GROUND UP: Old Punxsutawney Phil has been all up in the news pontificating and publishing his predictions for the progression of winter. As usual he erred on the six weeks more side. Otherwise, it would only be another month and a half until Spring. Good to know. His ex-wife Phyllis calls him a prolific liar, however.
We were discussing "cars I have owned" over the years. Oddly we have gone from Impala to Impala.
DIGRESS: Isn't there something with the Catholics that if a new pope picks the name Peter it will be the end of the line? First and last, or something like that. Knowing that what would behoove anyone to choose Peter as their papal name?
DRIVING: Back to the cars; the first Impala cost $1975 (complete with a monthly payment book) and the latest more in the $30,000 range (equity loan). Our first car was a used Chevy Belair "gifted" to us or maybe they just didn't want it back. That was the one we wired a tomato can to as we saved up money for a new muffler. Works quite well actually. And then when the battery sputtered its last it opened up a whole new world of cost cutting. Thanks to the erratic Belair, however, I credit it with teaching me how to open the hood and add transmission fluid-always carried a can or two in the trunk. And the two flat tires I ever experienced were changed by "the kindness of strangers" even though I was game to give it a whirl after a crash course from the OH/BF.
The first car I ever picked out and bought "for me" was a Mercury Comet-baby blue with shag carpeting and bucket seats-sweet! As mentioned before she was an 8-banger and would coast at 40 mph before applying the accelerator. Then there was a Cutlass wagon, Delta 88, Lincoln Town car, Ford truck, Cutlass Cierra (ugliest car ever) and couple of Buicks. Silvarado and Impala are the current garage squatters. But my A-1 favorite car was the Buick Riviera. So beautiful and fast as a banana peel on roller skates. Not that it was important of course, just good to know.
My one and only stick shift was ahem, a foreign job that was ugly, cheap, utilitarian and expensive to fix. That was a short-lived experiment never to be repeated. Got $3000 for her from some of its countrymen who wanted cheap, utilitarian, etc. in a car they could identify with apparently. Dealer only offered $100. The OH was my patient teacher around a school yard as I tried to avoid that awful clutch/accelerator screech when I got it wrong. Good practice for when he performed the same service for our 15-year-old. She took her test in my "Rivie" handicapped as one cannot see out the sloped back window, but she managed to pass the parallel parking part regardless. Though I don't miss a stick, it does feel like you're really driving when you have to anticipate gear changes and negotiate hills. I think today's cars actually have a voice admonishing you on a bonehead driving move with a "I'll just handle this ok?" Fine, back to my book then.
MISCELLANEOUS: 1) Basically, the loser admitted that he knew his claim was bogus and he was trying to overthrow the election "he (Pence) could have overthrown the election". Out loud...repetitively. Where are the handcuffs? Asking for a friend. 2) For the first time since 1900 deaths exceeded births in Michigan which may have a long-term impact on the vitality of the State. We need to get busy getting busy or find a way to attract and hold young child-bearing folks in the Mitten.
Having the grandson overnight leads to interesting segues of what gets discussed or how far afield topics skew. At any rate he kept singing the old Three Dog Night song (incorrectly) "One is the Loneliest Number" which prompted a google look-up of lyrics. Some of which I had been singing wrong for years as well. But it took me right back to the paper route-running days with Mom when she would allow me an hour of my music (she did like, or could tolerate, 3-Dog, Beatles and Bread) and then the remainder of the time we would listen to old Bill Cosby comedy records. Is there a hero out there without the proverbial feet of clay? Peace Out....
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