Fixing Stuff

I'm not one to aggressively look for things to do - I'm happy to sit and do nothing if the opportunity presents itself. However, when the need arises, it's nice to know I can take care of things when I have to do it.

This morning Rachel called to me from the shower, saying the door was stuck and she couldn't get out. I had to pull at it a bit, but I got it open. Since something was obviously wrong, I decided to fix it. The thing at the bottom was catching, so I took it off. I have to admit the insides and bottom of it looked about as nasty as the inside of a pipe, so the first step was cleaning. It was truly disgusting. Then I figured out how it was supposed to fit, and when I couldn't quite get it back together using my less-than-super strength, I figured out the right tool for the job.

Then, as I left in the minivan to get Josh from school, I started hearing and feeling something abnormal. I pulled to a stop in front of the neighbors house and discovered that my tire was completely flat. So I left the girls at my neighbor's house and ran to the school to get Josh.

After we took care of lunch, I decided to take care of the problem. I figured I would much rather execute my first solo tire change on the street in front of my house instead of on a busy street with cars whizzing by. So with a little bit of help from one neighbor, who helped me set up his jack which was way better than the one my car came with, a little bit of physics to overcome my lack of muscles, and another neighbor who lifted the spare tire on, I changed the tire!

I learned a few things in the process. One, if I ever expect to have a chance at changing a tire in an emergency situation, I need to get a better tool to loosen the lug nuts. Two, give me directions or a little time to figure something out and I can manage pretty well. (That doesn't mean I plan to take over all of these types of projects. I still plan to leave most of it to Robert.) And now I plan to rest my sore muscles and go read a book.