In my need to do things, I've taken on a new project, painting the truck rack. Jay had it made several years ago and it has served us very well. But Steven pointed out the other day that it was getting rusty. (Speaking of getting rusty, our dear friend Janie Carlock turned 40 today) So I decided to have the tired old thing painted.
(that's the rack, not Janie) So Monday I got out my trusty mini grinder and put on a wire wheel and began stripping paint. Well mostly rust, really. Then it started to rain so it had to wait until Tuesday. I put a nice coat of red oxide paint on it yesterday afternoon and went back today for a second coat. Now the rack is in the fenced yard out of the way of everything. But at dinner we noticed that our friend Nick had a red stripe across his rear end. Somehow he managed to sit on the rack and ruin his shorts. That led me to wonder if others might get into the act. Sure enough we now have a red striped German shepherd. Nick's best color is probably not red but it sure suits the dog well!

But the story didn't start with the rack. It actually started with a flat tire. Sunday Morning the van we take to prison had a flat tire. The van has a special rear end with 13 inch dual wheels. Sunday being our busiest day of the week I waited to change the tire until Monday.

The day dawned bright and clear but by the time I got started it was threatening to rain. I should have been warned by the ominous gloom.

After gathering a jack and tools I proceeded to attempt to change the tire. I could not break the nuts loose. WD-40, lug wrenches, cheater bars and every tool I could gather was soon employed to try to remove the offending tire. "It has refused!"

Then I got serious! I got out my favorite 1/2" drive ratchet with a 12" extension plus heavy duty 7/8" socket and proceeded to work on it. Me and my trusted D-J Tools ratchet. No frozen nut has ever defeated this combination. I put the socket on the extension then the extension on the ratchet and the whole thing on the first nut. I pulled and pushed nothing. Then I stood on the ratchet. Nothing. Then I bounced on the ratchet. Wait! I felt it start to give. Then the unthinkable happened. My trusted friend who has worked with me for 24 years, whose faithfulness is only exceeded by my wife, broke. D-J my favorite wrench snapped in two! Twenty four years! Ronald Reagan was president when I bought that wrench. Granted 24 years isn't as old as our friend Janie, who is forty today, but it is still a long time. I did finally get the nuts removed but it was a hollow victory.

D-J Now occupies a place of in honor on my desk. It is my newest paper weight. I'm hoping it lasts another 24 years.