The wind has been blowing like crazy here--with great clouds of pollen rolling past. Our car is yellow but even though I had the option of getting a car wash when I was filling the gas tank today, I decided to wait until next week. We'll be taking a long drive to Eustis, FL tomorrow for an antique motorcycle meet. Mike is no longer in the old motorcycle business, but going to some of the meets gives him a chance to keep up with old friends and acquaintances. I won't have all that much interest in looking at antique motorcycle parts and listening to tales of the glory days, but it will give me a chance to do some exploring of that part of the state. I'm especially looking forward to spending a couple hours in Mount Dora--so close to Orlando and yet so far, far away.
I was ruminating on gas stations, because if you read A Slower Pace as I do, you know that Linda has a way of writing about things that just get you thinking about things like that. Today she wrote about the old style gas stations where an attendant came out to fill your tank, check your oil, and clean the front and back windows. Remember those days of full service? Gas stations in those days also serviced cars--doing maintenance and repairs like tune-ups, oil changes, tire rotations, brake work.
I guess car repair is more specialized now and computers are definitely required to diagnose, repair, and run cars today. (And yet, Toyota just yesterday decided to consider whether or not electronics might play a role in their recent troubles!???)
Now gas stations are associated with convenience stores and quickie markets. Commuters can stop and get a coffee and a pastry on the way to work and a bottle of beer or two and a bag of pretzels on the way home. Personally, I find eating while driving almost as dangerous as texting.
Then too, who wants the trash in the car so just toss that out the window. My idea is that there should be a hefty tax on food that will obviously be eaten in the car--a "sin tax" like on cigarettes and alcohol. The money could be for highway maintenance. Maybe Congress will get to work on that as soon as they take care of the health care situation.
I was ruminating on gas stations, because if you read A Slower Pace as I do, you know that Linda has a way of writing about things that just get you thinking about things like that. Today she wrote about the old style gas stations where an attendant came out to fill your tank, check your oil, and clean the front and back windows. Remember those days of full service? Gas stations in those days also serviced cars--doing maintenance and repairs like tune-ups, oil changes, tire rotations, brake work.
I guess car repair is more specialized now and computers are definitely required to diagnose, repair, and run cars today. (And yet, Toyota just yesterday decided to consider whether or not electronics might play a role in their recent troubles!???)
Now gas stations are associated with convenience stores and quickie markets. Commuters can stop and get a coffee and a pastry on the way to work and a bottle of beer or two and a bag of pretzels on the way home. Personally, I find eating while driving almost as dangerous as texting.
Then too, who wants the trash in the car so just toss that out the window. My idea is that there should be a hefty tax on food that will obviously be eaten in the car--a "sin tax" like on cigarettes and alcohol. The money could be for highway maintenance. Maybe Congress will get to work on that as soon as they take care of the health care situation.
Thanks for mentioning my blog. Like you, I would like to see a stop put to eating and driving.
ReplyDeleteYou have more faith in congress than I have.