Key Largo

On any given weekend, the fact that our car didn't leave the driveway would be a happy sign. There are certainly plenty of things to keep us busy right here at Rancho Deluxe. What can't be found inside these four walls could almost certainly be scared up within a few blocks' walk. It's a matter of choice, however. If you can't leave, it's different from choosing not to.
Our car sits quietly where we left it, after a Saturday morning trip to the track for a little family exercise. Once we were safely home, my wife went to take the key out of the ignition only to find that this was no longer possible. The key was stuck and would not come out. She tried wiggling. She tried turning the wheel and jiggling. She tried cursing, but since that's not her forte, she turned the project over to me.
I wiggled and jiggled and cursed. I came inside and looked on Al Gore's Internet for guidance. I was initially encouraged to find a great many links to "easy fixes" to keys stuck ignitions. I tried compressed air. I tried applying the brake and turning the wheel simultaneously. I tried WD-40. I tried tapping the bottom of the steering column with the heel of my hand. I tried to remain patient with this simple endeavor, and finally succumbed to the inevitable call to the locksmith. Walt seemed like a clever enough guy, even though he needed to be reminded every few minutes of the make and model of the car we were talking about. We agreed on the fact that it was better to be stuck at home than on the highway somewhere.
Okay. Fair enough. So we made arrangements to have Walt come by on Monday, alleviating the time and a half that we would have to pay him for rescuing us this weekend. This left us with a great big hunk of metal in our front yard that needed cleaning. We washed it. We vacuumed it. We wiped off grime that had been left from any number of previous trips. When we can drive it again, at least it won't be dirty.
Until then, we'll focus on just how small our carbon footprint is and pretend that this was a conscious decision.