Menaces to Society

Mother Nature is usually so good to me. I thoroughly enjoy virtually every aspect...wildlife, flora, seasons, weather, etc. Yesterday, however, a small corner of Mother Nature showed its wrath and made itself felt in my life.

Upon my return to West Virginia, I had to have my car inspected. This is the yearly responsibility that never really comes of anything for me. It's just a matter of getting the new sticker. This year, however, was different because I had noticed about a week ago that my reverse lights were not functioning. My dad had gone through my fuses with me to make sure it was not a blown fuse, but that did not remedy the problem. So, when I scheduled my appointment at the dealership for yesterday, I mentioned that I would need them to fix the lights as well. I dropped the car off, then I received a call from the very courteous (very hot) man..."Ms. Chase? It appears you have rodent damage on your car." What damage?! Rodent?! After his explanation that the wires for my reverse lights had been chewed up near the transmission, thus deeming them defunct, I realized what had happened.

Bryn Mawr was full of a squirrel population like you wouldn't believe unless you witnessed it. I have decided that what happened was one took up residence in my car, chewing these wires. Whatever the case, this was one expensive brush with the evils of Mother Nature, costing about $165. Even worse, the warranty wouldn't cover it because it was damage to the car and the insurance couldn't cover it because I have a $250 deductible. So, while squirrels have never been a favorite for me...they're now totally down on the list...like at the bottom.