I finally got my car back, just before Thanksgiving. It was a struggle, and a great relief to be back in my own vehicle. Though I had the rental for so long it took me several minutes to re-familiarize myself with the dashboard and instrument panel in my car.

The best part is parking, because the Escape is a little shorter than the rental Equinox. And, oh boy, did I appreciate the heated seats when the temps dropped to the 20s in the mornings.

Picking up the car did not go smoothly. I got in, turned they key, and the car wouldn’t start! A while later the collision place had charged the battery and we made our way home.

A few days later when we went to the grocery store, it took two attempts to open the lift gate to put the groceries in. When we got home, the lift gate wouldn’t open at all. So back to the collision place we went. Of course, the liftgate worked fine once we got there! I eventually figured out that the button for the lift gate on my keys is a dud. But it took some very frustrating experimentation to sort that out!

My insurance company is pursuing “subrogation” to get the money from the insurance on the truck that hit us. I asked how long the process takes and was told it could be as long as five months. So maybe I will get my deductible back in 2024. I am also hoping to get back the balance of the car rental that was not covered by my insurance. Who knows!

Still, it could be worse. I looked up subrogation online, and the highest estimates of time were in years.

I am thankful we walked away from the accident. I still feel nervous whenever there is a truck behind me. I think that will pass eventually.

As I recently explained to my youngest son, time fixes most things. The other two best fixers are love and money. Of course, none of these are guaranteed. So hold onto what you have, and hope for the rest.