No, not me. At least not at the moment. Just some things – expensive things at that – that make my life more comfortable. More than comfortable, do-able. What things? My car and my air conditioning system. I know.

Now if we were talking about a blender and a microwave, or a crock pot and an iron, or even a washer and dryer, I don’t think I would be as concerned, but the car and the air conditioner are both pretty important.

The car was giving me signs of distress before I left for vacation. It decided that it no longer wanted to keep the radio stations that I preset, so it wiped them all out. Twice. I should have taken it in then to get it checked out, but of course I didn’t.

That left my sweetheart in a bit of a lurch when it came time to pick us up at the airport. He drives a sporty little thing, so it made sense to take my car. Except that it wouldn’t start. Out came the jumper cables, and he got it going. Everything was fine until later, when it died again. Hello, AAA? Out they came and jumped it again, but the diagnostics indicated that a mere battery wasn’t the only issue. Cripes. It has since been towed to the dealership, and I am awaiting a call enumerating the myriad problems that my vintage 2006 vehicle has. I really just want it to run. Safely, of course. And with air conditioning.

Yes, air conditioning. I miss it already. That’s because although the AC guys were here this morning, it isn’t working. Current outdoor temperature? 106. It worked while they were here, of course. They poked and prodded and proclaimed that I just had some dirty filters and that must be why it quit working. Great. Of course they don’t have filters with them, and I don’t have a car to get to the store to get some new ones. Meanwhile, the inside temperature is doing its best to catch up with the outside temperature.

The car is tired. It’s a good car. The AC unit is tired too. It’s been here since the eighties. I just hope I can keep both of these work horses going a bit longer. Please, keep your fingers crossed for me.