Shell-lack

This weekend the two Shell stations, or Food and Fuel convenience stores that sold Shell gasoline, anyway, in Fairmont closed. The local paper has an article but that doesn't shed much light on what happened. The closings were sudden. Around 12:30 Friday afternoon I stopped at the one closest to home for something. There was no indication of trouble, no sell-out prices, no gossip, and I think there was still a "help wanted" sign in the window. Friday evening it was still open when I passed it on the way home. Saturday morning the fuel prices were still up when Jay and I left for MNRF. On the way home I noticed that the prices were no longer advertised.

That station was the one that really wasn't on the other two streets (the other wasn't but only because one street changes names), and it was on what might be considered one of the three "main drags" of Fairmont. I do wonder what will happen to the place(s). They were not lacking for business. Whenever I stopped in, and it didn't matter what time of day, it was unusual if I was the only customer.

"Baxter Black, Cowboy Poet and former large animal veterinarian..."

When I had longer drives to and from work, I'd occasionally hear on the radio a bit of cowboy poetry, or at least an odd story, written and read by Baxter Black. They were often funny and were seldom dull. Baxter Black has a regular or near regular column in American Western Magazine. The columns of Lee Pitts and Gwen Petersen are pretty good, too. The columns are often humorous, occasionally serious, and like the bits on the radio, seldom if ever uninteresting.