I had no idea what a speed queen I had become since I moved to Montana...Last night about half way into my 40 minute drive home, my front passenger tire shredded to bits. I am so very, very thankful that it did not blow out, because I would more than likely have been killed or seriously hurt. Anyhow, Marc was about ten minutes behind me on the road, ( I was actually on the phone with him when it happened, and he heard the awful noise it made.) so I just pulled off the road and he and a very helpful kid from his crew soon had my teeny, tiny little spare put on for me. That forced me to keep my speed at 60 miles per hour or under....and I thought that I was absolutely creeping. It was seven o'clock and I was worried the grocery store would close before I made the last fifteen miles home! It closes at 8:00. I guess when you drive 75 all the time, it is the same if you have to go 45, when you usually go 60...At any rate, I finally crept into our drive, thankful to be alive and very anxious to get another tire so I can drive a " decent" speed again!
A note on the plants that are busily dying: My plant that was a gift has spider mites. They are so tiny they just look like dust, but they do make a web all over the leaves. I am supposed to get Neem Oil (?) to treat them. I knew that we had them in our house, because last fall when Cel and Jane were at our house for six weeks, one morning Jane told me to come look at something in their room...and she showed me these minute little bugs on the wall and in the carpet. There was maybe half a dozen. I knew she was pretty sure they were caused by our dogs ripping around in the house some. I about had a heart attack and felt like a real scummy housekeeper. I called an exterminator, and they would come out and treat the house for $500, but she said they don't hurt anything or cause any damage. So I forgot all about it, except every once in a great while when I would spot a lone one on a south wall in the house. I guess they like some house plants, also. My ficus tree??? Not sure yet, but I talked to the florist I bought it from and he thought it was probably where I had it in the room. ( I also think I watered it too much, but he seemed so intelligent that I did not want to ask if it is normal to grow little mushrooms in the dirt.) So last night I moved it and that meant rearranging our entire room. I don't like the furniture arranged like this quite as well as I had it before, but it is growing on me and if it saves the tree, it is a small matter.