Heading back after teaching yesterday evening, I stopped to clean off my car windows at a gas-up cum stop-n-shop off of La Canada, in that redoubt of unrepentant conservatism, Oro Valley.

I only half noticed a tall, big boned woman fully made up, with dark hair firmly fixed in place and a bright white sweater set washing the windows of her bright white gold-trimmed Lexus SUV.

As I set about my task, another woman -- less kempt, with mussed red hair and a friendly mien -- passed by and whispered "Maybe you want to wash your entire car while you're at it?"

I looked up with raised eyebrows and she leaned closer "Just like that woman over there -- doesn't that crack you up?" And sure enough, that is exactly what the dark-haired woman was doing.

This gave me immediate pause to wonder whether the once privileged of Oro Valley were reduced to using the squeegees at the Stop-n-Shop now that they could no longer afford to have their vehicles regularly detailed.

I glanced over at my new friend as she filled the tank on her weathered 10-year-old Nissan Altima.