Mar 21 2010
Running Out of Gas
Parking lot at the local store
I try to avoid buying gas at the local store, since it’s considerably more expensive than the gas in town (especially if you buy it at the Speedex, near the Feed & Pet, instead of at, say, the Chevron in the middle of town) and I am now the most frugal (cheap) hedonist known to girlkind.
But sometimes a girl like I forgets to buy gas, her pretty little head being otherwise occupied with far more important things, like taking Jessica to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party next Saturday, what to make for dinner, and whether someone will give me that set of Mad Men Barbies for my birthday.
Sometimes I don’t notice this deficiency until the little red light comes on. Once I didn’t notice this until I was at the point on 128 where there’s no gas until Cloverdale, and I ended up coasting down the hills and around corners and praying uphill. There are few atheists when the little red light is on in the car. For the record, I did make it to Cloverdale that time, but I apparently learned nothing, since here I was, with the light on again. In my case, the light is on, but no-one’s home, it seems.
At least this time I only had to go the five and a quarter miles to the store, and after the Cloverdale adventure, I was pretty sure I’d make it.
The gas pumps at the store are the old fashioned kind that don’t take credit cards. You put the gas in your car and then go in and tell them how much it was while catching up on local gossip, such as the clerk’s horse making a surprise appearance in her living room. It’s a longer process than it is in town, but it’s more fun, too.
Here’s one of the gas pumps:
Note explanatory handwritten signs. In case you weren’t sure.
3 Responses to “Running Out of Gas”
Nothing wrong with being frugal especially when it comes to the price of gas and such, there are more important things to look after, like food, but you must be careful to watch your gas meter, running out of fuel can be a problem especially in the country.
Love the handwritten labels. At least they’re spelled properly.
There used to be a handwritten sign on the store’s door that said “IQ Test: Pull”. 🙂