The news reported that there would be flash flooding in Chicagoland and all surrounding areas on Wednesday of last week, all the way up until the following Thursday morning. Well needless to say, that was completely underestimated.
My Thursday morning began with me dragging around the house to get the boys up and ready for school, because my Mom was off work that day. I proceeded to make sure they were dressed, well groomed and had eaten before we finally left the house. We eventually made it to the car and would you believe that my back tire is completely flat. Unbelievable…I proceed back in the house and make a few phone calls to my wonderful male friends, to see who could repair my tire. One results in a non-response, and the other two are unable to help as they are already on their way to work. As of now, I don’t think I would consider them too wonderful, as I could get neither one of them to come change my tire. So Thursday resulted in the boys missing school, because I was opposed to attempting to change my tire in that weather.
Thursday night I made up my mind to fix my tire the first thing Friday morning. My Mom volunteered to let me use her car to go and purchase a tire inflator early the next morning before she took the boys to school, until I can get my tire to the repair shop. I told her that wouldn’t be necessary, because I would be doing the repairs myself. The DIY’er tends to come out from time to time and she sometimes intermixes with my inner tomboy, and my mind was set. I was going to Auto Zone the first thing Friday morning to purchase the needed items to fix my flat tire.
How would I get there you ask, with no transportation? Well I decided I would get my daily dose of exercise on this day and walk the 2 1/2 miles to Auto Zone. The next morning I awoke to news of flooding disasters, the declaration of a state of emergency, expressway closures and overflooding lakes and ponds. Yet and still I was determined to fix my tire, as I would have to volunteer later that day at my sons school.
The boys are up ready and on their way off to school. I eat breakfast; do my home excercises; shower and throw on my heather gray jogging suit with black trim, my black and white tank top, my black socks, and black, red and heather gray MBT’s; I stuff my hair inside of my black hat with heather gray trimmed brim, I throw on my black North Face jacket, I put on my black and heather gray gloves and put on my pink Apple watch (pink is my favorite color you know), put my earphones in my ear and proceed to leave the house.
Once outside, I feel good and look cute. I began my 2 1/2 mile trek to Auto Zone. Needless to say, not even a minute later it begins to hail. What the heck, Tracy Butler said flurries, NOT HAIL. This is altogether different, but determination made me keep trekking. I turned my music up and kept it going, my legs felt the burn. The hail began coming down faster and harder hitting my face with a vengeance. I breathed and kept trekking, the musical sounds that came from my IPOD kept me at peace and on pace.
I walked past an overflooded pond, where the water was so so high it was gushing down the small concrete path that I treaded on. The hail constantly took my breath away and I began to bury my head in my coat to attempt to protect my cheeks, although it didn’t work. Two miles down and a half mile to go, I see O’Reillys Auto Parts, which just so happen to be 1000 ft closer than Auto Zone. This place literally saved my life, because I dreaded walking that extra thousand feet in that weather to Auto Zone. I ran walked in there, as I breathe a sigh of relief that I was out of the hail.
I proceeded to the aisle that had what I needed, I priced the tire inflator and Slime Quick Spare Tire Sealant. I called Auto Zone to check their prices and see if it was in stock. During the call, it seems as if I had made the right decision, because they didn’t have the tire inflator in stock. So I purchased my products and left O’Reillys. The walk back home seemed to take longer as the hail hit my face from the right so hard, that I took it as a sign from God to began repenting for anything wrong that I had done. The right side of my face was on fire. I decided to remix Alicia Keys song “Girl on Fire” to “Face on Fire”, it made me chuckle at how I could cause myself to be amused at a time like this.
5004 steps and 320 calories burned later, I arrive at my car. I get in the car and rest for a few minutes. By now the hail has stop coming down. Can you believe that? It stopped coming down, once I got in the car. I proceed to dispense and empty the Slime into my tire and then I immediately began to inflate my tire (while the inflator is at work, I’m resting in the car, I purchased the tire inflator that shuts off after it reaches the set PSI). Once the inflator shuts off, I have to drive for five miles to ensure the slime seals the hole. By the way the culprit of my flat tire was a 4 1/2 inch rusted nail, yep, I pulled that baby out of my tire and disposed of it, never to be seen again.
Fast foward to now. As of yesterday, my tire looks like new and I put about a 100 miles plus on my car post flat tire. Would I repair my tire/car again?, Absolutely, I am a girly girl who loves to work with her hands, especially fixing on cars. In that weather? I most certainly will not.
A Lady Fyrst 