A DOWN RIGHT SHAME
It happened quite by accident I can assure you, which is a down right shame. It was one of those times when you’re reminded of something subtle, but something that has faded into history like a Hula hoop.
I’m not sure why it’s so easy to get distracted and betrayed by technology and creature comforts. Then again, most of us overestimate the strength of our fallen flesh.
When I was a boy in the sixties and seventies, life was different in a lot of ways, but just one of those differences in day to day life was automobiles.
Cruising was still en vogue. People were still smitten by the idea of a decent car that could take you from point A to point B. Sometimes it was like Chuck Berry said, “With no particular place to go.”
We get in our vehicles now-a-days and they fire right up with no special skills needed. That wasn’t the case back when most cars were half a block long and burned oil like gas and leaked it like a sieve.
Each car or truck was different. One you’d have to pump the gas peddle like you were keeping time to “Dueling Banjos”. If you pumped other ones more than twice the carburetor would flood and you’d be stuck.
I even learned from watching how to talk to a vehicle to entice it to start. My dad and brothers would turn the key, brows pinched, a stern look required. While they were pumping the peddle they’d talk to the vehicle, “C’mon – c’mon – c’mon!” With each repeated “C’mon”, their voice would raise an octave.
If and when that old engine would fire yet again it was a small victory. You could see the satisfaction on their faces.
The windows in those days, in majority, were hand cranks and air conditioning was rare. We had a/c in a Plymouth Fury once, but it worked for like a day. And when it did work any hill or warm day was more than the old Mopar could bear.We had priorities then that most people don’t have to contemplate anymore. It was Arizona and no air conditioning. We drove with the windows down and we didn’t worry a whole lot about our hair getting messed up. If I was riding instead of hoofing, it was all good.
It’s cooling off in Arizona this time of year, especially at nights. It still heats up pretty good in the day yet.
Our garage was holding heat from the day before. I didn’t want my protein bar to melt before I got to it so I hit all the electrical switches in my truck and rolled down the front and back windows to cool the cab off. I was engulfed by a beautiful fall morning. The sounds and smell of the outside were all around me – just like when I was a kid.
Some of the greatest gifts we have we lock out of our lives because of the minor gifts we’ve come to define our lives by… and that’s a down right shame.
Bill (cycleguy)
Sunday, October 29, 2017 @ 11:50 am
It is a downright shame. All summer it has been hot and sticky so my first reaction was to turn the a/c on when I started my truck. But nowadays, I can ride with the sunroof peaking open and the windows giving a smidgeon of circulating air. Course, sometimes I long for those old days until it is not so stinking hot I can barely breathe (ultra high humidity in Indiana). But then I kick the a/c on and realize in some cases the good old days weren’t really them.
saleslady371
Sunday, October 29, 2017 @ 2:34 pm
Who would think something small like a protein bar would humble us? My little ford fiesta didn’t have air when I was a young mom just having moved to AZ so I can relate to this story. But how did Arizona families sleep at night without A/C? They just didn’t have it back then in those days and I guess you learn to adjust. Hmmm.
Dikkon
Sunday, October 29, 2017 @ 6:32 pm
I really like this piece, Floyd. And your last line gave me a happy kick, as your last lines often do.
Somewhat parallel to your theme, my grandmother used to chide me when I bought my first car in 1968. How my generation missed out, she said. Yes, we could simply turn our cars on and go when we wanted to go. There was pleasure in that, she admitted, but we missed what she used to experience, which was much fuller. In her day, if you wanted to go somewhere, you needed to deal with a personality and not just with a key. Was the horse feeling like taking you where you wanted to go?
