No photo today. The trees are increasingly bare, it’s a little bleak looking out there, and I didn’t want to post yet another Blythe doll, especially since you’ll get a lot of that kind of content after Sunday. Today, I’m going to gather whatever I need to take with me, and get everything in place for an early start to my journey tomorrow. The tradition is to bring a doll or two with you, so Olivia will be accompanying me on this little adventure.
My oil change quickly turned into having to replace the two rear tires on my car. Oh boy. But you know, over the past two weeks, I repeatedly had the thought that before I left for New Jersey, I had to get the oil changed. I still had several hundred miles left before I was officially due, nevertheless, I felt compelled to get the oil change now. I figured it was because I don’t put all that many miles on my car and it had been a long enough time that the oil might have become dirty. So I finally called the local branch of a discount tire company that is only a mile or so from our house. They usually do my car inspections and oil changes.
Don volunteered to take the car in, bless him. Soon after he left, he called me to say they were recommending that I replace the rear tires. My immediate response was that the car had been inspected recently and the tires had passed. A lot of back and forth occurred and Don urged me to speak with the mechanic directly. He told me that since they were the original tires (from 2012) they were starting to separate from the inside – in other words, rot – and it was dangerous to drive on them. They were disintegrating in a way I would not have noticed, even though the tread passed the inspection. It all made sense to me. Of course, the tires were in bad shape! Car tires aren’t meant to last 11 years! (The two front tires were replaced about 5 or 6 years ago.)
I am absolutely sure that the nagging feeling about getting an oil change was guidance from the universe. I briefly considered taking it to a Jiffy Lube, but I didn’t. I took it to a place that specialized in tires. Another sort of quick oil change facility wouldn’t necessarily have seen the tire issue.
Money I wasn’t prepared to spend, but thank goodness the tires are okay now! And they gave me a good price, far less than if a Honda dealership replaced them.
So. Tomorrow is Wonderland of Play/BlytheCon and I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories to share with you on Monday. Given my need for a quiet life here at the cottage, this will be a big EVENT. More than 500 people are attending. I’ll need the remainder of the week to recover. Wish me luck.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
