Dear Mahatma: Please don't tell me the always wet pothole between H and Evergreen on North University is a result of unmet specifications. I think it's been there since Forest Heights had open air hallways! It's horrible at best and worse when the temperature is below freezing. I've called 311 twice. What's the holdup on fixing that tooth rattler? -- Mr. Lee
Dear Mister: Our first thought was this must be one of those darned underground springs. Chenal Parkway had such a problem some years ago.
Naturally, our thoughts sometimes go south, so we asked Spencer Watson of the city's communications staff. He got an answer from Jon Honeywell, the public works director.
Paraphrasing Mr. Honeywell:
Over the past two years, there have been five requests for pothole repair in this general area.
All have been fixed by city workers.
Storm water tends to collect in the subgrade in this particular location. That accelerates deterioration and makes potholes.
The city has a work order in place to replace the asphalt by milling the surface and addressing subgrade before repaving.
Oh One of All Knowledge: When driving through a school zone, does the phrase. "when children are present," mean to refer to school being in session, or when children are out and about? -- State of Confusion
Dear Confused: Short answer is yes to both.
Longer answer has come to us repeatedly over the years from law enforcement that it's best to keep eyes wide open when traveling through a school zone.
School is more than reading, writing and arithmetic. It's recess. It's after-school activities. School is football or volleyball practice. And summer activities.
Watch carefully at all times. That's all there is to it.
Because Alice Cooper was wrong when he sang that school's out forever. It always comes back.
Dear Mahatma: Personalized license plate on a parked BMW sports car -- HIM8NCE. Driver was not around, so no chance to inquire whether the plate referred to upkeep needed for the car or its owner. -- Doug.
Dear Doug: Our guess is that the high maintenance refers to the driver. We used to work with a crusty old fellow who would sometimes look at a woman and say, "She looks expensive."
Lucky for us, the Fabulous Babe is low maintenance. Or maybe we're clueless.
We once saw this license plate: TEMPTRS, which we translated as "Temptress." Alas, we had to get back to work and couldn't wait for her to show up.
Dear Mahatma: This is from January 2018. -- IMA LAWYER
Dear Lawyer: Thank you for sending the photo of a gasoline pump, on which it was said the price was $1.47 a gallon.
At our house, we sometimes fill up both tanks to take advantage of a grocery store fuel deal. A couple of weeks ago that amounted to $115.
We took the credit card out of the reader and the numbers burst into flame.
Good thing Herself is low maintenance.
Vanity plate on a Subaru: RU KYND.
Fjfellone@gmail.com