Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Sometimes all you can do is laugh.
I awoke this morning by alarm at 0500, decided I could shower and pack the car in an hour, thus decided to sleep until 0530. Between 0600 and 0630 I was busy packing our supplies and exploded boxes in the truck when a police cruiser pulled into our driveway. Since we have the only truly accessible driveway in the area I figured the guy who exited the car was there on some errand having nothing to do with us.
"M'am," he said as we approached one another, "I'm checking to see if any of your car tires were vandalized last night."
I cursorily scanned both cars sitting in front of our house and responded that I didn't think so.
"Do you mind if I check?" he asked, then explained that during the night several tires in the area were "vandalized".
Sure enough, the two front tires of our sedan (which is sitting behind the truck and thus out of the glare of the night street light) had one shiny, large nail apiece pushed into them. When I reported to our Mesa yardman later on his message machine that we would be delayed yet another day I was so annoyed I told him our tires had been "slashed". Actually, we're lucky that the vandals decided to push nails into them instead. The tires are the type that semi-seal themselves when punctured with small objects to allow the driver time to figure out she has a damaged tire and get to a station so the tires haven't even yet lost much air. Even though the sedan is not the car we're taking to Mesa I figured I'd better have the tires repaired now so we don't return from Mesa tomorrow to a car with its nose cradled in the very sandy dirt.
This isn't the first time that tires have been recently vandalized in our area. A couple of months ago some people decided to steal the tires off Lincoln Continentals, one of our close neighbors being one of the victims. While the policeman and I were outside talking this neighbor approached, mentioned that one of their cars had nails in four tires and speculated that, since one of the tire stealers had been caught and was now out on bail awaiting trial, the tire puncturers were "probably the same idiots who stole our tires."
The policeman, of course, didn't comment. While we were talking in front of the cars my mother awakened on her own and emerged into the yard in soaked Depends and night shirt to see what was going on. So, my day began just short of a bang.
I called for a tow and mentioned that both my mother and I would need a ride with the driver to Costco (we have free tire service there) since she was elderly and I didn't want to leave her alone. About half an hour later I got a call from the driver telling me that he has "lots of calls from that area", many headed for Costco and he was trying to pick up two cars at a time. Was it all right, he asked, if he waited to tow us until early to mid-afternoon so he could pick up a car without a driver needing transport and accommodate both my mother and me in his cab? Fine with me. It gives us a chance to have a fairly normal morning AND afternoon, since she'll get in her therapy exercises in a few minutes then walkering at Costco this afternoon.
Needless to say, we're not in Mesa, which we would have been by now if anger and nails hadn't intervened. But, you know, I'm used to this. Mercury is retrograde, what can one expect?!?
Mom is not disappointed about not going to Mesa. Police visits and nefarious happenings are always exciting to her. The only aspect of all this that disappoints her is that she'll be, once again, doing her walkering at Costco. I'm sorry about this, too. I was going to try to avoid the place until this weekend and get us out to other venues but as long as we'll be waiting for our tires to be repaired we may as well pick up a few items that will need replenishing this weekend and get Mom's daily walkering in at the same time.
As I write this yet another tow truck is hauling an SUV down the street, probably to have its tires repaired, probably at Costco. It's a good day for automotive maintenance people, I guess.
So, I'm going to try to keep Mom moving today since we had a lounge day yesterday. I'm sure I'll check in, here, again...
...later.
"M'am," he said as we approached one another, "I'm checking to see if any of your car tires were vandalized last night."
I cursorily scanned both cars sitting in front of our house and responded that I didn't think so.
"Do you mind if I check?" he asked, then explained that during the night several tires in the area were "vandalized".
Sure enough, the two front tires of our sedan (which is sitting behind the truck and thus out of the glare of the night street light) had one shiny, large nail apiece pushed into them. When I reported to our Mesa yardman later on his message machine that we would be delayed yet another day I was so annoyed I told him our tires had been "slashed". Actually, we're lucky that the vandals decided to push nails into them instead. The tires are the type that semi-seal themselves when punctured with small objects to allow the driver time to figure out she has a damaged tire and get to a station so the tires haven't even yet lost much air. Even though the sedan is not the car we're taking to Mesa I figured I'd better have the tires repaired now so we don't return from Mesa tomorrow to a car with its nose cradled in the very sandy dirt.
This isn't the first time that tires have been recently vandalized in our area. A couple of months ago some people decided to steal the tires off Lincoln Continentals, one of our close neighbors being one of the victims. While the policeman and I were outside talking this neighbor approached, mentioned that one of their cars had nails in four tires and speculated that, since one of the tire stealers had been caught and was now out on bail awaiting trial, the tire puncturers were "probably the same idiots who stole our tires."
The policeman, of course, didn't comment. While we were talking in front of the cars my mother awakened on her own and emerged into the yard in soaked Depends and night shirt to see what was going on. So, my day began just short of a bang.
I called for a tow and mentioned that both my mother and I would need a ride with the driver to Costco (we have free tire service there) since she was elderly and I didn't want to leave her alone. About half an hour later I got a call from the driver telling me that he has "lots of calls from that area", many headed for Costco and he was trying to pick up two cars at a time. Was it all right, he asked, if he waited to tow us until early to mid-afternoon so he could pick up a car without a driver needing transport and accommodate both my mother and me in his cab? Fine with me. It gives us a chance to have a fairly normal morning AND afternoon, since she'll get in her therapy exercises in a few minutes then walkering at Costco this afternoon.
Needless to say, we're not in Mesa, which we would have been by now if anger and nails hadn't intervened. But, you know, I'm used to this. Mercury is retrograde, what can one expect?!?
Mom is not disappointed about not going to Mesa. Police visits and nefarious happenings are always exciting to her. The only aspect of all this that disappoints her is that she'll be, once again, doing her walkering at Costco. I'm sorry about this, too. I was going to try to avoid the place until this weekend and get us out to other venues but as long as we'll be waiting for our tires to be repaired we may as well pick up a few items that will need replenishing this weekend and get Mom's daily walkering in at the same time.
As I write this yet another tow truck is hauling an SUV down the street, probably to have its tires repaired, probably at Costco. It's a good day for automotive maintenance people, I guess.
So, I'm going to try to keep Mom moving today since we had a lounge day yesterday. I'm sure I'll check in, here, again...
...later.
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originally posted by dualistic: Tue Aug 31, 11:40:00 AM MST
Man, I would seriously consider Costco as a suspect. =P
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Man, I would seriously consider Costco as a suspect. =P
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