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HOW'S THIS FOR GAS MILEAGE?
My car is one year old this week. Well, at least it was new to me one year ago, but it was a used vehicle.
When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it. The car looked beautiful inside and out. There were no reports of wrecks or any problems with the car. I couldn’t believe the deal I was getting. So comfortable inside. Boy, I hit the jackpot!
As I drove home, I saw the “miles-to-empty” reading: 370 miles. Terrific!
About ten minutes later, I glanced down and saw 320 miles to empty. Maybe I read it wrong the first time.
By the time I got home, it said 390 miles to empty. Well, something was wrong.
The variations continued until I took the car in for service. The tech told me nothing was wrong with the miles-to-empty-thing (it has a real name, but I can’t remember what it is.) She said the car just had to have time to get used to my driving patterns and habits.
That seemed pretty odd to me, but what do I know about cars? Not a whole lot.
Fast forward to last week. The Duppster and I left Summerville, SC, and drove to Bryson City, NC, filling up the tank on the way. Then we drove to Dayton, OH, for a workshop, and, after a few days, headed back to Bryson City. The gas gauge was registering close to empty by the time we stopped to gas up. Dupp did the honors of filling the tank.
When I started the car, it showed a whopping 590 miles to empty! Wow! I couldn’t imagine being able to go that many miles on one tank of gas.
I drove for about an hour before glancing at the miles-to-empty thing again. What did I see? It showed 1300 miles to empty! Dupp and I laughed out loud. Of course, with the price of gas, we’d gladly get 1300 miles on one tank that holds 14 to 16 gallons.
The 1300-mile figure stayed as we continued on our trek for about an hour, then it dropped to 480, then to 470, 450, 390. It stayed at 390 for a few hours before jumping back up to 420.
So, as I celebrate one year of ownership of this car, I think I’ve figured there’s something wrong with the miles-to-empty thing, or, if as the tech said, it’s waiting to adapt to my driving habits, I must have some awfully weird driving practices.
When Karl (The Duppster) and I got married almost 16 years ago, he was 58 and I was 60.
About nine months later, this is the sign we put in our front yard.
Perfect for April Fools’ Day!
ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH!
All kinds of titles have been running through my mind.
One is the 1973 best-seller by Jacqueline Susann, Once is Not Enough. Another is a 1965 song (and 1995 movie), It Takes Two. Yet another is the song The Second Time Around, first made popular by Frank Sinatra.
Why have these particular titles been on my mind?
It’s because I had to have a hemorrhoidectomy – and it was the second time I’ve had the procedure done. That’s because once really wasn’t enough.
The first time, the surgeon didn’t do exactly what he was supposed to do. And, no, I won’t be more explicit than that because this is a family site available to all ages.
After almost two years of problems – following a terribly painful recovery period - I found a different surgeon and underwent the procedure again. I still had a painful recovery, but I was more comfortable six days post-op than I was almost six weeks post-op last time.
So, the second time around was much, much better. What didn’t change, though, was the substance of the comments and messages I received, like someone saying, “At least the surgery is behind you now.” Another message was from a friend who said she hoped I wasn’t all “pooped” out!
Yep, even the second time around, I was still the butt of everyone’s jokes.
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I really don’t know how to adequately express what I’m feeling. Not a very good thing for a writer.
I look at sunsets and rainbows, trees, waterfalls, and ripples in rivers and think how beautiful our world is.
Then I hear or read the news. Shootings and killings, and I think how ugly our world is.
What have we done to our world?
Monks walk for peace, days and days and days. Thousands and thousands turn out in support of the walk and for peace. People are yearning for peace. But where is it? How do we attain peace?
No, the monks aren’t Christian, but they certainly display some Christian values. And the Prince of Peace would say to greet them in love, to welcome them, to love our neighbors.
But doesn’t He say that about all – those who are like us and those who are unlike us?
And what would the Prince of Peace say in Minneapolis? Sandy Hook? Uvalde? The list goes on and on.
We’ve got too much partisanship and too much division in our country, and very little of togetherness it seems. No political party is right all the time. No party is always wrong. But forget political parties and partisanship. Or can our leaders and even we as individuals forget partisanship and look at our country’s issues with open eyes – and open minds? I wonder.
Then again, is it the government’s job to welcome strangers and fight injustice, or is it the job of each one of us?
Okay, so I’m just rambling. That’s because all these thoughts are just running through my head. Daily, maybe even hourly, I question what’s going on in this world. Are we truly working toward liberty and justice for ALL?
I know God’s in all of this, but where? Is He with the monks? Is He with the immigrants in this country? Is He with us, as we just sit and watch – and do nothing?
Yes, He is with all of us, but he might have tears flowing from his eyes, wondering if we are with Him.
God calls on us to do His work on earth: to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to fight for the victims of injustice, to welcome the stranger.
So, do we watch the monks, saying we are for peace, then go about our merry ways?
Or will we do something? Maybe it won’t be walking for miles and miles and miles. Maybe it will be reaching out to a neighbor, or to someone in need, or to fight injustice.
Will we do our part to get rid of the ugliness in this world?
God, help us.
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