Thirteen

True story:
It's a simple math exercise...
The sum of eight and five is thirteen.
To get that answer, you need to put three into the "units" column, and carry one into the "tens" column.
You need the remedial math to understand my (admittedly lame) story.

I was nine.
The guy that owned the local hardware store was a personal acquaintance. He drove a truck, and his dog ran alongside him, following him everywhere he went.
One day the dog somehow got beneath the wheels of the truck and his right rear leg was crushed so badly the Vet had to amputate it.
In an amazingly short period of time the dog learned to function almost normally without that leg, once again running alongside the hardware store owner's truck.

We named that dog "Thirteen".
It was an expert at "putting down three and carrying one".
And in spite of his name, we actually thought he was pretty lucky.

Don't Touch That!

Neighbor calls...
"Does your new car have a dipstick to check your automatic transmission fluid?"
"Sure" I answered.
I was wrong.

He had taken his new car in to have its initial checkup performed. Before he left the dealership he read the paperwork to see what work they had done.
"Check transmission fluid" and "Check power steering fluid" were not checked on the checklist.
"Why didn't you check those?" he asked.
Their answer surprised him...
"The steering is electric. There is no fluid. There is no way to check the transmission fluid. When the transmission warning light comes on, come back and we'll do the necessary maintenance."

I opened the hood to our new Taurus. Sure enough, the only dipstick I see is to check the engine oil.
The owner's manual reinforces what his dealer told him...
Got a problem with the car?
Take it back to the dealer for service.

Wow.
How things have changed, huh?