Now on sale . . . Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life by Suzanne Beecher, and when you purchase it, request a free autographed bookplate, by visiting:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO
Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/
Dear Reader,
After I picked up my prescription at the pharmacy and tried to back out of my parking space, something was dragging along with me underneath my car. My first thought was to press the gas pedal down harder. 'I'll give this baby some more gas and show "whatever is hitching a ride" who's boss.' But then again, two months ago when the ice machine in my refrigerator was sticking and I grabbed a hammer and decided to declare "who's boss"--it cost me $180.00 for a replacement part. So instead, I got out of my car to investigate and discovered the cement-parking block, that's supposed to be bolted to the pavement--wasn't. I managed to ease my way off of the block, but in the process I ripped the protective shield underneath the front of my car. It was hanging down, almost touching the pavement. I knew it wasn't going to be a big deal to get it fixed, but I'd probably be sitting in the dealership's waiting room for over two hours.
Suddenly I was wishing for the "good old days" when my father was a mechanic and owned a gas station. Folks could drop off their car, walk home, throw in a few loads of laundry and then walk back to the station to pick up their car. Dad even pumped the gas, washed the windows and checked the oil.
I don't know why I never noticed it before, but the "good old days" are right smack in the middle of downtown Sarasota where I live--and I can even walk there. Reese's Service; it was a busy little place the day my husband and I stopped by. Two mechanics were inside the garage working on cars up on the hoists, and the owner, whom I approached, was out front working on the engine of another car. "Excuse me, it's kind of embarrassing, but I parked too close to one of those cement parking things and when I backed up I ripped the covering underneath the front of my car. Can you fix something like that?"
"No problem, that happens to somebody two or three times a week. As soon as one of those cars is off the hoist, I'll fix it right up. Can you come back in about 30 minutes?"
My husband and I went for a leisurely walk around town and 40 minutes later when we returned and went inside the station to pay the bill, I felt like I'd stepped back in time. A collection of old gasoline signs, cars and trucks, Coca Cola bottles, spark plugs and other memorabilia were displayed high up on a shelf that framed the room. The office looked just like I remembered it; a grease-stained desk, an antique cash register, (that still worked) cans of oil and an assortment of "used-to-be-penny-a-piece" candy lined the shelves and when I spotted the Dum-Dum pops I knew I was back home, standing inside my father's gas station. Stop for gas or bring your car in for repair; everyone left with a Dum Dum sucker for a treat. There was always a huge bag of suckers sitting on the counter--and there on the counter was the same familiar bag.
I couldn't wait for my gas tank to get near empty so I could stop by the station again. It's now my favorite place to "fill-up" with memories, and the attendant even pumps the gas, washes your window, checks the oil, smiles and says, "Thank you very much. Please come again."
To see photos, go to: http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/node/5343
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com
KIDSBUZZ: If you're looking for books that make kids and teens think, you'll love this week's KidsBuzz offerings on the behind-the-scenes of sports and strong characters: PLAYING TIME: WHAT KIDS REALLY THINK ABOUT KIDS' SPORTS, by Quinn Cotter; and SAVING SKY by Diane Stanley. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz
Comments