Too Many Clicking Noises

Wish I had a weekend to myself.  Well, that's not going to happen really until college football season is over.  And there is a distinct possibility I will be strongly encouraged to come in on Sunday to work on the backlog of forms that need typing.  But even if I didn't have those things looming over my weekend, wicked ol' me still wouldn't have any rest because I have two distinct problems I need to deal with.

I still hear the clacking sound whenever the furnace kicks in.  I no longer am concerned that the cause of that ticking is a gas leak or a bad pilot light, either of which could, conceivably, lead to the house exploding.  But after doing what one Internet site said and cleaned the housing inside the furnace cell area, I still hear.  It's a lot quieter, however, which leads me to believe I cleaned up some debris in there that is the source of the arcing.  I will look further ... if I have the energy.

And then the battery in my parents' minivan appears to have died.  I had trouble starting it Monday when I was going to the gym, but I eventually got it to work.  I thought it was just a case of not using that car as much as I should, but I tried to start it up the other day and I all I got was the click-click-clicking noise of a tapped-out battery.  I will check, but that has to be an old battery.  And I suddenly feel unsafe having one car and no back-up, so getting to the bottom of this battery suddenly becomes a top priority.

Beset on all sides, man, beset on all sides. ...