Squirrels?!?

Today the cool car (that’s what Aiden has dubbed the Odyssey) had to be towed to the Honda dealer. It is the second time in two weeks that the not-even-year-old-with-less-than-10,000-miles-on-it car had to be taken in for servicing. The first time the check engine light went on and they told me a mouse had chewed through some wire causing the light to go on. This week we were on our way to the grocery store and I noticed the car was unlocked and nothing happened when I tried to turn it on. I was mad too because we didn’t have much food in the house and I was craving something sweet.

So, instead of going to the store, Aiden and I waited for the towing company to come and take the car. I decided to check out under the hood to see if there was anything I could find (not that I know what I’m looking for, mind you). Well, much to my surprise, I did find something under the hood, something you would not normally find there - a nest! There were foot long sticks and balled up fuzzy stuff in the shape of a nest. Now, I know mice are good, but for those sticks to be there, it had to be an animal that had some muscle. I took pictures as I didn’t think that anyone would believe me.

The tow truck guy came and made me feel oh so good about the situation. He said that it was probably the battery as I had left the parking lights on. I assured him that I did not leave the parking lights on, but it was probably due to the fact that while I was trying to wrestle the car seat out of the back Aiden had been pushing buttons and pulling levers. I also should him the chewed up wires and nest under the hood. What do you think his response was? “Those wires are not chewed, they are just frayed.” Yes, that’s it, my girl brain must have gotten in the way of rational logic!
Later, I called the insurance guy to see if this was something that was covered under the policy as this was the second time this happened. We just couldn’t afford to have this keep happening every couple weeks, not to mention be down one vehicle. He had no idea if it was covered and then had the nerve to say that I must not look under the hood that often. I reminded him that this car was less than a year old and I didn’t think that it was necessary to do so. Did these men today think I was some stupid housewife who doesn’t know a thing about “manly” stuff? Let’s just say, I was not happy.

The thing that really annoyed me is that last fall Aiden and I would pile up the acorns in the back yard for the squirrels to find. Isn’t there a saying that one good deed deserves another? I guess no one told the squirrels.

Add comment March 6th, 2008