Gasoline

We had a small scale gasoline crisis in the ATL a couple of weeks back. After supper one night two weeks ago, we loaded up the dogs and the four of us spent 30 minutes in line at the local Shell station so we could get filled up. If you looked at the national gas price map, you would have seen that Atlanta was the darkest kind of red. The price has dropped a dollar a gallon since then, but everyone is still of a mind to make sure every drop counts.

I was listening to Click and Clack on NPR in August, and they got a call from a woman who lifted up the gas hose to empty the last few drops into her tank after she shut off the fuel pump. As you would expect, Tom and Ray mocked her severely. She was even forced to admit that her 16 year old son refused to follow her lead and raise the hose. Upon further inquiry, the Magliozzi brothers found out that her father had taught her the trick about lifting the gas hose.

I learned a lot about driving from TGP. He did a lot of random honking of the horn to keep rabbits out of the road. When queried as to the efficacy of that, the answer was always "You don't see any rabbits, do you?". There was also his axiom that once cruise control was set, it should never be broken. Muv's sucking in air through her teeth was not enough to provoke a slow down, whether for an off-ramp that really shouldn't be taken at 55 or a driver ahead of us that didn't understand his car needed to move back to the right lane.

The most lasting lesson Pha taught was that you should shake your car after the gas pump turns itself off so that the gas settles in the tank, making more room so you can top off the tank. You have to grab the car high on the back side and push and pull to rock it back and forth. It was probably an interesting sensation for those still in the vehicle. I persisted for years even over the protests of herself and wonderment of both girls. It was only when Helen and Jenny went on a long trip with MA and she told them stories about me that the teasing became too much to overcome and I had to stop. Not that I ever really got that much more gas in the car after shaking it, but it was a habit. Even so, I was able to stop cold turkey, and don't even do it on the sly when I am alone filling the car.

I really didn't get back at Helen until I showed her Scout's AKC registration. Our Welsh Terrier's official name is Helen Scout Poole.


In the end, watch your habits, because you never know which ones your children are going to pick up. At least teach them some good ones.