By most accounts, I was up early for a Saturday. I was up and down stairs making coffee by 7:30am. Unfortunately, the kids were already up and making plenty of noise. It was mostly cloudy as the forecasters had predicted. I was still holding out hope for an early clearing despite a forecast that said it wouldn’t happen until overnight.
I pushed through my workout and walked Ykraps. Despite the gray skies, the temperature was very mild. The kids requested some food before Mindy got up. I did my best to meet their demanding requests. I dressed in my smelly running clothes and left for my run around 8:30am. I listened to CD #4 of Beyond Belief once more, starting well before where I had previously left off. I ran along Trabue Rd and then down Hague Ave acutely attuned to the flow of traffic.
I was home a little after 9am. Mindy had a scrumptious breakfast of maple bacon and scrambled eggs ready for consumption. After I woofed down my food I quickly readied for my trip to get Com-Til. Mindy took care of the kitchen.
Getting Com-Til required a stop by my dad’s to get his 4X8’ trailer. Before dad’s I stopped and fueled my rig at the nearby DM gas station. I pulled around back and hooked it up. Dad wasn’t home. I finally left his lug wrench for him that I borrowed in January to fix one of Ashley’s flat tires. Just before pulling away I kicked the tires to make sure they had air. They seemed a little mushy so I thought that I might put some air in them if I passed a station with air pumps. I never did. I arrived at the Com-Til plant a little after 10am and proceeded to have my truck and trailer weighed empty. They charge by the ton. I was quickly directed to the load area where a gentleman on a huge front loader filled the trailer lickity-split. As I pulled towards the scales I looked at the trailer in the side-view mirrors only to see two completely flat tires. What the hell am I gonna do, I thought! I pulled immediately to the side and went into the office where they could already see via a large window the entertainment I had just provided. They told me a story of a guy locking his keys in the truck last week, hoping that would provide a little comfort. Misery loves company, I guess! They also told me that they’d leave the gates unlocked ‘til 3pm even though the plant closes officially at 12noon.
I tried reaching my dad for help many times via his cell and his home number but to no avail. I decided to head towards home hoping he’d be there when I arrived. Incidentally, I left the trailer there. Dad was no where to be found and his garage was locked. I headed on home discouraged with no resolution or plan. After sulking to Mindy I decided I would go buy a jack and jack stands at Sears and then try fixing it alone. In the meantime, I tried reaching dad a couple more times. At Sears I ran into the baby sitters husband who’s really retired but works Saturday morning’s, still. He convinced me that buying this jack/jack-stand combo for $29.99 was too good to pass up. It wasn’t as beefy as the $100 set I wanted but the price out weighed the slight advantage. I bought it. I needed and wanted to have a good jack around anyhow.
Back to the Com-Til plant. The work proved a bit more challenging than I first thought for a couple of reasons. First, the trailer, once disconnected from the Trooper, was tipped upward making getting the jack under the trailer that much more difficult. After struggling with it for a bout 45 minutes I finally got both tires off and left the trailer resting on the two jack stands. I left looking for a tire repair place. At about the same time I finally reached my dad at home. As luck would have it, he advised that I was just yards away form where he bought the trailer and he was sure they could fix the tires. When I looked up, sure enough, I could see Rock’s Trailer’s just ahead on Route 104. It was 1:15pm. The sign at the gat e said we close at 1pm on Sat.. Damn! I got out and walked back anyhow since the gate wasn’t locked. A fella, dog, and friend were walking around looking to be closing up shop. He asked how he might help me. I shared my hard luck story and he happily offered to try and fix/fill the tires with air. But after couple of tries he realized his equipment wasn’t up to the task of mount what amounted to a brand new tire on a wheel. He referred me to the new Tire Discounter’s right around the corner on Stringtown Rd. I took his advice and headed directly there. My dad and I talked about hi coming down to give some help, but I told him to wait until I was assured that I could get the tires fixed.
The folks at Tire Discounter’s were awesome. After struggling for a few, they were able to fill both tires. They insisted that I not pay for their services. Totally cool! Soon I was back at the Com-Til plant working on installing the repaired tires. It was about 2:00pm. Dad arrived to help put the second one on. By 2:15pm I was finally ready to check out and head home. The one worker that stuck around while I toiled with the truck and trailer came out s I was on the scale and told me that the load of Com-Til was on the house given all the troubles I had. He and the Tire Discounter folks made my day. Dad followed me home.
Once at home, Mindy had a cold Coke ready for me and a cold ice water ready for dad. Dad requested a Pepsi instead, reporting his blood sugar noticeably low. After short visit and reminding me that I should have checked the tires since I use it more than anyone else, he departed for home. We invited him to Sunday dinner but he refused.
After Dad left I got busy spreading Com-Til in the beds. I got out my tractor and yard trailer and started spreading. I worked until the trailer was empty filling all of the beds I planned with the one load. It went further than I had thought. I finished up around 6:30pm and headed directly to the shower to wash away the pungent odor and dirt. While I finished up Mindy drove to Barley’s to have two jugs filled with our favorite beers – Russian Imperial Stout for her and the new Hoptopus for me.
