Sunday, April 10, 2011

Thankful for... blissful ignorance.

In some ways, I am so stereotypically female.  I like to cook, and love that I am a housewife.  I talk a lot, particularly with my girlfriends, and put on lipstick while I drive.  I could single handedly set the feminist movement back 25 years.  And one way I am very stereotypically female is the fact that I know next to nothing about cars.  I did not even pump my own gas for the first 5 years I drove.

Last night, I had driven to Greensburg to visit my friend Lindsay, who was having a candle party.  I had not seen her in while, so I was super excited.  It was the first time I made the drive from Kittanning to Greensburg without my Hubby, so I had to use the navigator on my phone, so, that and the road was where my attention was focused.  My car had been shimmying a bit lately, and I figured it was out of alignment was all.  So, I get to the party, and have a fabulous time.

When I go to leave, however, I notice my tire is making a thumping noise, not the flap of a flat, but still, not normal.  I pull over, and look as best as I can in the dark.  To my uneducated eye, it looks like some nylon cord is stuck on my tire, so, I pull it off, and notice my tire is starting to shred.  I call Hubby (it's past 9 pm at this point, and I am an hour from home) and we decide that I should slowly, carefully, try to drive home, and we will get new tires in the morning.

So, I get back to Armstong County, and stop at our friends' home, where Hubby had gone for board game night.  We again look at the tire, and decide we will definitely be going for tires in the morning.  Still not terribly concerned, I take a few moments to enjoy the gorgeous evening, and snap some pictures.
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This morning, we get up bright and early, head to Sam's Club, and get new tires.  Hubby followed me down, and commented that he felt like we were on the episode of Grey's Anatomy where they have to move the patient with live ammunition inside his body.  On the way home, I call my mom to tell her what happened.  At this point I am thinking I had picked up some cord somewhere that had been littered, and that was what was on my tired last night, causing the thumping.  As soon as I explain it to my mom, she says "Tiff, you drove the tires down to the threads".  That's right, the nylon that is inside the tire.... that is what I pulled off.
Photo Credit

Needless to say, that shook both me and Hubby up quite a bit. Were are both glad the situation turned out ok, and I made it home safe.  I personally am glad that I did not know how bad the situation was when I was in the thick of it, or I would have been more of a nervous wreck than I already was.  And now I have 4 very healthy tires.  From now on, we will be checking them more regularly.
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It is true, what they say.  Ignorance really can be bliss.