It was 7:45 am this morning when at last I succumbed to my indefatigable work ethic (which at this particular juncture amounts to nothing more than indigenous guilt) and tore off the linen sheet and red lightweight woollen blanket. After a stimulating breakfast of chilled black coffee, sliced green apple, a wedge of Brie cheese and precisely five dried prunes, the day began as usual with a purgative bicycle ride along the erstwhile railway right-of-way from the Old Town Hall to Martin St N and back.  While I cycled on the path a medical assistant from the local hospital called to report that my family physician had not informed me of the outcome of my recent blood work and X-ray because “everything was perfect“. This was a hugely curious response to my latest enquiry! Clearly they are unfamiliar with the legal adage that “silence is not acceptance“. Presumably the commercial vernacular is more acute than the medical!

Just as I was leaving the apartment to go to the basement to collect my bicycle Mr. David Cameron of Lincoln Heights Ford telephoned to advise that Lincoln Motor Company had recommended changing the exhaust system of my new car to eliminate the carbon coloured condensation from the undercarriage.  I am skeptical this will be the solution – primarily because the offending drips are from under the engine not out of the exhaust pipes. However I give them the benefit of knowing whether the exhaust system extends under the engine not just to the back of the car.  We’ll see, as Mr. Trump is wont to observe!

Immediately upon completing our bicycle tour we drove to Reid Bros. Cadillac in Arnprior and test drove a new Cadillac CT6. I spoke with Ms. Jane Dechert, Sales Consultant.  She and her colleagues are presently sleuthing their comrades for a trade price for the Aviator. I am not optimistic that I’ll be able to make a deal with them.  Certainly the Cadillac is pleasant enough but the superior luxury and technology of the Aviator are palpable. When we returned home later Jane enquired whether I had the “window sticker“.  I did not have it with me because it was in the glove compartment of my car at Lincoln Heights Ford.  I therefore sent here a copy of the Bill of Sale.

When we arrived at Lincoln Heights Ford we left the Aviator for the new exhaust system, realignment of the front passenger door, removal of the dealer sticker from the driver’s side rear and replacement of a missing piece of “chrome” on the front passenger quarter-panel. I am hopeful these details will be corrected and reinstate my erstwhile gusto for the vehicle. The truth is that I am smitten by the ride in the Aviator. The alignment is terrific; the weight and handling are noticeably comfortable; the pick-up is excellent.

Coincidentally in the midst of this vehicular consternation I spoke earlier in the garage here at home with an acquaintance who reports that he too is dissatisfied with his new vehicle and thinking about swapping it for a new one. This intelligence came as somewhat of a surprise to me because I hadn’t any prior clue notwithstanding that the gentleman was aware of my own similar problem. Perhaps car problems suffer the obfuscation of private family matters like divorce, infidelity or learning that one’s daughter is a Lesbian. Whatever the reason for the obscurity it nonetheless pleased me in a perverse way to discover that I am in such good company.

The greater achievement however is having promoted at last some response from, and activity by, Lincoln Motor Company. In matters ductile it is necessary to suffer deformity without losing toughness. It behooves one to keep in mind that over time – and “we know not when” – the material world whatever its constitution will degenerate and diminish. Nor regrettably is it a matter of bloom and decay as within the seasonal expressions of Nature.  When at last it or we are caput, it’s a mess!

It would be deceitful of me to deny that this latest bit of automotive repair does not strengthen my former dismay. Granted it is by the confession of Mr. Cameron himself merely an experiment but it is something better than doing nothing at all. Meanwhile as I await the outcome I have fulfilled my curiosity regarding General Motors products. As a devoted domestic automobile consumer I have no intention to enlarge my scope to embrace BMW, Mercedes or any other manufacturer.