The Blue Stuff

On Sunday afternoons when I was in college, my dad routinely topped off my washer fluid, and then cleaned the headlights and windshield on my truck with a homemade vinegar mix and newspaper just before I left for school. I know now that much of this routine was to simply prolong our visit and was an effort to let go a bit more slowly. It taught me how fragile our lives are and more about love.

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It isn’t so much for me --- those silly little instructional/informational labels I place on everything from the breaker box, to the well head enclosure, to the technology surrounding anything voice, data, satellite or television antenna systems.

I have a good memory and except for very short term items, I really don’t need these for me; at least not yet. You see sometimes, I imagine if I’m gone before you, I hope you will be able to find some semblance of sense in it all. It isn’t so important, but rather something small, because then I won’t be able to make you coffee in the morning, check the air in your tires or fill your washer fluid bottle with “the blue stuff”.

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It's sold in various colors and formulations. A few of the more expensive brands are designed to clean the windshield more thoroughly, while some are purported to do a better job at preventing icing in extremely cold weather. I have used some of the more esoteric brands when the local discount house experienced a bad-weather run on inventory, but really...they just don't feel the same.