Rant, piss, moan.

[Kali]

No response required, just need to get this out of my system.

Background: Husband and youngest son are 200 miles away (with the pick-up) house and dog-sitting for my out-of-the-country sister, oldest son is not at home. Each trip out of here is a 2 to 5 mile 20 minute bone-jarring and bolt-loosening rough road to pavement and a trip to town is a 20 mile one way trip.

I decided it was finally time to move Moonwalker and Magic (horses) down to Sybil (Pasture about 6 miles from house) so I could do some riding down there. I was going to do it in December. So Thursday afternoon I hooked the trailer up and drove it up the driveway to air up the tires. One was very flat but it hadn't been used in months so not abnormal. I stupidly didn't notice or go back and listen for hissing. Loaded the horses up and headed off. About half way down I scraped some brush and lost my view of the passenger side when the mirror got moved to the wrong angle - no big deal I was just going a couple miles more. Got to the corrals and unloaded the horsed when I noticed the right front trailer tire was now shredded. Damn. Oh well I haven't ruined any tires in quite a while. It was getting dark and I didn't feel like messing around with the jack so I just unhooked and figured I would come back with the ramp and quickly take it off in the morning. Rim looked ok, although I must have gone a mile or so on the dirt and all of the way down the pavement with it flat.

Yesterday, Friday morning I did some stuff around the house, loaded the tire ramp, made sure I had the right tools etc, plus the black plastic 55 gal barrel to haul some water to the horses. (there is still water in the pond but it is pretty muddy and I was anticipating possibly not getting down there every day) Niece needed to be at work at 11 so I just waited to take her and do it all in one trip. At 10:40 we go to get in the van and the left front tire is flat. No big deal, I thought it looked a little low yesterday and I was pretty sure Husband said it had a slow leak (or was that a different tire?) Filled it up and realized it had a pretty big hole, actually. ARGH. So I had to take her around the long way in my sister's little car that shouldn't even be here, but THANK dog it is. I come back and proceed to change the van tire. Of course the jack won't QUITE go high enough and I have to drag the VERY heavy, hugemongous floor jack that is still missing a wheel out of the garage. It works great! Pull the "spare" out and conclude that it really isn't safe to take on the highway since it is missing huge chunks of rubber, has cords showing, AND has a slash partway through the sidewall. Still holding air though! Decide to take the original in sister's car. Of course they won't fix it because it has a slight slash in the sidewall too, so I have to buy a new used tire. $20 - not that bad. Get it home and mounted (oh yeah one of the lugs is loose - oh well there is enough of the damn things on there - sheesh, small car has what 4? 5? Van has 8.

Go to let the big floor jack down and I can't do it. Can't make the stupid thing lower. So I used the ramp I had for the trailer to back on to because I figured if I just drove off the jack it would probably puncture or break something. I'm smart that way, ya know? Still can't get the stupid thing down so there it sits. Hope I don't need again too soon. I head off but decide I'm not going to be have time to dig up the water valve down there, so decide to turn around and come back to the house and fill it. (there is a well down there near the corral and to fill the barrel I need to find and uncover a valve that has had a ton of sand washed onto it) It has been a long time since I hauled water in the van and I forgot how to plug the holes to keep the water in. That took a couple of attempts on the way - rocky dirt roads are not conducive for hauling liquids in "open" containers. Of course I also forgot a siphon hose and had to tip the water out, which did not work and I dropped it out onto the ground after somehow smashing the top if my foot with the half-barrel drinker I was trying to fill. I ended up in a puddle of mud using a coffee can to bail from the big barrel laying on its side to the drinker. Yes I had a stiff drink in the hot tub last night.

So repeat this morning. Van loaded up, Niece to work, down to Sybil to feed and get the trailer tire. I get there and the horses are out. Of what I thought was a chained and padlocked gate. Yikes. I must not have got it locked last night because there wasn't any sign of tampering. Fortunately they are bums and easily lured with food. Got the tire off the trailer and head to Benson. Right as I was heading up the on-ramp I get a call from DPS. Calf out on westbound between 317 and 318. Crap. I back down the ramp and go the other way. About halfway to the Dragoon interchange I run out of gas in the front tank - no biggie, I know there is at least half a tank in the back, right? I switch and it coughs a few times longer than usual but then catches and goes on. A Highway Patrol car passes me and then I see him cutting across just before the exit - I go on via the exit and as I slow down the van starts crapping out again. Oh man is it out of gas? WTF? I roll to the cattleguard by the neighbor's road but it doesn't die. I rev it a few times and it seems to be going now. Must have had an air bubble or some dirt or something. Meanwhile some tourist drives up and wants to go in there and hike around. And the phone rings. GEEZ. I finally get going back down the interstate and see the cop. I pull in behind him and he comes over and we chat a bit - he hasn't seen anything. I tell him I have inappropriate shoes on but I will come back by and look for tracks later. I go on and right away the van starts crapping out again so I pulled over by the gate to the rock tank above the house and it dies. It starts up again, but I figure I am about as close to the house as I am going to get today without help so I said the hell with it and walked home. In my crappy flip flops.

I get to the house and the damn latch in the front door breaks. Can I cry NOW?

[vard28]

1. That'll teach ya

You should stick to messin' with cattle. Horses are too much trouble! :hide:


Here's a :hug: 'cause even if I'm a smart ass, I'm not cruel.

[Kali]

7. No, VEHICLES are too damn much trouble!

I should have rode down there and walked home! God knows my knees feel like I rode 25 miles, getting in and out of that dinky little car!

[vard28]

12. LOL!

Save your sanity, ride some livestock? You should send lyrics to that song to Big and Rich!

:rofl:

[hippywife]

2. I'd be finding me

another drink and getting back in that hot tub. What a bummer couple of days. :hi:

[Kali]

8. Not that abnormal for us, its just that I'm alone doing it!

to the tub! :hi:

[Suich]

3. I know I shouldn't laugh, Kali,

but I can't help it!

Hang in there! :toast:

[Kali]

9. thanks - I was hoping there was some humor coming through

it can be hard to tell when I get going:rofl:

[petronius]

4. This may be the beer talking, bt how can your distance out vary from 2 to 5 miles?

Do you live on some magic floating island, some modern Brigadoon, that appears where it wills at random?

:shrug:

Sorry about the fucked up day - I prescribe a drink (which is also what I prescribe for good, average, and indifferent days).

[Kali]

10. nah two or three different ways to go out

2 miles rough, or a 2 mile not so bad but requires doubling back 6 miles on the interstate, or a 5 mile medium with one bad hill.

All purpose drinking prescriptions are OK by me!:toast:

[XemaSab]

5. You are totally allowed to cry

:(

[Kali]

11. I did a little - till the cats started freaking out

god I hate cars. :banghead:

going to tub and bed! Manana.

[Kali]

6. 8 pm just got back - it was out of freaking gas!

But for me in my laurel and hardy/three stooges idiocy just finding that out took 3 or 4 hours and another 100 miles. GEEZ gotta laugh (and go get back in the hot tub - you know, sometimes that just seems too extravagant for our little life and then there are weeks like this one where innocent people's lives have probably been spared because we had the thing!)

[Kali]

13. post script, Monday

got a trailer tire this morning, put it on, hooked up and started home - BUT...I forgot to slide the collar up on the hitch and:

oops




My back is now tweaked and my foot is swollen and painful - can you tell in this picture?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
oh and ahhhhhhh!