“We have a flat tire,” my husband R. said, as he carefully guided the family van onto the shoulder of the highway. We had just gotten onto the NY State Thruway when I heard an unmistakable POP, and seconds later a grating noise and THUD THUD THUD. It was Christmas morning and we were about sixty minutes in on our 2½ hour trip to my sister’s house. Awaiting us—if we got there—would be a delicious prime rib dinner and surely a delightful visit. As we all got out and surveyed the damage, thoughts quickly turned to the “what should we…