Elsa and I had planned to go to Grand Forks to visit the kids this weekend, so I thought I’d better get the winter tires on as it was raining, and Nick said they were almost bare and not great even on wet surfaces, never mind snow.  Because it’s been mild weather winter tires were the last thing on my mind, so I hadn’t made an appointment at a tire place but recalled Pennzoil on Harvey Avenue, now The Great Canadian Oil Change, advertised tire changeovers.

I had Calvin load the tires into my car and waited at the shop until it was my turn.  One stays in the vehicle and so I was quite amazed and shocked at the very loud blows the car was getting to all four wheels.  The car shook as the sledgehammers crashed into it, and I thought wow, I’ve never seen Nick struggle like this with my tires, so I wonder what’s going on.

A kid opened my door and said the winter tires didn’t fit.  I said well that’s odd as my son’s put them on in the past, but they insisted, no they didn’t so put my summers back on and loaded the winters into my car.  I drove off confused as in the past when Nick’s done my tires there’s been little difficulty.

Going the short distance to Superstore was okay however coming down Benvoulin where one can go 80 KPH I heard a terrible sound in the back of my car.  It scared me so I headed straight home and told Calvin to test drive the car to see what he thought.  He came in afterward and said “your car is f.ed.”  However he didn’t use just the letter f.

I phoned The Great Canadian Oil Change and spoke to Gavin the manager, who said the hub caps were so badly rusted on any shop would’ve had to sledgehammer the car like that.  I said look.  There’s damage to my car, I’m taking it into a mechanic, and I want you to pay for it.  He said not to drive the car, however also asked if I could return with it for them to look at, and then go to a mechanic, and I said okay.

I’m certainly not returning there for them to ever touch anything on my car again, however want to follow all the steps in case we end up in Small Claims Court.  I’m now at home, no trip to Grand Forks, and no ability to drive anywhere at all thanks to these people.  Who sledgehammers a car’s wheels so hard the whole vehicle shakes?

Then I stupidly thought the awful knee pain was largely behind me and started to do yoga again which caused a flare-up so the past few nights I’ve been awake with the stabbing pains on the inside of my knee.  I guess I should read the signs, and just stay on the couch, eating as much as I can while I watch my new favourite show on Netflix, The Great Canadian Baking Show.

My second favourite occurs on Sunday late afternoon on Global called the Chocolate Showdown.  Between the two of them you’re compelled to eat as much sweetened food as you can possibly get down your gullet.  It’s part of the experience, though whatever you’re eating is dreck compared to what the people on both shows make.

So here I am, marooned, and had e mailed Elsa saying she’ll have to drive me to the store on Monday, to which she replied she’s hit a curb and blew a tire so is also incapacitated.  I tell ya, the signs are clear as glass: do nothing.

Yesterday I had three friends over for Sharon’s birthday dinner and it was all very nice.  I made a salad, followed by a chicken dish, rice, mashed sweet potatoes, carrots and a sweet and sour cucumber salad.  Dessert was a pumpkin pie, which stunk as I put too much spice in it, plus it was kinda mucky so could’ve used more time in the oven.

Despite that the evening was enjoyed by all and we had the pleasure of discussing the types of things crones like to analyze which include recalcitrant children, ex-husbands, knee pain, and the strangeness of Covid rules.  We wondered why we must be vaccinated to enter a restaurant, yet those who work there don’t have to be.  The mysteries of a pandemic.

And I have news to announce. I now have a boarder in the basement suite.  Luke met Calvin during their two-year computer diploma program at the college, and I’d met Calvin a few times at the house.  As he seemed to be a decent person, I suggested to Luke he might be the kind of renter I could stand.

So far so good in that he’s very clean, tidy and quiet, plus loves dogs and cats, so that’s all excellent.  Last night once we’d eaten I took a plate of food down for Calvin because he’s just 23 and I presume, very hungry.  I took down the rest of the soggy pie covered in whip so I hope he ate that, too.

My entrance hall now holds four gigantic containers of dirt, each with a single bamboo stick in them.  Why?  Because mom wouldn’t allow Jan to bring her plants in from the deck so they would’ve frozen outside.  Mom said they were far too ugly, so Jan had resigned herself to the fact they’d soon be dead.

When I heard that I said oh no you don’t, and told her to wrap them in plastic bags and put them on the back of Luke’s pickup and bring them to Kelowna.  They had to come yesterday for her braces’ adjustment at the orthodontist, so they brought the four behemoths in, and I went wow, those really are large.

Jan explained bamboo is good luck to Thais, and so how could I let them all die like that, especially when she’d cut down her lovely bamboo tree to make these four?  The reason for that was mom said the plant was just so ugly, and wouldn’t stop going on about it, and so Jan said fine and cut it down.  You can see why I just couldn’t let those four pieces go.

I’m fortunate I don’t have to say more than three or four words to friends, and they’re not at all disturbed about it.  I told Petra my entrance looks bad due to these huge pots and she replied well it’s not supposed to be a show home ya know, so with friends like that I can roll with the punches.  Once their modular home finally arrives the plants will be returned to Osoyoos.

This morning my first task was the dishes from the crones, and even though I don’t use my dishwasher it took no more than an hour for the house to look like nothing had even occurred the night before.  The most challenging part of it has been trying to get the white couch’s cover back on as it’s one of those puzzles for which one needs a physics degree.