Musing: Car technology and COVID


Musing: Car technology and COVID

Brenda Donegan, Musing
Published 12:43 p.m. ET Oct. 18, 2020

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“Keyless remote battery low” was the message that popped up on my dash this morning. This is my third vehicle since 2015 that uses a fob to both lock and unlock the vehicle and also to start it. No keys needed for the ignition. What should I do, I pondered. Turn around and go back 10 miles for my extra fob at home or continue 15 miles to my destination for an appointment, then pray there is enough battery to start the vehicle to get to the dealers to get the battery replaced?

Yep, I’m that blonde that would go to the dealer for a $5 battery and willing to pay to have them put it in. They didn’t charge me to install the battery, but they all got a big laugh when I said I guess I have never had a car long enough for the battery to get low. Anyway, we are all set with a new battery in the fob and no more messages on the dashboard. That is one thing I do like about newer cars — especially for single women who aren’t too car savvy — you get a message that tells you if you are drifting into another lane, you need an oil change, low tire pressure, time for a coffee break or low windshield fluid and probably many more that I haven’t seen.

Yesterday, I listened to jackhammers as city workers tore out the sidewalk on the side and front of the house in preparation to pour new concrete. I live on a corner lot. When I came home from my appointment today (Tuesday), I had another situation to figure out — how to get from my car to the house as the apron in to the carport was also newly poured. I parked on the street, walked down to the neighbors, went over into their yard, then walked in the grass to the front door. I may be blonde, but I’m not stupid. In a conversation with one of the workers, that will be my situation for at least five days. On another note, it looks beautiful.

I did not like seeing Marion move to red on the COVID-19 advisory map. Its time to go back to square one, folks. We — and I include myself —have become too lax. This became very real to me this past weekend. I had agreed to meet friends from Kettering at a favorite restaurant at Indian Lake to celebrate another friend’s birthday. We arrived at 4 p.m. thinking we would be in and out before the dinner time crowd arrived. About 5 p.m., folks started arriving and the waitress walked them right past our table. They all had masks on, but I began thinking about the door handle we all had touched and would touch again on our way out. No problem. I always keep hand sanitizer in my purse. But as folks kept coming in and tables were filling up around us, I was about to panic. I asked if they were ready to go and immediately got a chorus of “yes” from all my table mates. We moved outdoors with our masks still in place and continued to visit for awhile. Our conversation centered mostly on how uncomfortable we began to feel as the restaurant began filling up. I will admit, I have both fear and respect for the coronavirus.

It’s time to get back to the basics. Wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance, sanitize and disinfect often. With cooler weather on the horizon, it won’t hurt to

open a door or window for a short time to get fresh air into your home. It’s not good to breathe the same air over and over. If you have children who are in and out often, you probably get enough fresh air with the fanning of the door.

Let me leave you with this quotation by Hippocrates: “Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.”

Until next week. Be safe!

Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at [email protected].

Read or Share this story: https://www.marionstar.com/story/news/2020/10/18/musing-car-technology-and-covid/3640883001/


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