MY HISTORY WITH GAS
As many of you may suspect, my checkered past is filled with many memories of various types of gases: most of which had a positive effect on my life. It would seem, through early accounts of those that knew me in my infant years, that I was first in the production business and not in the consumption side of the business. Rumors have it that I would frequently dabble in distribution as well, but, as stated, I have no memories of these events. So, I have to rely on the memories of those witnesses, who either drank or got older to forget.
THE FIRST GAS
The first gas that I can recall from the early days of my youth was the gasoline for the family automobile. At least I think it is. I remember my dad pulling into the gasoline station, rolling down the window of the car (they did that then) and telling the attendant to "Fill it with Ethyl." This was confusing to me as a child, as I had no concept that it was a type or brand of gas and simply thought dad was referring to Aunt Ethel (not sure of spelling) who was married to Uncle Jim (closest I ever got to a gym). Uncle Jim and Aunt Ethel lived in Indiana and passed on into the great beyond early enough in my life that my memories are limited. I probably thought Ethel was a gas, but I don't recall, but I learned early on that Ethyl was a gas and that my dad preferred it for his vehicles of that time. Although Aunt Ethel never did me harm (that I recall) or wished any on me, I understand that they quit producing Ethyl gasoline due to potential environmental harms.
SILENT TOOTELAGE
While I was likely an excellent producer of the passed gasses of my checkered past, oddly, my memories of that part of my life come later than most. I remember belching before farting, as my hearing was rather impaired at the time. So I tend to remember the noises of the exhaust coming from the front part of the body near my ears instead of those gases that passed out the lower side and rear of my body. But, like most children, I was probably an excellent producer. I can only apologize to those that knew me in that day, survived what I thought was silent, but was likely deadly if anything at all like my four offspring in their infant years.
THE FOG OF WAR
I also have distinct memories of running through the fog of war in the late ’60s and early ’70s, the war on mosquitoes that is. Our tiny town of Hopedale, Illinois had one of those truck mounted machines that would drive around town spewing some form of gas that was intended to kill and disable the annual reproduction efforts of the pesky mosquitos. I wasn't the brightest bulb in the light bulb factory, then or now, and have memories of the smells of running in and out of the lingering cloud of gas. It bugs me that I don't remember what type of gas it was, but I doubt that those experiences enhanced my abilities for my later years, but I'm sure the benefits were likely not in vain, or maybe they were.
JUST EXHAUSTING
I also have fond memories of the fumes of exhaust as they escaped from the automobiles, trucks, tractors, lawn mowers, and chain saws of my early growing up years. I learned that the two cycle, treated gasoline that fueled the Lawn Boy mowers of that day had a different look, purpose, and smell when it was burned and converted back to fumes. It smelled differently than the gas that passed out of the exhaust systems of the cars and other lawn mowers, and also smelled differently than the fumes from the diesel that many of the tractors and pickup trucks were burning in that day. All of these gases passed in the past and likely had some unintended consequences on my life.
LAUGHING GAS
While I have no distinct recollection as to why we felt the need at the time, I do remember Bruce Henderson, who was a member in one of my high school chemistry classes, mixing up a batch of laughing gas. I remember nothing about the odor of the gas, the process of making or distributing it, but I remember we all had a good laugh when exploring and exposing the topic of that day. I don't remember the teachers or the staff of the school being so pleasant about our unrequested and unrequired exploration of that gas, but I'm sure they all had a chuckle that day: if they got a whiff of the gas.
LIGHTER FLUID
I also remember the distinct smell of the lighter fluid that mom and dad used to light the charcoals on the grill. We really enjoyed the grilling of the hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, pork chops, and chicken during the spring, summer and fall, and we missed it in the winter. In any case, I never knew what lighter fluid was in those early years, but knew we carried it around for grilling because it was lighter than gasoline which was much heavier. It was fun to squirt that lighter fluid, light the match, and watch the flash as the fluid started to burn and convert back into a gas.
GASLIGHTING
Gaslighting is often discussed in the news and the social media feeds of the day, but I'm not sure that many people know what it meant back in my day. As a child, I would have been satisfied having a career as a pyromaniac. I wanted to light almost everything on fire, but lacked the skills and the necessary training to pull it off. My father, who grew up farming, could light an entire grass lawn on fire, and my sons pulled off that feat a time or two themselves. But I lacked the skill and ability. I only had the joy, one time, of sending the flames high in the sky, when my riding lawn mower caught on fire in our front yard, and the flames hit the gasoline and shot flames ten to twenty feet into the air. The local fire department in Hamel seemed to enjoy the practice and experience of dousing the flames on that 4th of July day, and I only hope that they have forgiven me since then.
INDUSTRIAL GASSES
It seems only fitting that I spent just over five of my adult years working for an industrial gas company named Liquid Carbonic. While it has since been purchased, I felt great being involved with a company that produced and recycled so many forms of industrial gasses. It seemed only fitting that I ultimately settled into the Liquid Carbon Dioxide division of the company, as my speeches of the day would often put people to sleep, and the words spoken to my wife in those early days of our marriage often quenched the fires of passion. Liquid Carbon Dioxide was a gas that I was born to represent, and I did my best to help all aspects of that company in my time there.
THANKFUL
I'm thankful for the many gasses that have passed through my past as they have both kept me alive, given me a sense of wonder and smell, and added light and fuel to so many adventures. I must admit that, in those vast expanses of my mind, I know very little about any of these gasses. But, I have an appreciation for the role they have played in making my life better. As the final flames of my life burn and ebb, I look forward to the many gas fueled sunsets, sunrises, and occasional explosions and smells.
ME
I'm going to enjoy the rest of my days on this side of the soil reminiscing about times, both good and bad. And when I ascend to my home beyond the sky, and they plant my remains below the earth, I will have done my best. Feel free to follow my ramblings at the links listed below: