Good afternoon. 🚓🚔🚘
15 September 2025
I got up this morning and left the house—an act that, as you know, rarely ranks high on my list of pleasures. Still, there’s something quietly fascinating about being out among other people, watching the choreography of errands and small talk unfold.
Today’s dispatch involved two tasks: servicing the car and picking up a prescription.
I returned to the same dealership I’ve frequented for twenty years. I may have mentioned this ritual a few days ago. When I arrived, a service representative asked if she could help me. I replied, “My window washer fluid is low,” expecting at least a flicker of amusement at the idea that I’d driven all the way there for a reservoir refill. But to her credit, she held a perfect poker face and said, “Okay.” Then I added that I needed a full service.
I asked if I could get the car washed—a standard part of the Lincoln service experience. She informed me that they no longer offer complimentary washes. In fact, they no longer sell Lincolns at all—just Fords now. Still, they retain a Lincoln-certified technician, a vestigial credential from a more ceremonial era. Apparently, an adjudicator had visited, and the dealership was quietly deconsecrated.
This is an unfortunate development. I’d prefer not to drive long distances for service, but the ritual is shifting.
After the service, I drove to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription—an uneventful transaction, smooth and unremarkable. But on the way, I noticed the washer fluid warning light still glowing on the dash. I found this particularly ironic, given that I’d opened the day with a subtle quip about that very reservoir.
So, I turned around and returned to the dealership. I meant to ask whether they still use a checklist—I know they once did—but I let it go. Some rituals are better left unconfirmed.
“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.” — George Bernard Shaw
#morning #Magnolia #car #photo