My problems continue to pile up.

At the end of my last column, my father was in the hospital and my mother had fallen and injured herself and was therefore staying with my sister, Rhonda, for a few days.

I am a terrible doctor. But my father is a far worse patient. I honestly feel sorry for the folks who had to deal with him after he started to feel better.

It does not take B.F. Robinson long to decide he should be going home. Plans were for him to stay until Friday, but for his sake — or that of the hospital staff — he was released Thursday.

He came home, then my mother came home. We were just one big, not yet healthy family. Then Monday I was set to deliver newspapers early due to the July 4 holiday. When I got into my car and headed toward Pickens, I notice the engine was not running well.

Both my mother and father said that they had noticed the car not running well for quite some time and had mentioned it to me.

Apparently, I never listened. So I loaded my car with newspapers and decided I would get the oil changed before running the route.

I went to the oil change place on Highway 8, and the technician told me the engine did not sound like it would last much longer. That’s OK, I thought. I will get it checked next week.

The technician seemed a bit psychic, as the car only lasted from the oil change place to the turn in for Save-A-Lot in Pickens.

Save A Lot let me use the phone to call my father, who was recovering at home. One guy who was delivering to Save-A-Lot offered to help me, but I just waited for my father. We eventually called William Giles, who confirmed that the motor was blown. So that will end up costing about $2,000 just to get it running. I need to become smarter to let it run longer.

It’s in the shop now, but I need to drive smarter to let this car last longer.

Hopefully this little episode is almost over, because I don’t want to keep taking the car in for work.

Hopefully, I will be able to work hard, pay back my father for the repairs and be happy.