A Long Way To Go

As I said in yesterday’s blog, I adjusted the carburetor on my old Chrysler, and it was idling much better but still dying when I stopped. When I put the air filter back on it wouldn’t start at all. A couple of blog readers told me they believed adjustment I had made was okay when there was no air restriction, but with the air cleaner back on, it was choking the engine.

So yesterday I took the air cleaner back off, and the car started right up. I did some more adjusting and got it to run a little better with the filter on, but son-in-law Kenny thinks the oil bath air filter element is dirty and needs to be cleaned. That’ll be my next project.

After that, we’ll tackle the steering, which is pretty loose. It may just need an adjustment to the steering gearbox, or it may need a rebuild. I don’t know yet. I guess for a 74-year-old car, you can’t expect it to be perfect, right?

Besides tinkering with the car yesterday, I took Alli for a walk because we both needed some exercise. She’s a big dog, and when she sees another critter, she wants to run up and play with it. That made for a couple of unfortunate incidents. One of my neighbors and my granddaughter both recommended getting a gentle leash, which fits over the dog’s snout but still allows it to breathe and eat and drink, but makes them much more manageable than a harness or a collar leash. I bought one a while back, and the difference is amazing. Alli doesn’t like it when I first put it on, but then she settles down and doesn’t try to pull at all.

After our walk, I proofread and corrected the last chapter I wrote, did some research on a couple of items in the time period when the book takes place (1950-1954) and did some more experimenting with trying to create a family tree for all of the characters in the Tinder Street series. This was just an experiment to see what it would look like, with just the Wirtz family and their spouses. I’ve got a long way to go on it.

Today is your last chance to enter our Free Drawing for an autographed copy of Storm Tide, the first book in author MJ Witt’s MacKay’s Justice series. After years of chasing America’s most dangerous fugitives, US Marshal Will MacKay seeks solace in the rugged Highlands of Scotland to reconnect with his ancestral roots. But when a notorious fugitive escapes custody and kills a fellow marshal in the process, MacKay is thrust back into action. The chase takes a chilling turn as he uncovers the fugitive’s ties to a deadly terrorist plot orchestrated by radical Scottish nationalists.

In a land steeped in legend and blood, MacKay will face the ultimate test – loyalty to his badge or loyalty to his heritage.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn this evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed. After 30 days, unclaimed prizes revert back to the drawing pool for a future contest.

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Did you know that you can find all of my books and sign up for my free author’s newsletter on my website at www.nickrussellbooks.com?

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – A fresh start isn’t always a new place. Sometimes it’s a new mindset