I was hoping to attend a few meetings this summer but they are scheduled strangely. The May meeting was midmonth, the June one on the 20th, and the July one on the 27th. Instead I used the time in Winnipeg to catch up with my friends again, and to order texts for the fall. I packed a bunch of things for the cabin that don’t need to be in Winnipeg, and changed out the bald rear tire that had done so well crossing the country. I used to wait until they were bald before swapping them out, and then I would wait until the wire came out, and then, realizing that the mixed messages about tires were likely bunk, I waited until they went flat on their own.
I’d been told two very different messages about tires. When they blow, people would say, it is very dangerous, and can cause an accident. Another thing they told me was how many times a tire had gone flat and they’d not noticed. That was usually said in order to warn me to keep an ear open for my tires. It can’t be both, except under particular circumstances. I decided from that point onward not to worry about tires so much, and certainly when I have had flats, which has been numerous times, it has been easy to detect but not dangerous. Granted I do not drive fast and I am careful about curves and cliffs and heavy traffic. I swapped my tire out in Winnipeg largely because I need the space in the car. I put on the spare I’d been carrying since the east coast—actually I was carrying two just in case—and then loaded the three winter tires that have been in the garage here for years.
The car is nearly ready to go and ready to pack. I baked a loaf of bread today and plan to pick up some fruit. It is two days to Toronto and I am hoping to see my sister when I arrive, which will take some creative planning and long days of driving. I’ve been staying up late, so I am hoping I can rise early to be on my way, but if not, then I will drive late into the night until at least Rossport, but maybe White River, or Marathon.
