good and whom to avoid.  He offered to come over and "take a look at it". 

I called my boss and he was very nice about letting me take today off to wait for Jim to come over.  It was a lovely day.  I napped and knitted until my right hand started to hurt so the knitting went away and I read the new Vogue Knitting sitting outside with Kate.

Jim and Pk played with different parts (and some very ominous sounding words were being said, words like "timing belt" and "fuel pump").  After an hour or so of poking and prodding, they determined that all we needed was a new fuse and a new ignition switch.  Much better!  We will be purchasing one tomorrow and Pk will see if he can replace it this weekend.

Whew!  Our guardian angels were working overtime! 

The good part was that I got to be home when this arrived!  It's the new cover for my phone.  For a lark, I downloaded the Tardis sound as an alternative ringtone.  It's actually very annoying and won't last long but it makes me smile for now.

I also updated the os for the phone and now have FaceTime.  It means I can see Pk if I call him on the phone.  It's just like StarTrek!  It's very cool.  There are a bunch of new settings I'll have to get used to but for right now, I have this new case and this wallpaper of the inside of the Tardis.  Yes, I know I am a geek.

Otherwise, things are going along well.  Work has been busy as insurance companies decide that they don't want to pay for medications and people are having to make changes that may change the way they feel.  It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me since the meds they do want to pay for are just as expensive.  I've been having extensive phone conversations with their reps this week.  I don't forsee it changing anytime soon.  Health care in this country is broken and I am not going off on a rant, I promise.

Having a surprise day off in the middle of the week was kind of nice.  It'll make my week go by much quicker.  Our first Handle with Care training of the new year is Friday.  Funny thing (well, not really funny) is that the three new trainers have all backed out and it'll be Clarence and I.  This better not be the start of how the year is going to go.

Have a good end of the week!