Dollar Down

Saturday, around 1130, I drove down to the [St Joseph the Worker] Shrine, to be shriven.  I parked on Kirk Street, which is appropriate, since Kirk is another word for church.

I found a parking space at meter "9D".  It says on the meter "DOLLAR COIN FOR CONVENIENCE".  It also has a sticker, in yellow, with back lettering, that says, "No Parking If meter is jammed or broken".  How is that good for the residents of Lowell?  Even more interesting, in this parking space challenged area, how is that good for business owners, who might be hoping for customers from out of town?  Who is responsible for keeping the meters working?  Not those parking, I suspect.  So why punish them for a failure to properly maintain the money collection devices?  But, I digress.

I slipped a dollar coin into the coin slot, but it failed to register.  The time still showed 00:00.  Not happy, and expecting the worst, I snapped in a quarter—the meter showed 00:15.  I was going to be able to park.  I flicked in a second quarter, in case the line for confession was long—00:30.

I needn't have bothered.  Confession is a much needed, but not popular, Sacrament.

Would I like my dollar back?  Yes.

Regards  —  Cliff

PS:  With a Two Hour Limit, why, on the meter, are there two digits to the left of the colon?