Gas, Gold and Groceries

Back in the saddle and the damned horse just keeps on going.

Thank you for your sweet comments about BrownBear and her trip. She had a fabulous time, but, alas, got cold and wet. "I didn't pack my Northface jacket because my mother told me not to," she rasped to me after she got home. Oh well. No one said I was going to be mother of the year. She had mighty great adventures that she will remember for a lifetime.

Down here in the deep South, we are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Ike. Uh huh. I said Ike. Some kind of crap about the pipeline and... weeks later, we are still sitting in freaking gas lines. I kid you not.

I went on a girls' weekend to the middle of Nowhere, Alabama. I swear. There was one blinking traffic light in the middle of town. Swear. On the way, I realized I was running out of gas in Prep's car. So, I began stopping for gas at every station that had gas. Not many had gas and those that did were only letting you buy so much. Let me just say that I made sure that Prep's car was FULL of gas before I got home so I wouldn't have to worry about finding it here.

So that brings me to this.

One of our teachers has a brother who is a financial advisor. This teacher told us that his brother sent a message to his clients who weren't inclined to panic and this message said to keep your car full of gas, several hundred dollars in cash and your pantry full. I am inclined to panic; I would have been the first person in "It's a Wonderful Life" to go get my money from Jimmy Stewart. This gas thing has been enough to push me over the edge. If you think those words of wisdom were comforting, think again.

I've got $40 in my wallet and some spaghetti sauce in the pantry. While I doubt that would tide us over in a real panic, it is better than I usually do.