Border Banter with Benoit-Leipert

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Every vehicle has a story. Mine has a long and action-packed one. The good old Durango.

Actually, it’s not even that old. It’s a 2015 and we bought it in 2016 with 25,000km on it. Almost seven years and 305,000km later, she’s still going strong. She’s got a few minor dents (my husband’s fault, of course) and a pretty angry-sounding tick in the engine, which just began.

We joke it sounds like a time bomb, but I don’t find it very funny. The old girl has become part of the family over the years. We had to buy something with seven seats because we have four boys and a girl. Not only that—the older three boys played hockey, so it needed to be decent in the winter. I can remember a hockey tournament we went to in Calgary. There we were, cruising down Highway One, and that thing was loaded right to the roof! Hockey bags in the very back, backpacks on laps, extra luggage underfoot.

I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious about threatening to make someone ride the rest of the way on the roof rack. But she got us there and back, and it was a great weekend!

Durango has ushered us to weddings, funerals, sporting events, work, school and everywhere in between. We’ve been through a lot together. Hailstorms, snowstorms, road rage—a fair bit of that one. (Guilty as charged)

We’ve dodged a lot of wildlife together,

Word on the street ...

The idea is simple, and quite a bit of fun! We go out into the community and ask the same question to five random peo - ple. Streeters will be a regular thing in the Source , so if you’re approached with a question by our editor, Taylor, play along!

Taylor took the opportunity

This week’s questions ...

Durango and I. Ducks, deer, moose, foxes, gophers—oh wait, those I try to hit. Farm girl habits die hard.

One very cold morning I was driving the kids to school. As we were approaching a large patch of ice on the highway a beautiful, majestic white owl landed right in the middle of the patch.

I tested out the horn that morning, and although it was a very close call, the majestic white owl (who may be deaf now) lives on, and so does my little old Durango.

Tick, tick, vroom.

to ask some back-to-school questions this week at the Harty Development Skate Park. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Summer is almost over ... are you excited about going back to school? Secondly, what was your most-memorable moment this summer?

Dawson Asher

- Dawson is excited for his back to school. His favourite summer memory was a river float in Cremona.

20

Brayden

Braxten Tucker

2017

- Asher isn’t as excited about back to school as his dad, Dawson, and his favourite summer memory was a mega slip ‘n slide.

I decided to be independent and do it myself. I promptly dumped the fluid into the radiator.

Doh! So, after a quick assessment, I decided I needed to try to syphon out the fluid and did a quick scan of the area, spotting a pharmacy.

I thought I could get a syringe or a tube and syphon the fluid out with that.

Upon entering the pharmacy I picked up some Tylenol as I didn’t want to just ask for a free syringe. The pharmacist was a little suspect of my story, but did hand over a syringe and out to my truck I went.

- Isn’t all that excited about back-to-school. His favourite summer memory was spending time at the skate park with his little brother, Braxten.

Standing beside my vehicle, hood popped and all my supplies, I proceeded to plunge the syringe into the radiator tank and pulled back on the plunger sucking up the windshield washer fluid, until “pop!”

The syringe didn’t have a stopper on it and I just dropped the syringe into the tank (still holding the plunger part).

- Braxten IS excited for back to school as he’ll be starting Grade 1. His favourite summer memory was ALSO hanging at the skate park with his brother, Brayden.

Well, I was not going back into the pharmacy to ask for another syringe, so I grabbed a spoon from my lunch kit to try to fish out the syringe. Just at that time, a trio of high school-aged boys stopped by to ask if I needed help.

After explaining the situation (withholding the part of dropping the syringe into the tank), bless their hearts, and before I knew it they were under my truck assessing the situation and making plans to get it to their garage to help me change out the fluid.

- Tucker isn’t too excited for back to school. His favourite summer memory was a family trip to B.C.

Thankfully after assessing the situation, we all decided windshield washer fluid in the radiator wouldn’t actually do any harm.

Upon parting, one of the young lads inquired if I was trying to scoop out the fluid with my spoon. I told him yes, as the truth of dropping the syringe was too embarrassing ... since that day, I let someone more qualified add washer fluid to my vehicles.