There is No Clutch Pedal in This Car

The husband has a working theory about The Diva’s current issue. I drove it yesterday to test it out. That car has an 8-speed automatic transmission, although it also has a “manual” mode. Manual is where the driver, rather than the computer, shifts the gears—to a point. If the driver tries to do something stupid, the car overrides him (or her). It’s like driving a manual transmission with training wheels.

I actually find it kind of annoying to have to drive that car in manual mode, especially in town. It’s a lot of shifting. And at one point, my brain thought that because my right hand was on the shifter, my left foot must need to operate the clutch pedal, except that I tapped the brake instead. If I’m going to drive a manual transmission, I’d like it to be one with an actual clutch pedal.

Anyway. What has been happening is that when I am up at about 45 mph—or where the transmission would shift into 7th gear—the car starts hitching. Driving it in manual mode, I could keep the transmission from shifting into 7th gear, even though it meant running the engine at slightly higher RPMs. I wouldn’t want to do that long term, but for driving around town, it was fine.

The husband thinks it is a bad solenoid in the transmission. He was getting ready to research it as I was heading to bed last night, so I’ll have to wait until he wakes up to hear what he thinks. Can he fix it? He’s fixed every other problem with that car, including an exploded transfer case, so I have no doubt he’ll be able to fix this problem, too.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Janet Tries to Avoid Buying a New Car.

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My podcast interview yesterday lasted two hours. It might have gone even longer but my guest had another appointment. We went a bit far afield from sewing in the second half, so when I post it, I’m going to post two versions: a shorter, sewing-related version and a second, extended-play version for those who want the whole interview.

I had a fun serger class yesterday afternoon with two students. I love these mastery classes because students come in being terrified of their machines and leave feeling like they can go home and actually make something.

When I got home, some fabric was waiting for me in the mailbox. I needed another yard of a French terry I ordered a few months ago, so while I was at it, I threw a couple of yards of a second French terry into the cart. Both pieces came yesterday. I love love love this print:

Both fabrics are destined to become Nathalies, I think, not that there has been much sewing this week. The husband and I have appointments with the eye doctor this afternoon. I hope the doctor can adjust my prescription for me. I have very good close-up vision, out to the distance of my hands held out in front of me. I don’t wear my glasses when I am sewing or working on the computer or playing the piano, because when I have my progressives on, which I need for distance, they are too strong. That means I tend to leave my glasses off for most of the day, but then I end up with headaches. I’ve got to find a solution, even if it means two pairs of glasses. I’ve tried keeping my glasses on a chain around my neck, but I tend to catch my hands in the chain while I am working.