Gas pains

By NAN BROWN
As published June 18, 2008

Okay, I know what you’re probably thinking, but let me set you straight from the get go. While it might be funnier to deal with the subject of flatulence and commercials about Gas-X and Bean-O, this column is of a much more serious nature as it deals with the pain each of us is experiencing when we pull up to the gas pump.

I just heard on the news last night that the official national average for a gallon of gas is $4, and it could be expected to go as high as $4.50 per gallon by the Fourth of July if the price of oil continues to skyrocket at the rate it’s been going. By the time you read this, I’m sure it will already be somewhere in between.

As of today the price of gasoline around here is $3.99 per gallon, but it changes by the day, sometimes by the hour.

This is unbelievable! What’s even more outrageous is the fact that oil companies are showing a profit of tens of billions of dollars per quarter. That’s just unacceptable! When is something going to be done about this mess?

The heads of these greedy companies say they can’t cut profits because their shareholders wouldn’t like it. Well, boo hoo – I don’t like paying $4 for a gallon of gas either.

They also say it’s all based on supply and demand. Well, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t understand all the intricacies of that particular principle, but I do know the bottom line is all us little people out here are getting screwed, as usual.

I had to laugh recently when I saw a political cartoon which was actually a jab at Democratic Presidential candidate Barak Obama’s naiveté. In it a reporter asked Obama what he would do about the gas crisis if he were elected president. The caricature of Obama (which was very well sketched) replied, “First I would repeal the law of supply and demand.”

The effects of skyrocketing fuel prices for gas and diesel alike are far-reaching throughout many facets of society. Most notably they’ve resulted in higher prices for food and goods due to the trucking industry’s increased transportation costs.

The auto industry is already taking a huge hit since the sales of SUV’s and larger cars have slowed considerably. We own a Saturn VUE which is classified as a compact SUV, and our other vehicle is a Ford Ranger pick-up truck. The most we have paid to fill the VUE’s tank has been about $54, and it costs about the same to fill the truck, but it goes up a little bit more with every visit to the gas station.

Years ago we owned a Plymouth Colt which we had for over ten years. That little car served us well especially as far as gas usage. It got about 30 to 35 miles per gallon. My, oh my, how I wish we still had that car.

Better still was the Geo Metro we owned after the Colt died. It got over 40 miles per gallon. We ended up trading that one in on the Ford Ranger due to safety issues. That was about the time SUV’s were becoming popular and I worried about Jack driving around in what basically was a tin can on wheels.

I remember when we test drove the Metro off the used car lot. After driving it for a while Jack pulled off the road to look under the hood. When he climbed back in the car he had a puzzled look on his face. He had counted only three spark plugs. When we got back to the lot the salesman confirmed it only had three cylinders, which we had never heard of before.

But the Metro got us from point A to point B and that’s all that mattered. The little guy even had air-conditioning. Of course if the A/C was on and we were going up a hill we did so practically at a crawl. We used to laugh when negotiating hills. Jack would look over at me and say, “Engage the turbo.” That was my cue to reach down and punch the A/C button to off.

We have curtailed our driving a great deal. The cost of gas was a deciding factor in the decision to cancel our vacation to Cape May, New Jersey in mid-May. That combined with the cost of boarding three dogs along with the fact that Cape May’s hotels and restaurants are a bit pricy caused us to decide to stay home and take short day trips.

Jack and I are going to the store this evening and while we’re out we have to fill up the VUE. I feel those gas pains coming on again.

Spring’s splendor

By NAN BROWN
As published June 4, 2008

Have you enjoyed the magnificent spring we’ve had? I always enjoy spring, but I can’t remember any lovelier than this one.

It has been quite cool which has suited me just fine, with no signs of any stretches of early hot, humid weather as can occur this time of year.

It seemed like the ornamental trees started blooming exceptionally early with their beauty lingering longer than usual. My favorites were the pink and white dogwoods, red buds, and weeping cherry trees. They were brilliant in the sunshine but did you notice how they seemed to take on a different glow as dusk approached? Somehow they seemed even more colorful in the fading light, taking on a luminous quality.

Jack and I made the mistake of taking a mid-April trip to Black Creek Greenhouses, our favorite nursery. They were already completely stocked with flowers, including every kind of annual and perennial imaginable, not to mention hundreds of flowering hanging baskets. Our visit there was a mistake because it only made us want to rush the season and go ahead and do our planting.

It certainly wasn’t easy, but we managed to exercise a little willpower and held off until the first week in May. Even then as we returned to Black Creek and made our purchases we realized we were taking a chance since the last frost date around here is mid-May.

We always go overboard with flowers. This year for the front of our house we opted for pink geraniums with clumps of delicate alyssum in between each one, and we managed to find a hanging basket that complemented the color of the geraniums. Jack always does a wonderful job of planting. My role in the process is entirely supervisory, but the result of our teamwork is lovely if I do say so myself.

Jack plants beautiful patio pots, also featuring geraniums but with the addition of a spike plant and vinca vine in each. He even included a sweet potato vine which we’re trying for the first time.

Other purchases as far as flowers are concerned included New Guinea impatiens, petunias, marigolds, ageratum, and dahlias. We also purchased a few perennials to replace ones that didn’t come up in the bed surrounding our pond.

Honestly, I don’t know why they call them perennials when they fail to come up the next year. Oh well, those instances are rather few and far between. Actually, Jack loves perennials to the point that I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t sneak out and dig up one or two each year just so we can check out different replacement varieties.

Speaking of the pond, we purchased a few aquatic plants as well that accentuate its beauty. We even bought three more fish – one Japanese Koi and two fancy goldfish. We’re now up to ten fish again, having lost seven of fourteen to a blue heron’s raids.

Then there’s the vegetable garden. Jack planted his lettuce seeds and onion sets early. I have a funny story to share with you in that regard. We bought some Vidalia onion sets which already have little green tops on them when you plant them.

Our garden is located at the rear of our backyard and after Jack planted the sets, he came back to the house for a minute. When he returned to the garden, some of the Vidalia’s were scattered around the yard. Apparently our mischievous two-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Riley, decided to pull them out and after discovering he didn’t have a taste for onions, deposited them around the yard.

By the time you read this, the rest of the garden will be planted with tomatoes, including cherry, plum, yellow, and various larger varieties; green peppers; banana peppers; cucumbers; zucchini; and yellow squash. We can’t wait to enjoy the bounty of our garden this summer.

I even have a small herb garden containing sweet basil, oregano, sage, chives, flat leaf parsley, mint and rosemary. I only recently have gotten into using fresh herbs in cooking, and they really are a delicious addition to most any dish.

Of course, no spring would be complete here in Lancaster County without frequent drives through the farmlands to check out the progress of Amish gardens. They are absolutely immaculate with rows that are straight as an arrow and entirely weed free. The edge of every garden is lined with beautiful flowers, which only makes the result more striking. Jack just shakes his head in amazement whenever we go “garden gazin’” as we call it.

Spring, unfortunately, is fading and will soon give way to the hot, humid days of summer. Since I’m not a big fan of summer, I’ll keep the memories of this spring’s splendor with me.