Weekly Photo Challenge – Change: “Show us a change in progress.”
I wasn’t planning on a photo post this week. Clearly, since it’s Wednesday and I usually do those on Monday. I’ve had a lot of change recently, but I’ve done that to death here, so I thought I’d give it a rest. Plus, I’m tired. Packing, moving, unpacking, adjusting, and and and — it takes a lot of energy.
But then this happened.
I found it like this last night as I was leaving to go to the grocery store. Instead of doing anything about it, though, I walked to the Convenience Mart up the road and bought beer. Because priorities.
I set to work changing it this afternoon. Because in the heat of the day in Central Florida is exactly the right time to change a tire.
First I loosened the lug nuts. I jumped on those suckers to pry them from the grip of the professional who put them on last time I got new tires.
Next jack and I got to know each other. I spun him right round, baby, right round like a record, baby, right round round round.
Success! I got the tire off. Like a boss.
I wanted to know what in the hell. I found a mess of wire. Then a straight wire. Then a nail. And another nail. Apparently I’ve been collecting puncture wounds.
The spare was easy enough. I did some more jumping to make sure the lug nuts were tightened. Wha-la. I can go to the grocery store. And the tire store. But groceries first.
Last week my car wouldn’t start. One of my new neighbors, actually a neighbor’s son, helped me jump my car, only to discover I didn’t have it all the way in park. Winning! I ran in to the same neighbor’s son this morning and he asked how my car was doing. “Oh fine, except for the flat tire.” His answer? “You need a man in your life.” Nope. I can change my own tire. Thank you very much.
~
Title in reference to ‘Brother, Can You Spare A Dime’ by Bing Crosby
*Featured and Post Images © Melanie (WritingInBoots) (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
**The ads (which may appear) below are not mine, but they keep this free for me. Do with them as you choose.
This Is My Corn 
You’re awesome, Melanie! Yes, you deserve that beer. Cheers to you!
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I had that beer last night, before I earned it. But there’s enough left to have another tonight. 🙂
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You deserve it!
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I am SO impressed you can change a tire. I’ve never learned how. I hardly dare admit that. Shh, don’t tell anyone.
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It’s not that complicated. Not like changing the oil. Loosen lug nuts, lift car on jack, take off lug nuts, take off tire, put on spare, put lug nuts back, tighten. 🙂 The hardest part for me is the dirty hands. I can’t stand when my hands are dirty. I washed them four times during this process.
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Melanie, what’s a jack and where would I find one. And lug nuts? Sounds complicated to me! Just joking, but pointing out that you are quite versatile to write and change tires.
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I do what I have to do. The tire needed changing, so I changed it. I made it an opportunity to take picture and write. I don’t enjoy changing tires, but I do enjoy photography and writing. 🙂
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Nice photos of your experience. Glad you overcame the remark that you needed a man in your life and you did it on your own. Here’s to the strength in women. Cheers!
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Thanks!
I just rolled my eyes at that comment and said, “no I don’t.”
Strength in women! Cheers!
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Sorry that you had to roll your eyes, but changing a tire is not usually considered within a woman’s capabilities by men.
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By some. Not all. 😉 thankfully
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True!
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Have taught all the women in my life Motor Vehicle 101, once again ‘You go girl!” Anxiously awaiting the Ranger’s response to your mine confinement, http:\\elfidd.com
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I think everyone should know how to change a tire and drive a stick. Though the stick driving isn’t as necessary as it once was. Still, it’s good to know how to get un-stuck.
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Definitely illustrates “change in progress,” but then your life is change in progress!
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Yes it is! Probably will be for a while. I might feel settled by the new year. 🙂
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because priorities hah!
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important things 🙂
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Next time jack up the car to take off some weight on the wheel. Then the lug nuts should be easier to get off. 🙂 Also use the pipe in your trunk, on the lug nut wrench to give ya better leverage. PROUD of Ya.
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Now I can get bck to the twins for the night
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I did, but the car was rocking too much as I tried to loosen them. I didn’t want it to roll off the jack, so I lowered it. Standing on the wrench gave me the oomph I needed to get them loose, then I raised it all the way up and continued on.
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Ha! Well done Mel! We used to change our own tires on tractor-trailers and it is easier in some ways. Every thing is bigger but it’s still pretty easy – just dirty as you pointed out.I always used gloves. Ha! I had a colleague – Keith – who also drove and he and I used to travel together when we met up. I was following him one sunny day,down the I-95 in Maine when he blew a trailer tire – the pieces hitting my windshield. We pulled over into a service plaza and parked in an empty area. Keith was a big, big man – about 6’5″ and 400 pounds – who ran with a motorcycle gang when he wasn’t driving. He got out the tools and I jacked up the axle end with a bottle jack (so named for its milk bottle shape)- the hydraulic equivalent of your car jack. The nuts on tractor-trailer wheels are often harder to get off than car nuts, so there is a special wrench called a mechanical wrench, that is used to loosen the nuts (the studs have a square end and the wrench grabs that and then sits over the nuts and uses a gear mechanism to leverage the nuts loose) . Once they are loose we used a 4-way wrench to spin them off. So Keith, wearing his expensive Aviator sunglasses, was loosening the nuts with the mechanical wrench while I was spinning them off with the 4-way. One nut was particularly stubborn and Keith leaned into the wheel just as I spun the wrench to take off another nut. My wrench hit Keith right between the eyes and he fell over backwards unconscious.
He was laying motionless on the parking lot while I jumped up and down hollering his name. There was a big red mark just over the bridge of his nose and between his eyes. His Aviator Glasses were in two pieces on the ground beside him. A few seconds later he regained consciousness, groaning as he sat up. He put his hand to his face and his first words were : “Where are my sunglasses?” I passed him the pieces and he groaned again: “Oh no, my sunglasses are broken!” I apologized for hitting him with the wrench and he just brushed it off – claiming it was his fault for leaning into the wheel. But he was so upset that his sunglasses were broken – I offered to buy him a new pair. I was very relieved that Keith had taken it so well that I had knocked him unconscious – he would have been a bad person to have for an enemy. 😀
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Oh Paul, you tell the best stories. It’s always nice to hear your experiences with the things I write about.
I’m glad Keith was eventually OK. I bet he had a wicked headache later. It’s good he took it well too, though you had just knocked him unconscious so maybe he thought you were the one who would have been a bad person to have for an enemy. 😉
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😀
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