Oil Change

Yes, after Monday's fun, the next biggest event of the week was getting my oil changed.

This is actually big news because Mr. Holmes was closed until Monday getting his hip operated on and doing rehab after that fall back during the icy weather.  He's still on crutches, but looks MUCH better than when I last saw him.  Yay!  Plus, he's open again so I did not have to find someone else to change my oil.  Though I did postpone it to 5k miles, I have never gone over 4k in the past.  It was cutting it close at any rate.

Don't forget to feed the toothless gators

Pink brackets

Practicing a neutral expression in case they won't let him smile for his drivers permit photo next week.
See the wasp sting remnant on his cheek?  Owie.

Jake rehangs the maypop, SO glad to have that out of the trunk.

Still on crutches!
He replaced my other rear tire today, it had a crack in it.

I mapped out a new walking route on the way home.  I need to step up my efforts, I have not lost anything at all this year and my recent blood work revealed unpleasant things about my future.  

Jake!

Jake is going to apprentice with Mr. Holmes, so today he went along to start learning how to change a tire.

My rear passenger side tire has been patched 4 times and had about 1/176 of the tread left.  I have no idea what's up with that tire, I bought it the same time as the other one, which still has about a year of wear left.  The van has been balanced and aligned twice in the last year...anyway, it needed to be replaced.

Mr. Holmes had a couple good used tires from a recent job that had as much tread as my other rear tire, so he sold me one for $35.  Score!

after a quick safety check, Jake is let loose with the lug nut removermabob.

I only have to buy one new
nut and bolt.

It's off!  So exciting!

He helped with taking it off the rim and putting the new one on, but I hate that machine and had run away outside.

Back inside at the much quieter balancing machine
That thing is pretty cool.

At any rate, I have tires that will last me another year, easy and  that noise is fixed, oil changed...I could not be more pleased about how everything turned out.

Falling...

together, apart?

The plans for our October trip are coming together, I have the 1st-25th arranged for, reserved and so on. I just need to get the 26-30th reserved, but that will have to wait for another day and another paycheck! Maybe 2 more...

My camper is at Mr. Holmes' where he is awaiting the arrival of new tires to put on it tomorrow or the next day. I opted to buy the more expensive ones, figuring the $30 now would add another level of security later on. The $$ kind do not explode and then peel apart. I can appreciate that now...

My brother has been almost freakishly complaint and welcoming about hosting us at his house for several days during the trip. Especially since he used to threaten to kill me for just looking in the door of his room. I guess he's 40 now, not 14, so I should try to act less shocked and amazed. But still, that wary side of me he groomed so well is squinting with suspicion at every e-mail he sends my way. Last count, he had secured storage for Poppy, bought a membership at a local park so we could use his guest discount while there and offered to take time off work to show us around.

Plus he seems excited, using exclaimation points and the words 'going to be fun' in every posting. I just need to check and make sure there are no major astrological events that week, the primal part of my brain is saying he is luring me down there to sacrifice me to the gods of 'I was the baby before YOU came along'. Though...maybe not. He was always Mother's favorite. But I was Daddy's favorite, so it all worked out. I have to say, to my advantage as well. Daddy is patience and good personified, a girl could do worse.

Matt is coming home with mask sets for Ben and Chan today, that's another thing off my list. One way or another, the trip is falling into place!

Last Day

It's a Thursday.

Future source of some photo frames...

My pretty transmission.

Another barn

I have new teas.

And, she's gone, I miss her.