This weekend I washed the car. It seemed like a good time since my wife said, “You really need to wash the car this weekend” three weeks ago and of course if I were a superhero I’d be The Procrastinator, but that’s another story. And technically I’ve been putting it off since, well, if I remember correctly the last time I washed the car was last July, but it hasn’t really needed it, at least until now with everything blooming and pollen everywhere which has given the car a chartreuse tinge which clashes with the dark blue finish. And for some reason this doesn’t come off with a simple spray of the hose or even a good rain. Soap and a sponge are required. There’s also the problem that I’m short and have trouble reaching the roof of the car, even with a ladder. Also there’s the fact that once I’ve finished washing the car and put away everything and the car dries that’s when the spots that I missed become glaringly obvious. At least the roof is enough above eye level that it’s not so noticeable.
What I really should have done was take it down the street to the automatic car wash place. As a kid getting to ride through a car wash was almost an adventure. I loved watching the brushes go along the windows and the giant rolling drum rumble over the front and top of the car while hot water, soap, and wax rained down. The only problem with it was that it was always over too soon. That’s a complaint I can never make about washing the car by hand.
And of course after I washed the car it rained overnight, and, while it doesn’t look bad, I know that means it needs to be washed again even though it seems completely counterintuitive that rain, which is mostly water, is a bad thing. This time I will take it down the street to the automatic car wash place. At least I will when I get around to it, which will probably be some time in July.
Now I feel even smarter choosing a yellow car, Chris, which never shows the pollen. I’ve never washed my car myself and I appreciate being able to use the excuse that I’m shorter than you.
My favorite memory of going through a car wash was from my 20’s. I was in a caravan of cars following this guy I worked with who was leading the way to a restaurant for lunch. He drove through a car wash (in his converted hearse) and we all followed him. Fun times in the 1970’s.
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Following a converted hearse through a carwash does sound like a lot of fun and I can’t help picturing the one from Harold & Maude. That also reminds me that when I took driver’s ed there was a guy who’d drive up to the school in a hearse. It was always fun to see even if none of us ever got to drive it.
That’s funny, the line about it being over too soon in the automatic car wash but never when you do it by hand. I get the chartreuse thing too, and the pollen is like clay or some kind of gum, it’s hard to get off.
It’s amazing how sticky pollen is but I guess that helps it stick to bees and other pollinators so they can carry it to other flowers. For the plants it’s an advantage but for cars, well, unfortunately it doesn’t even come off in the rain. But it’s still a strangely welcome sign of spring.