Allergy season is in full bloom, causing at least half the population to sneeze, wheeze and seize the nearest antihistamine. Wherever people gather, conversations center on which remedies work best with the fewest side effects. Don't ask the Prowler. Last week's attempts inevitably led to catnaps on the couch. The best solution seems to be escaping to the desert or locking oneself in a sealed air-conditioned building for the duration. But a Prowler's got to prowl, so keep the Kleenex handy.
Speaking of allergies, the Prowler was mystified by the logic of some grownups who live near the Prowler's den. To protect the youngest family member from allergies, they took up the carpets and covered the cottage-cheese ceilings, but then they brought in a Newfoundland, one of those huge black St. Bernard droolalikes. Achoo!
Nothing to sneeze at are this month's soaring gas prices, but at least one station is tempering the blow with a little humor. While pumping the precious fuel at the Los Gatos Boulevard Unocal, the Prowler was amused by signs shaped like Caltrans signs that read: "Squeegee at work" and "Yield to soapy water." The Prowler's favorite: "We change the soapy water constantly. And you thought Old Faithful was exciting."
It's nice to get a laugh while the price numbers outlap the gallon numbers, but the Prowler recalls, back in a previous life, when gas stations used to give customers more than a laugh. Free maps were standard, and the momcat filled a whole kitchen cupboard with free glasses from the local Shell station. She rounded out the set with free Melmac plates from the grocery store, back in the days when the only time the tab topped $50 was when we hosted Christmas dinner.
If the allergens don't keep you in the house, gas prices ought to, but the Prowler likes those credit card-powered pumps. You don't have to think about how much it costs until later. Fill 'er up.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 15, 1996.
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