Lynn D. Morrissey
Sunday, October 29, 2017 @ 7:00 pm
Floyd, you have such a wonderful memory and talented knack for telling us about it. I loved this. Yes, yes, cruising: That’s what it was called. And we always cruised through Steak n’ Shake. It wasn’t so much about eating those flat-as-a-pancake burgers with onions and mustard-relish as it was about cruising through to see who else was eating them! MacDonald’s didn’t have a place to cruise, and I didn’t realize it till just now, but likely that is why we didn’t like it much. My first car was a little blue VW bug, and no, there was no AC (nor was there any in schools)! And mother and I literally were talking yesterday about how we lived in the top story of a flat, sans AC. Wow was it hot in muggy St. Louis summers. I haven’t so much thought about the discomfort in a long time as much as the joys of sharing that tiny flat w/ my family and w/ my grandparents in the flat below. I think it’s a downright shame that people don’t share their lives much anymore, whether cruising around town or musing solitarily in individual pursuits. We need the warmth of fellowship, especially as Christians. I so appreciate your sharing here: a tale well told!
Love
Lynn
Pam
Monday, October 30, 2017 @ 4:40 am
I agree, cars have improved in many wonderful ways, Floyd. Don’t get me wrong, I love AC, but you are right, we sure do miss a lot–the smell of fall leaves, tar bubbling on the highway, pine forests, wood fires. And the feel of the wind on my face makes me lift my head and let it blow over me. Great post, Floyd. Such wonderful description!
Martha Orlando
Monday, October 30, 2017 @ 5:19 am
You really “drove” me down memory lane with this story, Floyd. I can certainly recall long road trips with no a/c in a car the size of a tank. Just the other day, when driving with my granddaughter, she asked if we could roll down the windows (it was pleasant outside). Wow! The smells and breeze really struck me as something I had missed. Will do this more often in the future.
Blessings!
Lisa notes
Monday, October 30, 2017 @ 10:23 am
Oh, what a powerful insight, Floyd! –> “Some of the greatest gifts we have we lock out of our lives because of the minor gifts we’ve come to define our lives by.” That’s worth sitting around and thinking about.
My first car had no AC. I bought it when I was an accountant, driving back and forth to work everyday. I don’t know how I went got to work every morning in the summer months without being drenched in sweat. ha.
Betty Draper
Monday, October 30, 2017 @ 10:29 am
I was trying to think when we had our first air condition in the house and in a car. Both were after we got married. Goodness Ace did not have an inside bathroom or running water in the house till we got married. First air con car was a sweet brand new blue outside, white inside volkswagen…then we traded it for a new Monte Carlo, loaded. That is the one we wish we had kept. Conveniences are great but there is nothing like riding with the windows down when the weather is just right, especially at night. It’s about the only time I feel young again for it reminds me of my teen years. Of course the radio has to be turned up full blast. If there is one thing I miss from living in a third world country without electricity most of the time is hearing all of God created nature noises. Life slows down without electricity and you can enjoy the stars. And it takes on a magical feel when the windows are down in the car…good post …stirred up memories.
June
Tuesday, October 31, 2017 @ 7:45 am
We are very thankful for our AC here in TX, too, Floyd. But I have to admit, I’ll take open windows (house or car!) and a cooling breeze over AC any day of the week! I pray I never take modern conveniences for granted! Good to hear things are cooling down. We’re headed your way next month. Have a blessed week!
Hazel Irene Moon
Tuesday, October 31, 2017 @ 7:55 am
I can remember my mother speaking to our car to start. She would say, Come-on Lizzy, Come on Lizzy. We rode with the windows down in the summer, as in those days there was no A/C. Our house was the same. Windows down to get some air in the summer. Our home downstairs was heated by a floor furnace, and upstairs we used a small gas space heater just long enough to warm the rooms. Today I am thankful for a comfortable car to drive and A/C and heat in my home. Those days of long ago hold many memories, and yet I would not go back in time to treasure them again. Loved this post Floyd, as it reminded me of many things in my past.
Cheryl
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 @ 4:35 pm
This was so well-written. I especially loved the part where you described the part about the morning that reminded you of when you were a kid. I remember how “cool” cruising was, too. I guess we are telling our ages, aren’t we? God bless you and your family, brother.
brad gore
Sunday, November 5, 2017 @ 8:16 am
once again, absolute great post. Brings back lots of good and not so good memories!