Hey there gang!
Well, yesterday was more than interesting... For years I have been trying to convince the dominant menfolk in control of my life of the rationality of teaching dumb ol' T the logistics of changing a flat tire. I've always been a "just in case" sort of gal! (Who else would you have to laugh at otherwise?) Yesterday, on my one and only day off of this long boring week, I was driving as far out into the boonies as can physically be possible in rural Idaho (quite a distance!!) trying to meet up with our beginning kayak workshop out on the Blackfoot River. Here I was, driving along on the dirt road they said I needed to follow (which took me over mountain passes, with washboard sections that I needed to creep along at 15 miles an hour or risk driving off a rural cliff...) One stupid mile, EXACTLY, before I was supposed to be showing up to meet the class (which of course I didn't know without the benefit of 20/20 hindsight...) running right on time so I could get there when the class was supposed to be leaving, and what should happen, of course... I completely blew the side-wall out of the tire on the front passenger side of the truck. Not a flat tire, but a full-fledged BLOW OUT! (When in doubt about how to do something, just make sure to give it your all... do it right... That's my motto today!!!) I was cussing up a storm, as I'm sure you can only imagine... trying to figure out who in all creation I could possibly blame this little inconvenience on... (long list!!) So here I am in BFE and figuring out that I might actually have to resort to calling one of my man friends in order to get help, which would result in the "poor helpless female" type ribbing, if I couldn't manage to get this figured out on my own. (My bet was the "on my own"... I'd figure it out on my own come hell or high water!) I was totally amazed that over the course of this escapade I actually saw 3 whole moving vehicles with real live people in them (it really was the boonies... Honest!!!) The first jerk that drove past must have had a jealous wife as they didn't even stop with little old me standing there reading the jack instructions in just a tank top and shorts. Of course with my luck, if he had actually stopped he could very easily have Charlie Manson's brother, and with that there "hit on me" sign I've mentioned lately, I'd have been done for! (I have always openly admitted that I'm hypocritical... in that I will gladly accept selfless help while bitching about testosterone poisoning in moronic individuals that automatically accept my being out in the open for reason enough to hit on me.) The second couple that came past were wonderful!!! I had gotten the spare tire out from under the truck, which apparently none of the menfolk involved had ever attempted (score one for T!) and was lying on the ground trying to figure out where to place the jack in order to avoid breaking something of potential importance underneath. And I got everything put together the way it should be (score two for T.) So I was stuck on all fours peering under the truck when this next set of campers came past. They were great! I walked over in the direction of where they parked and told the hubby "I'm doing fine, if you could only tell me WHERE THE STUPID JACK IS SUPPOSED TO GO!!!" He said he didn't know either, and they laughed and came over to help. I only wanted someone to look under there and validate my assumption of where the stupid little machine was supposed to sit in order to not damage something. I really was wanting to do the macho thing and fix it all by myself. Guess I was feeling a little martyrish... Better guilt trip value, you know... **chuckles** But chivalry isn't dead, and he wouldn't let me. He decided to do the rest of the tire change while his wife and I stood there and made jokes about how abused uneducated wives were. Less than 5 minutes later I was on my way. I'm gonna buy the two of them dinner one of these days! Talk about my guardian angel! Not that I couldn't have done it, but at least this way it was accomplished with tons less cussing involved!! And it turns out that this couple was camped out right beside where the kayaking class was camped, and so they were able to give me directions as to which little sagebrush to turn right at in order to meet up with my group for a day of play in the sun!
So that is the adventure for this Sunday. Laugh really hard, why don't you, cause one of these days I may actually get a real life, and then what would you have to laugh at?!!