The truck, after texting me
My mother, bless her heart, never learned how to use her cell phone to send text messages. It was just beyond her technical abilities. My truck, on the other hand, sends me text messages frequently. Does that mean that my truck is smarter than my mother? I certainly hope not.
Actually, it is not the truck that sends the messages; it is the Verizon Hum device that is plugged into the truck’s diagnostic port. It constantly monitors the truck’s status and sends me regular reports on the quality of my driving (quite good, thanks for asking). It also sends me a text message when it detects something amiss.
A week ago it sent me a message to let me know that the battery voltage was getting low – not a surprise as the truck had not been started since the middle of June. It warned me that the voltage was so low that the engine might not start. This was a problem as I really needed the truck to be in running condition in the event that a hurricane approached. So I sent off a note to the resort office offering $20 to anyone who would take my truck key, go to my site and start the truck, then let it run for 20 minutes. I got no response.
As luck would have it, I received an email two days later from our new neighbor that we have never met. His name is Joshua and he wanted to let me know that he was in Ft Myers and that everything looked good on our site. He sent me some photos (see the two attached) that not only showed that both the site and the RV were in good shape but induced some serious homesickness in both Jett and me. He also said that he would be there for 2 weeks and was there anything that he could do for us while he was there?
Hmmm… an offer too good to ignore. So I asked if he would mind getting the truck key, try to start it and let the engine run for 20 minutes if it should start. He said he would be happy to do so, reported that the truck started right up, let it idle for 30 minutes and returned the key to the office. He also declined my offer of a $20 payment.
I feel much better now. I know that the truck will start in an emergency and will almost certainly start when I get back to Ft Myers.
Joshua – I owe you!
The RV at rest, photo by Joshua