Bumped

It snowed last night, it snows still. We picked up boxes from D's work. On the way out of the parking ramp, I hit the snow covered curb. Hard. We drove around the corner, on icy rough surfaces, but as soon as we hit smooth, and it wasn't, we knew we had a problem. Blew out the right front tire. Limped to a tire shop two blocks away, took a bit of work to get the car up over the snow into the bay, help which they gave with some ineptitude. Difficult to move out of snow with a blown out front tire, but after the two guys (at much prompting) gave me a push, I got the car in place. I really do know how to drive in the stuff, but this was different, and I knew it. They had plenty of advice, when what I knew I needed was a shove. Still, can't tell anyone anything.

They had us over the proverbial barrel, tried to sell us into a longer relationship, which we declined. Guy asked us, filling out the invoice "Where are you living this week?" We both laughed. No kidding. It was not cheap, but we have all our tires on, aligned and checked. Missing our hubcap.

Given that in the time we walked back to the library to wait, then back, we saw several people driving badly, especially for the conditions, and one person tried to go through a red light, and honk at the car turning on the protected left, then stopped well into the intersection, it could have been worse. When these sort of things happen, I figure it's the first time offer, discount karmic payment, that if deferred will come back with a much higher cost.

Really, we learn this in kindergarten, Red means STOP, Green means GO. Our anesthesia head was hit last week by idiots going 65 MPH through a red light, hit the front quarter of his truck. He's more or less ok, but only worked a couple of days this work, obviously in pain. Nothing like a collision to shake one down to the cellular level. A hard bump with the curb, and a busted tire, easily if not cheaply fixed, and back home safe, then all is well.

Must pack, going to wait another hour or so, take a nap.

Tires

Six months old. Right after a rough trip home through an Idaho blizzard. Not the color we would have chosen, but we had to order ahead through the internettage, and as long as it wasn't copper, we were happy enough. (Would have preferred dark blue, black, or red. Oh, well. One gets used to the color, when it proves reliable. And fun to drive.)

We've had the car four years now, it passed inspection and emission (once we replaced the high beam bulb on the passenger side.) But the place that replaced the bulb was surprized that the tires passed, since they probably should not have. So, we will budget for new tires in the next few months. All in all, it's been a remarkably sturdy vehicle, good on gas, no real repairs, just oil changes and tiny recalls. And the tires are all worn very evenly, which is good. But before we get more winter, new tires are called for. It was an expensive morning, with more to come - but we can put that off a bit.

I would like to be able to fix more of these things myself, but without a garage or any tools, nor expertise, it winds up being cheaper to pay more to have the pros do it. It goes against the grain every time, though. I prefer self sufficiency. Part of why, even if I could afford it, I would not actually hire anyone to do my house cleaning. I once thought it would be bliss, but I've come to realize the job one does for oneself does more than getting the job done. It's a lesson*, and a source of pride and satisfaction. As well as knowing it was done either correctly, or at least good enough for oneself.

At any rate, it's all done but the treads. Legal and streetworthy.

*As a nurse, it's even more important, because when I have to wipe the bum, I know what the "output" looks like, and that means more to me than some minimally trained aid. Not so much in the OR, but in long term care, I could also assess mobility, mentation, skin quality, hydration, and anything else unusual. Seems simple, the kind of thing any trained monkey could do, but there is more for those with eyes to see. Just as OR nurses who scrub in are better circulators, and it's always easier to circulate for a nurse scrubbed in. Drives RNs nuts to have a scrub behaving as though they understand the nurse role, when it's pretty obvious they don't. Lulled by the odd, bad nurse, I'm sure. But honestly, the vast majority of us are pretty good. The bad ones are memorable, and for the most part, rare.