The big gasoline tanker rolled into the Lowes Foods gas station in Bermuda Run on Sunday afternoon, and I knew that life as we knew it would go on … at least for this week. The other Advance area service stations were out of gas except for the premium grades. All the pumps were busy at the Lowes Foods station as motorists flocked in to fill up.

Compared to the OPEC oil embargo of 1972, the Sunday shortage was a minor inconvenience. But it reminded motorists that an unexpected leak can put our travel plans into a tailspin.

With my gas gauge on full, I’d be able to get to work on Monday. Elizabeth would be about to get to the grocery store. Son Michael would be able to drive his car to school. His tank had been near empty. He might have been riding the school bus if he hadn’t found gasoline.

We filled up all the family cars and felt armed for battle.

As the saying goes, you know the worth of water when the well is dry. The same goes for gasoline.

The current gasoline shortage — caused by a leak in a major pipeline that feeds the Southeastern states — will soon be past. Workers are patching the pipeline, and others steps are being taken to remedy the sudden shortage. But for a few days, I have measured each trip with the chance that I would be burning precious gasoline that I might need later.

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It finally rained on Monday … a little. It had been nearly three weeks. I had spread grass seed on the lawn only to watch the skies remain cloudless. Monday’s brief showers helped some, but the dry spell lingers. A couple of tropical storms have swept by to the east without helping keep us in the moisture.

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A Forsyth County deputy helping direct traffic Sunday morning at the entrance of Tanglewood Park was struck by a car at 10 a.m. He suffered a broken neck and other very serious injuries.

Deputy J.T. Isenhour, 38, has been on the force for a year after spending 20 years as a U.S. Marine. He was helping direct traffic into the bicycle event Tour to Tanglewood.

This accident is a painful reminder for motorists to slow down when they see pedestrians in the roadway.

• • • • •

The autumn leaves haven’t changed yet, but motorists eager to take a Sunday afternoon drive ought to take a drive out to Farmington Road and gawk at the new Davie High School construction site.

“It looks like a prison,” several have said during an earlier phase.

All schools look like prisons to students, don’t they?

The football field and bleachers are going up. The field is being irrigated. The gym and three-story classrooms are looking very impressive. It’s supposed to be ready for students in August next year.

It’s worth a drive to see it — even if gasoline is in short supply.

• • • • •

When the leaves do change, I’ve promised Elizabeth a return to the Smokies to take in a trail recommended by the park service. It won’t be long now.

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Kudos to the Davie County Sheriff’s Department for making arrests last week after our rash of newspaper rack thefts. We lost eight, disrupting our outlets in Farmington, Bixby, Fork and Ephesus. The racks have been replaced. The deputies did good work. Thanks.

– Dwight Sparks