TIREd!

Did you ever just have one of those days?

I got up this morning and took a shower and got ready to go to the "big town" with my child. We do this once a month, partly to deliver a payment and partly because we really like having a girls' day out.


Juls got off of work at 8 and came over around 9. We kissed the guys goodbye and went out to the car. I backed out of the driveway and thought that the car felt a little wonky. No, I did not run over a dog. It felt like a flat to me, so I went down to the next driveway and pulled into the business adjacent to my house. The rear passenger tire was off the rim. It was VERY flat.


I called Shorty on the phone and asked him to bring me the keys to the other car, which he did. I left him with a non-usable car and an 8 year old.


We went to the bank so that I could get a balance from the ATM. The ATM was out of paper. I did my banking and we left.


We went to the local stop and rob which has an attached burrito store so that we could grab a breakfast burrito. Yay, no probs.


We went to the Post Office so that I could get my mail from the box, write a check for one of the bills, buy a stamp, and put it in the return mail. While waiting in line to buy the stamp, I went to open another piece of mail and ripped open the envelope I had just addressed and ruined it.


We went to the Church office to get some paperwork regarding Lil Man's next year's school enrollment. The church lady, who had called me yesterday to tell me she had the paperwork, told us this morning that she did not.


Did I mention that it was raining?


So, we left for the big town. The car I was driving, not my first choice, has no cruise control and no climate control. I actually had to drive. How sucky! Also, the turn signals only work intermittently. Not my favorite vehicle for longish trips. Oh, well. As I was driving, I noticed a front end shimmy. I have not driven this vehicle lately. I called Shorty and asked him how long it had had a shimmy. He said that he didn't know. He thought it was just there and that I just hadn't mentioned it before. In case you are ever questioned about any such scenario, this would NEVER happen.


We stopped at a local sporting goods store to buy the Lil Man the 'as advertised in the Sunday paper radio-controlled submarine'. We parked, walked into the store, were ignored totally by the two sales clerks standing at the front register. I said, "Excuse me, could you please point me in the direction of the as advertised in the Sunday paper radio-controlled submarine". The girl looked up and, I kid you not, pointed at the corner of the store. We bought the sub, only because Lil Man had saved up his own $30.00 to buy this with. We left. We will not return.


We went to deliver the check and, when we got there, I went to check the front end of the car to see if I could see what was causing the shimmy. The hood was open. It was on the latch, but it was not closed. I closed it and we delivered the check.


We drove to the local IHOP so that we could have Machaca. This is food from and for the gods. Oh my gosh, it is good. We left the IHOP and checked the car again, deciding this time that the front tire on the driver's side looked a little low. Did I mention yet that you could also see the steel belt inside my steel belted, z rated radials? Yeah. So we went to the local gas station to put some air in the tire. It was 50 cents for the free air. I scrounged my pockets, my purse, the ashtray, the center console, the floor mats and Julie's pockets and came up with 17 cents. I drove to the next gas station in hopes of free air. Their air was 75 cents. Soooo- I used my ATM card to get the money so that I could have 50 cents for air. We put air in the front tires and decided to head for home.


On the way, because it WAS on the way, we stopped and went furniture shopping. Not buying, just shopping. We found what we wanted, both of us! and got back in the car. I left via the rear driveway and turned west on the surface road. I wanted to go to a particular street and discovered that the surface road that I was on stopped one street short of the desired road with huge "DO NOT ENTER" signs. The only turn available took me into the parking lot of a 'room by the hour' motel. I was sure that we were going to be arrested just for being there!


I finally got back to the road that I wanted. We headed home, with only one more stop at the WalMart for shampoo and some 20 for a $1 spiral notebooks. 16 cash registers and 1 cashier. Whoo hoo! We went to the self-serve cash register and then had to wait for assistance to ring up the 20 notebooks without scanning one 20 times.


We headed home, the shimmy getting shimmier. Julie started talking about how she had never been in an accident where she wasn't driving and we were discussing what kind of car to buy with the insurance payoff. So, do you go for the bar ditch or the median? Decisions, decisions.


In the end, it was irrelevant. When the driver's side front tire blew at 70 mph, the car barely wobbled. I steered her onto the shoulder, slowed it down, and made it to a wide spot. I called Shorty and left him a message with our location. Juls and I, each of us taught at the age of 16 to change a tire (me by my dad and her by her paternal grandpa) decided to see what we could do. Neither of us had ever actually changed a tire, but how hard could it be? We both watch the NASCAR pit crews. Besides, some kind person would stop. 17 minutes later, the donut was on the car and we were headed home again. Juls was pouting slightly because I busted 3 out of 4 nuts and now I am a bigger nut-buster than she is! So there, Ree!


Just for info, no one stopped. So, either we looked incredibly competent or else I do not look old enough to need help and Julie does not look helpless enough to need help. Or - and this is my guess - most people recognized my car and know that I live next door to the tow truck!


Anyway, we made it home. The tire on the Lincoln had been replaced by the time we got home (thank you, baby) and the tire on the other car will just have to wait till next payday. Have you priced z-rated tires lately?


All in all a good day. We were still giggling when we got home and Julie actually her hands DIRTY!