Get up and Go-Go ... Oh, no.

It's hot here. Like Arizona kinda hot. Tho, The Professor insists there's more humidity here than there. He's from Arizona. He says everytime he goes to visit, his contacts pop out due to lack of moisture.

that hasn't happened yet. 

I am willing to agree with him that there's moisture in the air...but since I can actually breathe this air - there's still less moisture than normal. 

We've come to a sort of accord about it. 

We agree it's freakin' hot. 

Because it's so hot, I've been trying to remember to roll the windows down on the mini-van to kind of help vent out the heat. Today, I turned the engine on (Since I didn't drive it yesterday) and heard this sudden growl of a sound. Then ....all was normal. So I proceeded to roll the windows down a bit and insert the sunshade into the front window. 

I closed the van up pocketed my keys and started back inside. 

unfortunately, the van was hissing. 

Vans don't, as a general rule, hiss. 

Since we'd just spent a great deal of money on having the water pump thermometer and a plastic gasket replaced, that was my first thought. Perhaps the radiator bit the dust. Literally. 

Nothing was leaking. 

I popped the hood. Cause I know how. 

I looked. Still nothing was leaking. But I could smell what I thought was anti-freeze.

I did what I know most to do. I called my daddy. 

He guessed it was the water pump. He had me take pictures and send them to him. So I did. 

See that nut and bolt sticking up there in the middle? That's right above the place that was leaking pressure. The radiator fan is just at the bottom corner of the picture... it was covered in green fluid. Green, to my knowledge, equals anti-freeze. 

Here it is from another angle. Because there was so much pressure coming from the piece, I honestly thought there was a hole. But I think it was just the gasket having broken. 

So.. boo. Hiss. Van's broken again. 

I can't get the radiator off to see if there's fluid inside. As hot as it's been, perhaps it's been leaking slowly and evaporating?

So ... I did what any girl would do. 

I called her husband. I explained the situation to the Professor. I couldn't get the radiator cap off. Otherwise I'd have done that first. 

He came home. It was like 105 outside. 

We decided to take the van to the place that fixed the water pump. He looked inside and said, "Well, if that's where the pressure was leaking, that's your A/C".

Dandy. No wonder it was blowing hot air for miles. I did turn it off and drive with the windows down. 

He recommended a place for us to take the van...armed with the knowledge that the van was driveable, off we went. 

In the heat. (I promise I have a reason for that reminding you that it's freakin' hot.) 

We got to Fix-it place #2 and explained the situation.
He told us that they couldn't fix it today but would put it on the docket for tomorrow. We already figured that would be the case. We drove home.

The Professor's car hasn't had an A/C that worked for 2 years. 
I get in and he's got one window rolled down and the hot air blowing through the vents. 

"Dear God!" I exclaim. "That's going to go off!" And I turn it off and roll down MY side window. I think the professor has the only car known to man that doesn't have auto-windows. 

Properly vented, we toodle on home. We discuss things as we go. Like work. News. And a bit of politics. He keeps up with that stuff and lets me know the highlights. It all makes me angry so I'm kind of glad he at least is willing to keep my 'in the loop'.

By the time we get home, I'm sweating in places that shouldn't be sweating and I'm dizzy. 

So I plant myself in front of the fan and when that doesn't work, I just lay down on the floor. There's a footstool there and I prop my feet up and I finally start to cool off. 

That's when I notice the dog is lying on the floor not far from me. 

And I had to laugh.

Me and the dog - laying with our bellies aimed up so we can stay cool. 

Luckily, I don't feel the urge to drink water out of a bowl.