Guest Writer's Page: The Light Side


Series: On the Ranch by Lisa Schoutsen • schoutsen@comcast.net Children's stories, based on stories my mother told me of life growing up in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico.


GUERNEVILLE, CA.~ As fuel prices rise, the public will again be subjected to gimmicks,


things that don't


SEBASTOPOL, CA. ~ Well, it was Pat’s birthday and mother had made him a beau- tiful cake!


Off It was a mas-


terpiece and very delicious! Pat said,” let’s go to the train station and bring the conduc- tor a piece of my cake!”


they went, Rosemary and Pat, to el Barranca, the small, unmanned train station on the narrow gauge railroad headed for Santa Fe.


tion and climbed the porch, peering through the


The children ran to the sta- front


window and hoping to see the huge diamondback rattle- snake skin tion wall!


nailed to the sta- Seeing the hide


hundreds of times, never took away from the dreadful fear and awesome excitement of visiting that monstrous hide! Now,


time’s a wastin’, on


to the cake! They had to plug their ears, as the train whistle began to blow! Pat held high the plate of birthday cake with one hand and waved with the other! Rosemary didn’t dare hope that the conductor would stop, but Pat never lost confi- dence.


slowed, wheels screeching, almost to a halt!


Lo and behold, the train Pat stood


on tip toes and reached, to offer the conductor his birth- day treat, and by golly, if the man didn’t reach down to take hold of the plate from the boy! The train rolled on by and the conductor blew his whistle, as the children jumped and waved!


“Screaming Howdy partner! Howdy!” That was surely exciting!


Let’s do that again!


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work, and plain bad informa- tion. This series of articles will be dedicated to dispelling bad information. The series will start at the basics and continue onto the complicated. You might be surprised at how things really work!


First, I've been


lucky enough to have educated and work with some of the countries smartest people over my thirty years in the industry. People who study cars, how their systems work, and how to repair them properly. If I don't know an


simple things you the driver can do right away. Let's face it, the driver is the biggest cause of poor gas mileage. I'll include some common myths that have been used on the public for years that rarely


UPBEAT TIMES • May 2012 • 9 Cake for the Conductor Fuel economy


answer, I know where to go to get it.


The first article will be all about the immediate and


Myths , Legends And Truths By Lewis Cranston


do any good, and we'll dis- cuss your driving habits and certain things about your car that you need to do , and need to know. No magic


stuff


in the gas tank, no gim- micks, just how the car, the engine, and the com- puter works. I hope


I've


peaked your interest.


If you have a


question


about your fuel econo-


my , e-mail me at sup1smog@ yahoo.com, include the year, make, and engine size with a clear and brief question.


Happy driving!! Our passions are the true phoenixes; when the old one


is burnt out, a new one rises from its ashes. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


About The Light Side


The Light Side is intended for the public to submit short little fun stories about life, living & creative writing. Generally these articles are up to 300 words and photos are submitted. Everyone is welcome to submit them to us! upbeat@upbeattimes.com


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www.fabulousfi ndsgalleryboutique.com Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson UPBEAT TIMES • May 2012 • 9


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