fieldwork is done

 well, this part of it.

We went out today and did the most distant site. It was about a mile out and back (it was not a direct path; we walked on the mowed paths that are made for lake access/to allow the vehicles that plant the food plots because it would be even harder to crawl through the brush. (As it was, it's been a while since they mowed, and wading through the tall grass - there's a lot of last year's standing dead - is like walking on a dry sand dune). I'm pretty tired and I'm really sore tonight; I think three days in the heat gave me some muscle cramps and walking that far carrying equipment and using a hiking staff (so I didn't fall) stressed muscles the regular exercise doesn't. 

But it is done.

I can't do anything "fun" (well, out of town) this weekend; on my way home from campus yesterday I put the back-seat windows down to exhaust the hot air before driving. But when I went to raise the windows, the driver's side one wouldn't, and it made a grinding noise. I drove home with it partly down and just kind of groaned, "I don't need this right now"

A quick check online typing in the "symptoms" suggested it was the regulator (which apparently controls the motor that raises and lowers them). So, I sighed and made plans to check who could fix it, and then did the suggested kludge - use my hands to pull the window up as high as I could (as close to closed). I couldn't close it completely (they suggested having a second person to help but of course I didn't). And then I thought "The wind noise tomorrow morning out and back from the field will drive me nuts, and while we're in the field my car will fill up with bugs" and I thought about how to block the window. I got my big roll of clear packing tape and with a couple strips I was able to both hold the window in its raised position, and block the remaining gap. It's not pretty and definitely is a kludge but it allowed me to get out and back to the field, and to the Aldi this afternoon.

After lunch today I called my dealership and asked if their service department needed to handle it, or if the "quick simple repairs and oil change place" they have affiliated with them could do it; they said to come to the service department. I described the symptoms to the guy and he nodded, "Sounds like the regulator" and I said "yeah, that's what it looked like when I looked it up" and he said he'd go get a tech to be sure.

About ten minutes later, the tech came back - yeah, it's the regulator. It's not CHEAP (with labor, which I suspect is the larger part of it) but it's fixable, and the tech said they should have the part tomorrow afternoon and I can bring it in early Monday morning and they'll do it. 

 I'll ask then how long they think it will take; I may prime asking my secretary or someone from church if they could be on hand to drive me to my office if it's going to be a multi-hour thing, or get one of the guys to drive me back (they usually are willing to). If it's a fix that takes less than an hour and a half, I'll just bring a book and wait. 

I hope I'm less sore tomorrow though; I do need to go in and get back to that soil. This has been a long week.