First, Happy Fourth of July to everyone.

Okay, here's my story: I'm sure that a bluejay stole my lugnuts!

I was doing a brake job on my '84 240 (222K miles) -- it's on jackstands in the garage, but to allow room to work, I stacked the tires/wheels in the backyard (locked fence), and the wheel covers stacked on top. Within each wheel cover, I left the lug nuts -- i.e., five lug nuts on top of each cover, with the top cover having five lug nuts exposed.
Then I come back the next day, and I see that there are no lug nuts on the topmost cover. I lift it, and there are six on that next one -- clearly, one of the top five was dropped into the next cover through a slot.

Who? Why?

Then I remembered an old story. Ever wonder why professional mechanics' ratchet sockets are black instead of silver? As that story goes, it was found that shiny sockets attract the attention of jays that probably consider them attractive or think they're nuts (the kind that grow on trees) and steal them for food. So a company started making their sockets in black, and they weren't stolen anymore. Anyone else ever hear of that story?

Well, I've sure got a lot of bluejays here in my backyard! Maybe one thought that my lug nuts were nuts! :-)

Anyway, don't do as I did -- keep your nuts covered (lug nuts, that is!).

Oh, and this actually is no joke -- they really disappeared yesterday!

Happy Holidays, everyone!