Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Clan of the Cave Bear

Today I picked up Felix and she's fine. She "meowed" all the way home. Then I looked in on the ‘40 Ford Sedan. Progress is slow but sure. Pfeiffer's Auto is close to putting the body back on and adjusting it to the chassis.

Out in the shop I drained the oil from an old flathead engine and poured fresh down the spark plug holes. Then I worked the crank pulley and it started to move and then cycle through the four strokes. I made a mess and spent a half hour cleaning up but was satisfied at finding the engine still turns over. Next I'll take off the heads and see if all the valves are moving up and down. If that's a go I’ll button her back up, check the compression and see if I can get her to crank. That is always an exhilarating experience, to hear them come back to life after a long hiatus. In a weird sort of way I feel like Dr. Frankenstein. It's a high that's difficult to explain but I love to listen to the resonance of those old engines as they rour back to life.

Today, as I was working… on a different channel in my brain, I started thinking about a novella about a prehistoric man meeting a woman from a different tribe. It was like Jean Aural in Clan of the Cave bear. A reviewer read it and also noted the same comparison. The story is different but the setting is similar. The first installment is in my short story folder named Volusia. It is the story of a smart and volatile woman and her love for a man who is a strong and steadying influence. (Albeit, not as bright) If it starts to take wing I’ll write an outline to stay on track.

My diet has gone up to 182 and back down to 179 and my eating has stayed pretty consistent with the general plan. Today it was 179.2 Two pieces of toast in the morning, a sandwich at lunch and a salad and couple of burger patties for supper. I’m drinking water instead of soda and trying not to snack. I’m also trying to develop the same habit I used to quit smoking. That is that nothing enters my mouth casually and without the approval of conscious thought. Everything I eat is being processed through my awareness and cleared by my will and no habitual eating (snacking) is allowed. This is hard because I've never had to pay much attention to what I eat….Well, I do now and if I don’t get serious my goals will never be realized..