Snow tires

     Today I learned how to make DIY snow chains, a skill I wish I had not needed to learn. I blithely headed to church this morning, because we had only had about four inches of snow yesterday and the roads looked clear. When I pulled into the church parking lot, though, I discovered that it had not been plowed. In fact, church had been cancelled. I'm from the Midwest, and this weather didn't seem that bad, so it hadn't even occurred to me to check if  there would still be a service. Unfortunately, the parking lot is on a steep gradient, and you have to drive uphill to get out. While I could get in, I couldn't get out.
     A quick phone call to my father, who is not only an engineer but also lived in Minnesota for many years, yielded useful suggestions. I didn't have any gravel or sand to spread under my tires, and I couldn't walk anywhere to get some. I could shovel away some of the snow from the tires, and I could jury-rig my own snow chains. My wheel rim has holes in it, so I could tightly wind rope around the wheels to provide additional traction. After I tied the ropes on the back tires, a helpful bystander drove up and noted that the ropes needed to be on the front tires, since my car is front-wheel drive. (Of course I should have known this.) So I repeated the whole procedure, and eventually got the car out of the parking lot, about an hour after I drove in.
     Afterward, my father asked if it was worth doing it myself instead of calling a tow truck. My provisional answer is: yes, if the grease stains come out my clothes. DIY car repair is messy work.