My Dad Lost His Breaks In His Truck Yesterday!!
By CatsandDogs
@CatsandDogs (13963)
United States
July 13, 2008 2:03pm CST
He called us after he got home and told us all about it!! He said he was driving along and was coming up to a stop light and the breaks gave out!! He said his butt cheeks puckered up and he did some fancy driving maneuvers to keep from hitting anyone!! My hair stood up when hubby was telling me about it!! Just what I need to hear right now!! But he's ok and I took that into consideration and tried my best to calm my nerves and finish cleaning my darn house which hadn't been done in a month!! Gosh, that was hard to do - calm my nerves but I worked it off with cleaning and man it felt sooooo good to finally get my house cleaned!! We cleaned from top to bottom and did 6 loads of laundry, I'm talking about huge loads of laundry that my clothes line is full and I had to use our dryer!! lol Everything is clean now and gosh it feels sooooo good!! But today we have the outside to do and it's hot and muggy as hell!! Right now at 3:00 it's 90.4 degrees with the heat index, it feels like 93 because of the humidity being at 48%. UGH!! Muggy and yucky!! But it's the only time we have right now to do it because we've been so busy caring for mom and dad. We've decided that once or twice a week, or every three days we'll go see mom and go to their house to do the things that need doing. The reason is because, mom is just too far away. She's roughly about 45 miles away and with these gas prices and low gas mileage (another discussion I did) we just can't afford to go every day like we'd like to but too, we have a life as well and we have to live it too or we'll break down so enough is enough in that respect too. I've let the neighbors know what they can do to help if and when they want to so they know now that I do NEED the help. Whether or not they do, remains to be seen.
2 people like this
7 responses
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
14 Jul 08
Wow, it sounds like you really have gotten caught up. Hopefully you will find someone that pitches in and helps. I know how hard it is to travel with gas prices the way they are. Hopefully you can stay home a bit more.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
14 Jul 08
I have finally but at the cost of my energy though. I'm not really complaining, well... I don't know if I am or not but I'm sure you understand what I'm feeling however, I'm so happy that my house is finally clean especially after a month since the last cleaning. I so hate a dirty house. I can stand a lived in house but not a dirty one.
I gave my parents neighbors a list of what needs doing at their place and explaining that I wasn't trying to be bold about it but knew they wanted to help but didn't know what to do so here's a list of what needed to be done and if they wanted to help here's what they can do which would be a great help. All of them said they would help me and dad so it remains to be seen. My brothers have helped me out too by giving money for gas as well as a wonderful friend here on mylot so I should be ok for the rest of the month. We now have less than $90. for the rest of the month but we have most of what we need and we'll get the rest some time this week. My husband's birthday is coming up and I need to come up with something creative so we don't spend any or much money to make it nice for him.
@TannerSite (698)
• United States
14 Jul 08
Wow, that is scary! I'm always afraid of that happening to me as well, so I make sure to get them checked every time I get an oil change on my new car (every 3 months).
What a story, thanks for sharing catsanddogs!
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
14 Jul 08
Yes it is scary, I've had it happen to me too and this is what you do, if you have a shifter then you shift downward slowly from one gear to the next to slow down and eventually you'll come to a stop. However if you have an automatic, put it in low 1 and then to low 2, which ever is first after drive and it will slow you down. If you need to slow down faster, turn your wheel from side to side to give you more road to slow down with but be very careful in doing that because you can over correct and flip your car. Go into the ditch if you have to so you won't hit any other car and have your insurance go up. It can happen to anybody at any time. It doesn't matter how new or old your car is or when you've had the brakes checked, it can still happen. Thanks to my dad telling me how to stop a car or I'd been up sh!t's creek without a paddle!! LOL
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
14 Jul 08
May I add, use your brake too, the one either in the middle of your console or on the floor. The one that holds the car when parked on a hill.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
13 Jul 08
Your dad's news was not anything you needed on top of everything that is going on with your mom. Our weather is the same as yours but I am having a nice relaxing day as I got all my cleaning finished up yesterday. I hope you have a nice peaceful evening.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jul 08
Actually I didn't finish all of mine yesterday for I still had to put on clean sheets on the guest room bed and get the clothes down off the line. I just finished doing it all just a few minutes ago and am going to take it easy the rest of the evening AND I'm taking another day off tomorrow. I have to for I've been going like this since God knows when!! We're about to get some really bad storms in a few minutes. Check it out, I'm in North Carolina and the weatherbug shows the storms coming our way. The clouds are starting to turn dark and ugly. Oh boy. Anyway, thanks whiteheather! Hope you have a nice evening too!!
