Frosts and Tangles
During my childhood we had several cars. All of them were second or third hand, or older. A common denominator between them was the difficultly in starting them in the mornings, and keeping them running without stalling the engines.
We lived in a climate that often enjoyed sub zero temperatures at night during winter. I have vivid memories of numerous bone chilling and breath crystallising morning frosts.
To boost our small confidence that the cars would start in the mornings, when we arrived home the previous day, we would cover the bonnets with old pieces of carpet and blankets, hoping to keep the engines warm overnight. The jury is still out regarding the success of this routine. However, it is universally accepted in our family that we will never again place a blanket underneath the bonnet of a car.
A few times too many, blankets were forgotten and ended their lives wrapped around an engine when the ignition key was turned. And a few too many hours were spent retrieving an engine from the tangle of said blankets. Nonetheless, the oft repeated question of my youth remains indelibly printed in my memory. “Have you put the car to bed?”
Today’s cars start straight away and gone are the days of wiping the windscreen clear with rags and of shivering under blankets as we travel. Air conditioners and seat warmers now take care of those winter rituals.
No longer do we have to juggle the mysterious “choke” to keep the engine running. No longer do we use our muscles to steer and to wind windows open and closed. Power steering and automatic windows are now the norm. Thanks to cruise control we barely use our right feet to control the speed, and due to automatic transmission, our left legs and arms no longer have to manage the changing of the gears.
The list of luxuries in today’s cars is seemingly endless and many were not even seeds of thought when I was young. One that defies any logic of mine is that we can now watch a movie while we drive!
Teenagers today may enjoy easy driving in such luxury. But they won’t experience the joyful relief we felt at those times when the car did start, even on the 20th turn of the key. Nor will they enjoy the sense of achievement and exciting reminiscences of meeting the many other challenges presented by old cars in the “good old days”.
One luxury we did have, and we sadly no longer experience, is this: The pleasure of sitting in our (eventually) warm car on those frosty mornings, while a shivering petrol station attendant filled our fuel tank, checked the oil and water levels, washed our windscreen, and then accepted our cash payment through our window. That was surely the extent of our laziness when it came to cars all those years ago.
Contemplating the above, I’ve come to a realisation: As I age, I’m happy to enjoy the fruit of our intelligent progress, at least regarding cars. I do find the number of buttons in modern day vehicles stressful, but I’m very grateful for the luxuries that those buttons represent and the laziness they afford.
Strangely though, I do sometimes catch myself thinking as I settle in for the night, “Did I put the car to bed?”
Nikki
