Last night at around 8:45 pm, Nettl and I sat here discussing what we should do about the flat tire the van got on Friday when she went to the SuddenLink office to pay our bill. They're doing some construction work and a screw fell into the customer parking lot. Of course our car would find it. She put some Fix-a-Flat in the tire and that worked fine until last night when she noticed it was fla-a-at...She said that in the morning she would take the bike down to the stop-and-rob on the corner about 3/4 of a mile away and get some more Fix-a-Flat. I replied that if it wasn't so late, and nearly dark, I'd just walk down there for her. She said she was thinking the same thing. Genius that I am, I said, "Why don't we walk down there together? It would be nice to get out in the nice weather, and besides, it's Stillwater. It's perfectly safe." She thought that sounded like fun, so we left.
What was really weird was, at the very moment we were discussing what to do about the flat tire, Micah came upstairs to ask if he could use the van. His truck had a flat tire and he wanted to go to the store and get some Fix-a-Flat.
WHA?
Outside, the sky was nearly dark and some dark clouds were moving in slowly from the west. It was a nice walk past a private pond and a wooded area that flickered with fireflies. I said that walking to a mini-mart reminded me of when I was a teenager and Cathy Harris and I would walk about half-a-mile to a 7-11 on warm summer nights to get Slurpees and a can of Pringles to share. Then we'd sit on the curb talking and laughing.
On the way to the corner we passed a fenced back yard that obviously contained a very large dog, judging from the barking. Usually, when I talk to a dog, en passant, it'll quiet down. I love dogs and have a kind of way with them. Instead, this bruiser nearly jumped the fence. Big old brave me immediately jumped over to the other side of Nettl, hiding behind her as if to say, "If he gets over that fence, he's eating you first!" What an asshoole I am! I was so embarrassed, and ashamed of myself. Nettl just laughed. The dog didn't faze her at all. She's like that. That's why she's so good for me.
A couple of hours after we got home, a lazy thunder storm came through and I put some of the plants outside in the rain. It's quiet now, except for an occasional flash of lightening followed by a long, rolling rumble.