Mindy made hot dogs for dinner. After the kids were in bed we sat on the deck under a clear sky enjoying the lovely temps while sipping a beer or two. I was very, very tired. Out west the sky darkened abruptly and lightening flashed. A check of the radar revealed a thin line of storms moving swiftly through the area. We headed in and to bed as the rain came down moderately heavy. I told Mindy to never tell anyone that we went to bed at 9pm on a Saturday night. :)
I pushed through my workout and walked Ykraps. Despite the gray skies, the temperature was very mild. The kids requested some food before Mindy got up. I did my best to meet their demanding requests. I dressed in my smelly running clothes and left for my run around 8:30am. I listened to CD #4 of Beyond Belief once more, starting well before where I had previously left off. I ran along Trabue Rd and then down Hague Ave acutely attuned to the flow of traffic.
I was home a little after 9am. Mindy had a scrumptious breakfast of maple bacon and scrambled eggs ready for consumption. After I woofed down my food I quickly readied for my trip to get Com-Til. Mindy took care of the kitchen.
Getting Com-Til required a stop by my dad’s to get his 4X8’ trailer. Before dad’s I stopped and fueled my rig at the nearby DM gas station. I pulled around back and hooked it up. Dad wasn’t home. I finally left his lug wrench for him that I borrowed in January to fix one of Ashley’s flat tires. Just before pulling away I kicked the tires to make sure they had air. They seemed a little mushy so I thought that I might put some air in them if I passed a station with air pumps. I never did. I arrived at the Com-Til plant a little after 10am and proceeded to have my truck and trailer weighed empty. They charge by the ton. I was quickly directed to the load area where a gentleman on a huge front loader filled the trailer lickity-split. As I pulled towards the scales I looked at the trailer in the side-view mirrors only to see two completely flat tires. What the hell am I gonna do, I thought! I pulled immediately to the side and went into the office where they could already see via a large window the entertainment I had just provided. They told me a story of a guy locking his keys in the truck last week, hoping that would provide a little comfort. Misery loves company, I guess! They also told me that they’d leave the gates unlocked ‘til 3pm even though the plant closes officially at 12noon.
I tried reaching my dad for help many times via his cell and his home number but to no avail. I decided to head towards home hoping he’d be there when I arrived. Incidentally, I left the trailer there. Dad was no where to be found and his garage was locked. I headed on home discouraged with no resolution or plan. After sulking to Mindy I decided I would go buy a jack and jack stands at Sears and then try fixing it alone. In the meantime, I tried reaching dad a couple more times. At Sears I ran into the baby sitters husband who’s really retired but works Saturday morning’s, still. He convinced me that buying this jack/jack-stand combo for $29.99 was too good to pass up. It wasn’t as beefy as the $100 set I wanted but the price out weighed the slight advantage. I bought it. I needed and wanted to have a good jack around anyhow.
Back to the Com-Til plant. The work proved a bit more challenging than I first thought for a couple of reasons. First, the trailer, once disconnected from the Trooper, was tipped upward making getting the jack under the trailer that much more difficult. After struggling with it for a bout 45 minutes I finally got both tires off and left the trailer resting on the two jack stands. I left looking for a tire repair place. At about the same time I finally reached my dad at home. As luck would have it, he advised that I was just yards away form where he bought the trailer and he was sure they could fix the tires. When I looked up, sure enough, I could see Rock’s Trailer’s just ahead on Route 104. It was 1:15pm. The sign at the gat e said we close at 1pm on Sat.. Damn! I got out and walked back anyhow since the gate wasn’t locked. A fella, dog, and friend were walking around looking to be closing up shop. He asked how he might help me. I shared my hard luck story and he happily offered to try and fix/fill the tires with air. But after couple of tries he realized his equipment wasn’t up to the task of mount what amounted to a brand new tire on a wheel. He referred me to the new Tire Discounter’s right around the corner on Stringtown Rd. I took his advice and headed directly there. My dad and I talked about hi coming down to give some help, but I told him to wait until I was assured that I could get the tires fixed.
The folks at Tire Discounter’s were awesome. After struggling for a few, they were able to fill both tires. They insisted that I not pay for their services. Totally cool! Soon I was back at the Com-Til plant working on installing the repaired tires. It was about 2:00pm. Dad arrived to help put the second one on. By 2:15pm I was finally ready to check out and head home. The one worker that stuck around while I toiled with the truck and trailer came out s I was on the scale and told me that the load of Com-Til was on the house given all the troubles I had. He and the Tire Discounter folks made my day. Dad followed me home.
Once at home, Mindy had a cold Coke ready for me and a cold ice water ready for dad. Dad requested a Pepsi instead, reporting his blood sugar noticeably low. After short visit and reminding me that I should have checked the tires since I use it more than anyone else, he departed for home. We invited him to Sunday dinner but he refused.
After Dad left I got busy spreading Com-Til in the beds. I got out my tractor and yard trailer and started spreading. I worked until the trailer was empty filling all of the beds I planned with the one load. It went further than I had thought. I finished up around 6:30pm and headed directly to the shower to wash away the pungent odor and dirt. While I finished up Mindy drove to Barley’s to have two jugs filled with our favorite beers – Russian Imperial Stout for her and the new Hoptopus for me.
Mindy made hot dogs for dinner. After the kids were in bed we sat on the deck under a clear sky enjoying the lovely temps while sipping a beer or two. I was very, very tired. Out west the sky darkened abruptly and lightening flashed. A check of the radar revealed a thin line of storms moving swiftly through the area. We headed in and to bed as the rain came down moderately heavy. I told Mindy to never tell anyone that we went to bed at 9pm on a Saturday night. :)
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