You can read about the month of the Explorer here.

David purchased a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid 15 months ago. Before you go thinking we’re rich, let me explain that a Civic Hybrid does not cost very much more than a regular Civic.

Last week David had a blowout. Although he was going 45 miles an hour at the time, he was not hurt, and we are so thankful for that. Poor David. It was 35 degrees and raining that night while he changed his tire. Not the greatest thing for his arthritis. All four tires were worn thin and had to be replaced. What sort of tires need to be replaced after a year or 20,000 miles?

Then the Civic needed an alignment. Of course, the alignment was no longer covered by the warranty. David made an appointment with the dealership, and they took three hours to do an allignment because “something was bent”. I should have known. They take an hour to do an oil change when I make an appointment. Poor David.

And so it seems that December was the month of the Explorer, and January is to be the month of the Civic. David kind of bumped the curb when he had the blowout, and he thinks the bumper is a little loose. Please God, let January also be the month David gets another job!

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Tuesday was quite a day. It started well. I saw Dr. Bender, my TMJ disorder specialist. This is the second time I’ve been able to make it to a regularly scheduled appointment. No calling to get an emergency appointment. I believe this is due to my chiropractor. Having him keep me in alignment has helped me so much.

Dr. Bender and his staff were thrilled that I made it to my regular appointment. They were even more excited when Dr. Bender examined my night guard and proclaimed, “There’s not much damage here, considering it’s you.” Hallelujah! Thank you, God!

I’ll never be cured of TMJ Disorder. There is no way to prevent me from clenching and grinding my teeth during the night. However, I am so blessed to be able to say that I am now stable. I feel it’s safe to say my jaw is okay. The past few weeks, I knew it was time to see Dr. Bender. I’ve had some tightness and discomfort, but that’s exactly it. Discomfort. I wouldn’t even call it pain.

It went downhill from there. I went to Wal-Mart, and totally blew my grocery budget. I don’t think I’ve ever done that. Then, when I started my Explorer, it kind of felt funny. I was almost out of gas, and sometimes the Explorer has a hard time starting when it’s low on gas, especially if it’s on any sort of incline. So, I left Wal-Mart, got on the freeway and headed home.

Once I hit the exit ramp, the car started shaking really bad. The back door has a terrible habit of not closing all the way, and I thought that the exit had knocked it open. It felt like maybe the speed and wind were dragging it. So, I’m on the exit ramp. I pull over to the right shoulder. I get out and slam the back door hard. I get back in and pull forward five feet and realize it wasn’t the door. I could smell rubber.

The rear passenger tire had blown out. Duh. How I failed to notice this when I walked to the back of the vehicle is beyond me. I called David. His office is nearby, and so he got there quickly. He pulled out the jack and started to get to work, but the jack wouldn’t go low enough for him to get it under the car. He called his father, the previous owner of the vehicle, and asked him if there was a trick. David’s father didn’t know what the deal was, so I called roadside assistance.

I was very thankful. The blowout could have been so much worse. Praise God it didn’t happen on the freeway. I didn’t wreck the car. I wasn’t hurt. David was nearby.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, David’s father called David’s mother, who was with David’s sisters. David’s sisters are married to wonderful men who happen to work near David’s office, so two of David’s brothers-in-law came to us with a jack and helped us get the spare on, while I called and canceled roadside assistance. Got that, or do I need to draw a family tree?

Poor David was sweaty and his clothes were all greasy. It was a 102 degrees today here in Dallas. I didn’t have anything to pull my hair back with, so I used the ear buds cord from my Ipod.

Once the spare was on, he followed me to a gas station where we filled the spare with some more air, and I filled up on gas. We got home and David changed clothes. We also ate lunch. It was 2:30. Then we took the Explorer to NTB and got a new tire.

I wish I had had a camera with me to take a picture of the tire and the guys working on the car, but I didn’t. I’m just grateful I wasn’t hurt, and I didn’t hurt anyone else.

We’ll see if David is miserable tomorrow…

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