Well doggone it, it's tough being in such demand. Here I was trying to get some much deserved rest when all of a sudden I started getting harassing notes from all two of my followers saying they wanted another story. I've been stumped since wrapping things up on my glory days at Foodway Grocery Store. I was going to tell about meeting Debbie but she thought I should write about my job at Six Flags. I can't seem to get my ducks all sorted out on that set of stories because there are so many of them it's hard to get them lined up in a row. That part of my life started out on the unpleasant side anyway so I hesitate to go there. Maybe someday. So, what should I tell you about? The grandkids don't seem to mind if I tell them the same stories over and over but what do they know....they're kids. Adult, grownup readers want to hear new stories. I'm always afraid I'll tell the same story twice and there are just too many of them now to check each time. I don't think I've told this story but stop me if you've heard it.....
There's a verse in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 10:18 to be exact, that reads, "Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks". I can sit here and attest to the fact that the writer of Ecclesiastes knew what he was talking about. I've been moving around a little easier lately and taking stock of how things stand around me. I don't use profanity, but if I did I could describe things much more colorfully. I'm not going to bore any of you with my past health woes. Just accept the truth from me when I say I lost the ability to do much of anything at all. I'm improving slowly and as I improve I try to check on things that have gone without maintenance way too long. Did you know that if you left gas in your lawnmower two years ago it probably won't start right away? Did you know that if you leave batteries in a flashlight for too long they grow into a spooky mess best thrown away? Did you know that it's important to clean out the overflow tube on the AC on a regular basis? As you can see, even immobile and out of harms way for nearly two years, I was able to learn many, many new things. I am happy to pass on more valuable homeowner knowledge to anyone who asks. Anybody? Anyone? No questions? Okay then, let's get on with the story.
Everyone has a favorite time, song, smell, activity or something that brings back the warmth and glow of good times past. Times when the sun shined just a little brighter, the breeze was a bit more refreshing and there were no problems. Life was just good. Those are the times we miss the most. For me of course the time frame has to be the 50's through the 70's. No one, and I mean NO ONE can argue that those years gave us the best music ever recorded. Detroit gave us the best metal for the money vehicles, whether you loved GM, Ford, or Chrysler. Those times cannot be reproduced. Those of us lucky enough to grow up in that era have the memories...wonderful memories....and all it takes is a bit of a song or an old classic rolling down the street to start those memories whirling.
My second car, but the first car I actually bought for myself was a 1959 Chevy Impala hardtop....cream colored with a bronze colored interior. It looked like something you would want to drop a spoon into to have a taste. It was beautiful....well, except for those teardrop taillights, oh, and those massive fins coming off the back of it.....and well, it needed new tires, the tailpipe was rusted off, the muffler was non existent, and someone had evidently driven it into the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico because every little unpainted surface was rusting and spreading like a cancer. I used to spend my weekends cutting out rust, patching up as only a sixteen year old can, and spray painting with anything on the sales rack that came close to the right color. I loved that car.
After I met the woman I wound up marrying, I bought a 1967 Pontiac Tempest, seafoam green, black interior, deep dish chrome reversed wheels and baby moons. This was a high class automobile. Oh sure, if I had shopped I could have bought the GTO version for close to the same price, and sure, there were lots of Chevy Malibu's for sale....again, for the same price, but doggone it I saw this Tempest sitting in the owners driveway and I had to have it. I nearly fell over when he told me the price. It was a good $400 less than anything else in that range and it was beautiful. I didn't even hesitate giving the guy some earnest money to hold it til the next day. I rushed home and told my dad I had found a new car and I was buying it. He asked if I wanted him to go with me to look it over. I told him "no". I didn't want to risk his finding something wrong with it. The next day I could barely make it through my classes before getting over there to pay for that car. Sure enough, the guy had kept his word and not sold it to anyone else. It was going to be mine!! I paid the guy, left my old Chevy sitting in the street in front of his house, and drove my prize home. Later, my brother Glenn rode over with me to get the Chevy. That Pontiac was indeed a beautiful car. Why they don't paint cars seafoam green anymore is a quandary to me. Yes, it was beautiful.....and I proudly owned it for two whole days before I started smelling something odd....kind of like antifreeze on a hot engine block....hmmm. After another day of driving I started seeing steam coming out around the hood when I would stop at a light. It was then that I decided I really should look under the hood and see what was going on. I wasn't an idiot. I knew it wasn't smart to try to open a radiator cap when the engine was hot so I waited a good two minutes before trying. When that radiator cap came loose steam and burning hot water shot all over the place. I was lucky I didn't get burned but I didn't feel that lucky at the time. What a mess.
After cleaning up all that antifreeze on the block of the engine, on the frame of the car, on the hood of the car, and the fenders of the car, then all the driveway, and the blue jeans which were all the clothing salvageable I was able to simply put a new thermostat on the block and all was well....til the next time. The next time I started smelling the familiar antifreeze smell I had a carload of passengers with me and we were driving down Main Street in Fort Worth. I judicially kept my worries to myself thinking I would take care of it as soon as I got back to Hurst. Unfortunately the Pontiac didn't get my memo and started blowing steam right in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse. I drove over to the side of the street and thought I would find another bad thermostat but no.....no, no, no....nothing so simple. The entire bottom of the radiator had fallen off the car and was laying in the road in front of the courthouse. Now I don't mind your criticism of my lack of intelligence in picking out a car. I don't mind your ridicule in my penchant for buying lemons, but do not let me hear anything out of any of you when I tell you what I did. I gently closed the hood of the car, climbed back in and drove off....yes, all the way to Hurst. I told everyone to ignore the burning smell. It was something I would take care of when I got it home. We made it home. I don't know how we were able to do that other than it was a really cold windy day and maybe that saved the motor til we got to Hurst.
Detroit did make stouter cars back then. If any of us ever tries that with one of these newer cars, well except for the electric ones, the motor will be ruined almost instantly. So don't do it. There's no need. Today we have Uber. I finally learned how to shop for cars after a while. The secret is in always buying new cars with a long warranty. That seems to work for us. I have helped both the boys pick out used cars to buy during high school and college and as I sit here patting myself on the back I can think of only one lemon bought by either of them. I'll let them try to figure out which car I'm talking about but let me say this in all sincerity, I tried to talk said son from buying said lemon but, "he had to have it". Worst piece of junk to ever grace the lot at the used section of the dealership but it really did look good.
