Best December Yard Decor, Non Christmas Category

 

The Startling Low Price Of Gasoline

 

   Three days ago I filled up the tank of the Prius for less than I would have had to pay in 1980.

   You read that right. Not just less than I would have had to pay in 1980, but extremely less.

   In 1980 the average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $1.24. 

   You might look at the photo above and say I am obviously not a math major, as that photo above clearly shows that the unleaded gasoline I put in the Prius three days ago was $1.89 a gallon.

   Well, yeah, but in 1980 minimum wage in the U.S. was $3.10 an hour, and California minimum wage matched it.

   Yes, each state can mandate its own minimum wage. Some were higher (Alaska's minimum wage in 1980 was $3.60) and some were lower (Georgia's minimum wage in 1980 was $1.25).

   Minimum wage was pretty much what I was earning back then, so to fill up the 9.5 gallon tank of the Prius back then I would have had to spend $11.78. Since an 8 hour work day at $3.10 an hour only earned $24.80 (before taxes!), that means I would have had to work for about five hours (after taxes) to earn enough to fill up the tank.

   U.S. National minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, but here in Colorado (my current state of residence - moved out of Cali a long time ago, only crazy people live there) current minimum wage is $14.81 an hour (yes, I earn a bit more than minimum wage, but this argument is based on minimum wage, so there you go). 

   Since filling up the tank of the Prius @ 1.89 a gallon only cost $17.96, at current Colorado minimum wage that means it would only take an hour and a half (after taxes!) to earn enough to fill up the Prius.

   Which means that 45 years after I first started driving, gas is now slightly less than half the price it was back then.

   Now, if we could only get that magical price decreasing formula applied to food, housing and medical care, life would be all rainbows and butterflies.

  BTW, for those interested, the state with highest current minimum hourly wage is Washington @ $16.66, though there are communities in the state of Washington that have a higher minimum hourly wage, such as Burien, which has a $21.16 minimum hourly wage (large employers only). The state with the lowest minimum hourly wage? Technically, Georgia & Wyoming are tied at $5.15, but both of those states default to the National minimum wage of $7.25 (as do all states that set current minimum wage below the National minimum wage).

  

  

The Cat That Crashed In The Garage

 A couple of days ago, right when the temperature started to drop into the low thirties, a cat with unique markings wandered into the garage and parked itself.

I did not recognize the cat as being one of the several in the neighborhood I know, and as it was shivering and looking a bit dodgy, my obvious course of action was to allow it to stay and provide a little food.

The cat is a little shy - most likely a bit frightened, and while it appears healthy there appears to be a little bit of damage to his nose, as if it has been attacked recently.

The markings are unique enough (as seen, he has a large exclamation point and a comma on his back), that whoever owns this cat would immediately recognize them.

The cat appears to be 8 or 9 months old, and is very docile, and does not object to being picked up. I'm going to make some "Hey, Looking For Me?" flyers and post them around the neighborhood. Someone has to be missing this cat.

If no one claims him, well then, looks like I have two cats for Christmas.

Early Entry, Best Christmas House 2025

 

     The only thing that could make this display better was if they had Yukon Cornelius in there

Arkie Watching The Broncos OT Win Over The Commanders

 

The Silver-Haired Woman From Louisianna

   Her name was Opal, at least that's how she introduced herself. Her hair was silver yet she looked to be in her mid-thirties. I casually mentioned that she looked much too young to have silver hair and she retorted that it was her family's' curse, all the women go grey young.

   She told us that she had recently relocated to Denver from Bogalusa, Louisiana, a small town about an hour's drive north of New Orleans

   She also stated she was looking for a room to rent as she was staying in a motel just down the road, which she indicated was somewhere west on 44th with a quick flip of her hand. 

   Her accent was quirky, not quite a southern drawl and not quite Cajun. I knew a woman when I lived in Alaska who had moved to Eagle River from Saint Mary Parish, and she had the same accent.

   Note: It is Saint Mary Parish, not Saint Mary's Parish.

   It was about 45 minutes into the conversation when she suddenly got up and exclaimed that she had to go as she had a job interview in an hour.

   Which struck us as a bit odd, seeing as how she had just spent almost an hour drinking at the bar.

Rip Up The Tracks But Leave The Bridge