Lyra had a flat on the highway

Lyra needed an oil change and checkup/servicing before Road Trip, but I had planned to take it in next week after I got paid. However, on the way to work the usually whisper-quiet sound of Lyra gliding along suddenly became an ominous whirring sound. At first I thought there might be something wrong with the engine, but soon realized that no, I had a flat. I immediately turned off into a sidestreet where there was a conveniently located church parking lot. I don't remember the denomination, but do remember the feeling of "ah, sanctuary while I change my tire". After hauling myriad objects out of the trunk and sorting out the various jack parts to see if I owned at least one complete, functional jack, I popped off the hubcap and began relearning how to use the jack and where to position it so the car was stable (it had been quite a while since I last had a flat but it all came back)... Finally about 45 minutes and a lot of black smudges later, I got the donut on. Of course, at that moment a nice lady arrived at the parking lot and asked if I needed any help... A few minutes later I drove Lyra to the even more conveniently located repair shop a block away from where I work to get a new tire and get the oil changed. They tested the tire, and there was a small nick on the side of it which was not repairable, and the tire has to be replaced. I remember scraping against a curb a month or so ago - Maybe it got nicked then, and the stress on the tire finally tore it through. Or maybe Lyra didn't want this to happen when I was on Road Trip...

Notes to self:

Do not pile 8 tarps, a pile of East Coast maps, a road atlas, 5 plastic thermal blankets, two toolboxes, a box of drinks, two rolls of toilet paper, an outdated catalog, a can of paint, two window scrapers, a pair of snow treads, 5 rain ponchos, and assorted jacks and jack parts on top of the spare tire.

Do take all the extra huge truck jack parts out of the trunk and put them in the van. The nice little jack that Lyra came with is more than adequate for the job, is easy to use, and is lightweight.