I claim victory . . .

. . . over the accursed devils that have been punching holes in the tube on the back wheel of my bike. Twelve days ago I went to the bike store and bought a new tire -- even though mechanics at three different stores had failed to find anything wrong with my old tire. The result? No flats! Twelve days isn't very long, I know, and I may be jinxing myself by claiming victory, but this is the longest I gone without a flat all summer. And I have reason to think that those accursed devils may have found something else to keep themselves busy. The last mechanic to look at my bike did so on Friday, the 18th. On Monday the 21st, he got clipped by a car while he was biking to work and he came away with a fractured wrist. Coincidence? Hah!