Waiting for Gas

Waiting for Gas

Today, we found a Brookshire’s grocery store where one of the big tanker trucks had just arrived. We made a sharp left turn, sped around the corner of the store, and joined about 100 other people who were waiting for fuel.

Waiting for the truck to refill the station’s tanks took up most of our time. Clyde walked to the nearby Sonic and got us Diet Cokes, then went inside and shopped for groceries. Since my own tank was running very low, I shut down the engine, got out of the car, and stood in the remarkably cool shade (which made more sense than baking in my Saturn VUE).

Ninety minutes later: a full tank, at a remarkable price: under $3.00 a gallon.

Meanwhile, Jackson looks more and more like Jackson. Felled trees are being cleared. More people have power, though several of our video store employees do not. Grocery store shelves are lined with goodies again.

As the seige mentality begins to fall away, some of the social barriers, knocked down by the hurricane, are also being restored. Our neighbors are no longer stopping by to check on us. Now that air conditioners are running, no one lingers outside. With television back up, people aren’t depending on each other for rumors and information any more.

I’m glad to see some sanity restored … but I hope that, in the process of becoming civilized again, we don’t lose all of our newfound civility.

Today, we found a Brookshire’s grocery store where one of the big tanker trucks had just arrived. We made a sharp left turn, sped around the corner of the store, and joined about 100 other people who were waiting for fuel.

Waiting for the truck to refill the station’s tanks took up most of our time. Clyde walked to the nearby Sonic and got us Diet Cokes, then went inside and shopped for groceries. Since my own tank was running very low, I shut down the engine, got out of the car, and stood in the remarkably cool shade (which made more sense than baking in my Saturn VUE).

Ninety minutes later: a full tank, at a remarkable price: under $3.00 a gallon.

Meanwhile, Jackson looks more and more like Jackson. Felled trees are being cleared. More people have power, though several of our video store employees do not. Grocery store shelves are lined with goodies again.

As the seige mentality begins to fall away, some of the social barriers, knocked down by the hurricane, are also being restored. Our neighbors are no longer stopping by to check on us. Now that air conditioners are running, no one lingers outside. With television back up, people aren’t depending on each other for rumors and information any more.

I’m glad to see some sanity restored … but I hope that, in the process of becoming civilized again, we don’t lose all of our newfound civility.

Mark McElroy

I'm a husband, mystic, writer, media producer, creative director, tinkerer, blogger, reader, gadget lover, and pizza fiend.

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Who Wrote This?

Mark McElroy

I'm a husband, mystic, writer, media producer, creative director, tinkerer, blogger, reader, gadget lover, and pizza fiend.

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