Publisher's Message / Dec/Jan 2012
Cold Veggie Oil
I love cold weather, but my car - which runs on waste veggie oil (WVO) - doesn’t care for it at all... and, I learned that lesson the hard way.
It was December, three years ago, when I decided to convert my 1978 Mercedes - named “VeggieMatic” by my kids - to run on the waste oil discarded by restaurants after they empty their deep fryers. The total cost of the conversion was about $900, but when I looked at the price of diesel fuel, I figured we’d have it paid off in no time at all. Plus, I relished the idea of sticking it to the Big Oil Companies.
My wife loved the concept, so Christmas came early that year for us. To celebrate, we loaded up the family for a trip to the mountains. We planned to spend a few days there leading up to Christmas Eve and then we’d head home just in time for Santa’s visit. I cannot begin to tell you how invigorating it was to drive by all the gas stations on the way to the mountains. Every time we’d pass one, I’d smile to myself knowing I had a tank full of WVO powering my “frybrid.”
We made it all the way to a remote little mountain cabin outside of Yosemite. It was an incredibly beautiful scene as the snow began to fall. All was right with the universe. Except that it wasn’t. I woke the next morning ready to take VeggieMatic to the nearest market and stock up on groceries. When I turned the key, the engine struggled and refused to start. Feeling frustrated, I called the mechanic who helped me convert the car to run on WVO. I told him what had happened and, in grave terms, he explained that my car had just suffered a heart attack - the veggie oil had thickened in the cold weather and wasn’t moving. I wouldn’t be able to start the engine until it warmed up again.
But, I couldn’t wait until spring - Santa was due at our house in less than 72 hours! And, more urgently, we needed groceries. So, I emptied my daughter’s pink Care Bears backpack of its dolls and toys, threw it over my shoulders, and started jogging the 10 miles to the market. Hours later, I came running back with food, and, considering our circumstances, even more importantly, beer. It was the first and only time in my life that I had literally gone on a “beer run.”
We were stranded, but it didn’t matter. It was great fun playing in the fresh fallen snow, warming by the fire, and baking Christmas cookies. On the 23rd (or, as we call it at my house “Christmas Eve Eve”), we decided to leave a couple of quartz heaters running overnight, one under the engine block and one under the fuel tank to, hopefully, loosen up VeggieMatic’s arteries and get its heart pumping again.
It was four o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve when I awoke. Snow was falling. I crept out of the cabin, slipped into the car and turned the key. Rrrr-rrr. Rrr-rrr. Rrr-rrr. It struggled to start. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. Pleading with Saint Nicholas to “Please, please grant me this one small Christmas miracle…” I turned the key again... Rrr-rrr. Rrr-rr. Vrrroooommmm!! It started! And, with that, VeggieMatic roared back to life.
This has been a year full of Christmas magic with so much to be thankful for. At this time I would like to say “thank you” to you for your continued support and to our advertisers, who made it possible to send this magazine directly to your mailbox, well before Santa makes his way down your chimney.
Live the SLO Life!
