Old Gray Mare...

...she ain't what she used to be.

Tonight as I was backing out of the parking lot at work, something in my rear-view mirror caught my eye. Inside my car, where the roof meets the rear window, I was horrified to see that the cloth had come unglued.

I have often laughed inwardly at people with thumbtacks holding up the cloth in their cars. Easy to do until your roof comes unglued.

I am still driving my high school graduation gift. I remember picking out my black Grand Am as a senior in high school, and being so excited to take it home. Since then I have used and abused it. There were spans of time when I drove many miles and months without even considering an oil change or tire rotation. It's a miracle my car still runs.

But the beauty of it - is that it not only runs but runs fairly well. My car, now lovingly referred to as "Grand-ammit," turned ten years old this year. Her age is starting to show. Last year, I had to buy a steering wheel cover because the original vinyl was beginning to shred. The threads are showing in the seats, the carpets bear old stains from old road trips, and the power locks don't work on the passenger front door. It doesn't have power windows - a fact I curse every time I have to roll the window down to punch in my code to get into the work parking lot. The windows don't roll down easily anymore.

Things have been worse. There was that time my car became a haven for roaches. They seem to have found another place to live, thank goodness. There was the time the trunk leaked and everything was constantly wet and smelled like gym socks.

New weather stripping fixed many of my problems, and I really don't have reason to complain. Yeah, the Grand-ammit rattles a bit as she rolls down the street, but she still gets me to work in one piece. I hope she can hang on for another year and four months - when Lee's car will be paid off and I can get a new one. But it will be a little sad to see her go. She's seen me through a lot, and has really been a good car for ten whole years.

Bless you Grand-ammit.