Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug

From my title lines you can tell that music plays in my mind frequently. There is a Roger Miller song about drinking that prompts this title:

Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug
Make you want to holler hi-de-ho
Burns your tummy, don'tcha know
Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug.

I have been trying to drive less. I've been somewhat successful. The Great White Whale of a van that is used for deliveries and shuttling stuff has been sitting more this summer. I had gone weeks without putting in gas. Then it was time to fill up. It's a thirty gallon tank so there was a new cash outlay record set when it passed $70. The news has been filled with stories about the rising price of oil, but I had not experienced the sensation. It made me want to holler and it created a burning sensation.

The good news is that I've obviously been saving money with my bike riding. The bad news is that growing amounts of personal income and business costs are going into fuel costs. The ripple effect is going to impact how money is spent by all of us. We are going to have to act resourcefully or experience rapid erosion of our buying power.

Think about it. If you're reading this blog then you have some interest in bicycles. How can you shift your transportation needs to use a bike or walk more? It's the short trips that give us the poorest gas mileage. Can you drive to an area with your bike in the vehicle or on a rack and then do your short hop errands on bike? Have you thought recently about riding your bike to work or to Metro to get to work?

Small steps can begin long journeys. What small steps can you take? How can we help you? It's time to cut back on this chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug.........while it can be fun to holler hi-de-ho..........the burning sensation can be unpleasant.