I drive an old-woman’s SUV. Big enough to be comfortable with the added bonus of drop-down running boards. When we moved to the country, I thought this car was indestructible. Well, it is, all except for the tires.

I must be a magnet for every nail, spike and hole in East Texas, with more than my fair share of flats. I had a doozy of a flat last weekend. I saw the low tire gauge go on as soon as I made the turn on the country road. By the time I got to town, and parked to wait for my friend I w...