In Florida, small black flies that swarm in the spring and fall can be a nuisance to motorists. We were about to head north and were grateful for a friend’s suggestion that we spread a coating of petroleum jelly on the front of the car to make it easier to flush the bugs off with water. I felt a little foolish but I did it. In a small town in Georgia, we pulled into a service station and asked the attendant to check the oil. He tried to lift the hood, but his hands kept slipping.

“What ya got on your car, mister?” he called out.

“Vaseline,” I said. Before I could explain further, he responded,

“Whatza matter? Ya got a tight garage?”

W.R. Krusell, in Reader’s Digest