Friday, January 21, 2011

The Moggy

Gerry and the Moggy
Outside St. Mary's Church, Little Crosby (nr Liverpool)

In British English, Moggy is a nickname for two things: a domesticated kitty - cat and the cute little car pictured above: The Morris Minor. Gerry and I had a lot of fun driving his dad's Moggy Minor around England, back in December 1992 when we were lucky enough to have a month - long Christmas vacation (the last time that ever happened!).

We still like to tell the story about the discovery we made when driving into town one cold night. As the car's interior got colder by the mile, and the windshield slowly but surely frosted over, we searched the tiny dashboard in vain for any kind of switch that might provide a little heat, turn on a fan, or activate the defroster.

As a last resort (it was ever thus), we checked the manual which -- amazingly, for a twenty - something - year - old car with multiple owners -- was still in the glove box. As we thumbed through the pages, the fruitlessness of our search for heat was soon revealed. A helpful motoring tip informed us that "Some deluxe models come with a heater." Ah ha! That explained it! Our model, while delightful, was not deluxe! Oh well, that's why we loved it.

To this day, whenever we find ourselves let down by some unanticipated mechanical limitation, we just shake our heads in better - luck - next - time resignation and say, "Some deluxe models come with a heater . . . "

Click here to learn more about The Morris Minor: A British miracle.

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