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
14 Jul 08
Wow! I'm glad your dad is ok! That must have scared the bejeebers out of him. I know I would have been scared. And good for you getting all of that house work done. I'd ask if you want to come and do my place, but for one I'm not there anyway, and for two you'd probably manage to throw something hard enough that it would hit me from where you are. LOL
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
14 Jul 08
When hubby was relaying the message to me, I stood there in shock and then hearing he made it home, I had to walk away because I couldn't hear anymore. It's just too much for me to handle right now with all that's still going on and did go on and so on. I feel so much better that my house if finally clean!! I can't stand a dirty house but for the past month, I hadn't had time nor the energy to do it. Even days that I was home I slept out of pure exhaustion. It took us all day long Saturday and most of yesterday to get it all done, it was just that dirty!!
Sweetie, if you were nearby, and I didn't have so much on me, I'd be glad to clean your house for you!! LOL And NOOOOOO I wouldn't throw anything at you!! I know how it its to be so busy!!
@fluffnflowers (1594)
• United States
13 Jul 08
I'm glad your dad is okay! That must have been really, really scary, but at least he found out about the problem before he was in a stickier area where things could have gotten really, really dangerous.
As for the house getting cleaned, that's awesome! I need to go do laundry, but I'm waaay too lazy. 
You sound like great kids to take such good care of your parents. I'm sure they know you'd be there more often if you could, and I'm sure they're very grateful for the time you are able to spend with them. 
You sound like great kids to take such good care of your parents. I'm sure they know you'd be there more often if you could, and I'm sure they're very grateful for the time you are able to spend with them. @CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jul 08
Yeah it was quite scary... he said he pucked up his butt and did the best he could!! lol I told him he has his name on a few of my white hairs!! And HE put them there!! He and mom both!! I'm only 43 and I bet by the time I'm 50, I'll be snow white!! lol
Yes I finally got my house cleaned yesterday and it feels great!! And just finished the 6 loads of laundry and put it all away. Gosh it feels awesome!! Especially after a month since the last cleaning!! lol I just couldn't get to it but hubby and I did make sure that their house was clean. Thanks for the nice comment on us being great kids.... 
We try to be. I hope mom understands why we can't come up as often. I think she does and she's said that it's ok that she'll be fine and besides, we don't need to come up every day. I know but still, she's my mom and she's at a strange place and I feel like I should but I just can't afford to. ARG!!
We try to be. I hope mom understands why we can't come up as often. I think she does and she's said that it's ok that she'll be fine and besides, we don't need to come up every day. I know but still, she's my mom and she's at a strange place and I feel like I should but I just can't afford to. ARG!!
@bagsgroove (78)
• Canada
14 Jul 08
Some one told me that when you lose your brakes,you should put the transmission into reverse and it will slow you down. I am glad no one got injured !
I know what you mean by doing something and feeling better. We had a flood at our store from the creek overflowing. I was sitting on the steps and getting more and more depressed. I didn't know where to start the cleanup,it was such a mess. Finally,I said to myself enough of sitting and depressing,and I started to make small piles of debris to be picked up later. As I saw I was getting something done,my spirits started to lift and I was working harder. My sister said I must have been sick,as she had never seen me work so hard!
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
13 Jul 08
Wow!!!! That happeed to my mother once, and my sister and I (we were just little at the time) were in the car with her. I remember the fancy driing that my mother had to do to get the car to stop somewhere safely. I'm just glad our family lived in Ontario, not in AZ at the time, bcause if that happened in AZ, we would hae probaly gone off a cliff, or somethin. I was in a car once where the breaks didn't go, but the driver did. My grandfather started driing irratically and nohing I said would get him to stop. He didn't know what he was doing. We did manage to get home safely, thanks to the help of the local police. It was a scary night.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jul 08
Wow danishcanadian.... tramatizing events seem to stay with us forever, doesn't it? I guess its a good thing though because it teaches us lessons on life although it's hard at the time but a learning experience providing we live through it. My grandfather went out of his mind once and stole my parents car and they had to find him and then chase after him but he returned home safely and said it was all in fun for a joy ride. Yeah... thanks granddad for scaring the sh!t out of all of us!!
