Save gas; don’t drive

Gas prices

Here’s a brilliant idea for fighting the recent high gasoline prices: Drive less. The Sunday traffic now is almost as bad as the weekdays. And the weekday traffic is worse than ever. I am 81 and retired. I walk to and from the Family Dollar and convenience stores — about a mile away. Up until a year or two ago I walked to and from Winn Dixie and Home Depot — about 2 miles away. Now I bicycle. I only fire up my van to fetch goods too heavy or large for my bicycle. This is rarely more than once a week. On my Sunday ride I bicycled past Anclote River Park. It was bursting at the seams with vehicles with boat trailers covering every square inch of the parking lots and even the lawn. Boats are fearsome gas hogs.

Pete Wilford, Holiday

Alternative reality

Heat waves are getting hotter and more frequent | July 20

Imagine, it’s the year 2000 and Vice President Al Gore has won the presidential election. Would we now be a nation of science believers and not deniers?

Eileen Stafford, St. Petersburg

There’s a word for that

Obscenities everywhere all the time | Letter, July 20

I had to chuckle when reading of the mom with the “potty mouth” speaking to her child in the fast-food restaurant. Not because her behavior was funny but it brought to mind an incident involving my 6-year-old daughter. Never being a fan of cuss words‚ I explained early on to my kids that there are acceptable words available in the English language to express anger and frustration. This particular day I answered my phone to hear my neighbor explain she was preparing lunch in the kitchen as neighborhood kids were watching TV in the family room. She dropped a glass measuring cup and let loose with some explosive language. As she bent down to pick up the glass pieces, she looked up to see my daughter, hands on hips, telling her, “You sure don’t have mastery of the English language.” Out of the mouths of babes.

Sandra Lohden, Tampa