The HOBO lifestyle is returning…

A cool Auto

 1982 Dodge Aires

For today:

   (Our view of the Hobo with his Bindle, all pictures from the net))

That title was a headline today. Most have never really known or understand the wayfaring person or Hobo. I actually knew of one. He was a wonderfully strange man. Elijah 'Lij' Howard:  farmer, husband and part-time hobo. He once gave me a Chow dog. I was visiting my sister when he gave me the dog.  Brother Elijah said, "I’ll bring him down when I come to Camp Meeting." He came in a brand new 1953 Buick. When the trunk was opened ‘Red’ had torn the cotton from the back seat, and ripped all the wiring out. Elijah just laughed, “The Buick people will fix it for me Jackie, don’t worry about it.”

That night on the porch I learned a lot of Elijah’s life.  Elijah’s family farmed during the depression. He left making one less mouth to feed. He traveled the rails for a few years as a hobo; working odd jobs for food. The Hobo’s shared their food and when possible, they rode and slept in empty boxcars.

He returned home, the farm became his, he married and had a family, but the wanderlust never left him. He was well off, 'a very successful farmer.’ When the work load was light he would take off for a month at a time riding the rails. I sat wide-eyed, listening; I was 14-15 and already wanted to travel. Those stories just threw fuel on the fire.

(Note the bow-tie and the swinging cup or pot)

I mentioned Elijah’s new Buick.  Dick said, “Let me tell you about that.”  It seems ‘lijah had bought a truck with an automatic transmission. Somehow he had ruined the transmission, forgetting it was an automatic he tried to shift gears and tore the tranny up, by shifting into reverse at about 25 mph.

 When he was test driving the new Buick he related that to the salesman. “Mr Howard” said the salesman, “This Dyna-flow can switch to reverse at 35 mph and not bother the trans.!”

“If that is true friend, I will pay you cash for the car, hold on,” Elijah was on an empty road and with the salesman saying, no, no, he pulled it down to Reverse. The car jumped some and come to a stop and started backwards. Elijah bought the car. 

I loved Roger Miller’s “King of the Road.” When I hear it I think of “Elijah.”

Nite Shipslog

PS: About two hours of pushin' broom
Buys a three by twelve four bed room
I'm a man of means, by no means
King of the road

third boxcar, midnight train
Destination Bangor, Maine
Old worn out suit and shoes
I don't pay no union dues

Westerns

 

Autos of interest

 

For today:

I started reading seriously in my 50s. I picked a book, Clancy’s “Executive Orders.” The book was hardback 2.5” thick. Thinking it would take me MONTHS to read, I had some time to kill. I read it in less than a week reading part time. I not only enjoyed reading but was shocked that I could even read a book that thick. LOL

Now I have read thousands of books, BUT lately I find I have become lazy. I am reading Westerns that average 125-200 pages. At times, one a day, I love ‘em.

Sherry and I were just talking about the technological advances. Paul Thompson, the writer I am now reading goes into day to day activities I never thought of too much.

It was important to remove the saddles to allow the horse to cool down. It was important to feed them grain to give them stamina (I always thought grass was enough).

When a cowboy took a train with his horse (it was loaded on a cattle car) it was his responsibility to feed and water it on the trip (I had never even thought of that.) Most towns even in the late 1800s out west, did not have a telegraph, the lines usually followed the RR lines. Any cowboy traveling had to have a couple days food in his saddlebags. In these books it seems every cowboy carries a coffeepot and enough coffee for a few days.

Thompson goes into more detail than Lamoure but there is also more ‘Gunplay’ and deaths. One aspect that is covered is family. Families left with no father, thousands of miles from kin, due to accidents (mining, guns, animals etc.)

He covers women who were real cowgirls and those who felt forced to work in saloons to support their family. The bad crops and bank failures, including crooked bankers and land managers.

 (We have one cowgirl (Pauline) who reads here, and a few that rode horses in their youth)

 

Anyway I am enjoying the ‘easy reads.’ Probably like someone who is hooked on the Harlequin Romances,

;-)…

Nite Shipslog

The power of suggestion

Autos of beauty

       That 1986 Caddy

For today:

Some subjects I write come from News Headlines on the internet which 'plant a seed.'  i.e. When I saw “Ten signs

 you are going to have a heart attack” I did’t read them.

 .......Why?.......

Are you, or do you know anyone who is subject to fall under the power of suggestion? One is NOT necessarily weak, frail or mentally challenged if they are subject to suggestion. You most likely know what I am saying. The perfectly healthy person who is told, ‘You look a little sick, is there a problem?’ and in a short while the person starts feeling sick, or something like that.

You see, I know such a man. Former Green Beret, who served 3-4 tours in Viet Nam.  A Highly decorated hero that faced death hundreds of times, definitely not a pansy, but a man’s man. He was even a handsome ladies man. He could run 10-15 miles at 70 years of age, great physique.

In his early 80s he was still actively entertaining seniors; a local star admired by hundreds. Like many seniors he had joint replacement, it never slowed him down.

BUT, but while visiting his doctor, with NO TEST done, he was told, “You  are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.”  He went home and became a couch potato. He told me, “They say I’ve got IT, I must have.”*** After a few months with no noticeable change he still made statements to his daughters, “It don’t want to become mean like some people do.”

It has been years now, at 87 we are still waiting for the major signs of Alzheimer’s. He knows everyone, family & friends, remembers every birthday of his 6 siblings. Still loves to sing. I am amazed when he sings every word of “I’m my own Grandpa.”

Anyway, like many of us seniors, he is getting some dementia; However, in my opinion, he was affected by suggestion a few years ago. This is not my first Rodeo, I am very familiar with Dementia. My mama could fool most anyone talking in 'general' for 30 minutes. But this man I can talk specifics for a long time and he doesn't miss a beat nor BS me.

*** When hearing the Doctor's opinion, I would have expected this man to say, "You are Crazy Doc, we'll see about that, but right now I have things to do."

Nite Shipslog

If you know this man, just smile. I realize this cannot be reversed. He is one of my heroes.
 

PS:  There is no need to read this unless you just want to, I’m just making a point!

"I'm My Own Grandpa"

Now, many many years ago
When I was twenty three
I was married to a widow
Who was pretty as could be

This widow had a grown-up daughter
Had hair of red
My father fell in love with her
And soon the two were wed

This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life
My daughter was my mother
'Cause she was my father's wife

To complicate the matters
Even though it brought me joy
I soon became the father
Of a bouncing baby boy

My little baby then became
A brother-in-law to dad
And so became my uncle
Though it made me very sad

For if he was my uncle
That also made him the brother
Of the widow's grown-up daughter
Who, of course, was my step-mother

I'm my own grandpa
I'm my own grandpa
It sounds funny I know
But it really is so
I'm my own grandpa

My father's wife then had a son
That kept them on the run
And he became my grandchild
For he was my daughter's son

My wife is now my mother's mother
And it makes me blue
Because, she is my wife
She's my grandmother too

I'm my own grandpa
I'm my own grandpa
It sounds funny I know
But it really is so
I'm my own grandpa

Now, if my wife is my grandmother
Then, I am her grandchild
And every time I think of it
It nearly drives me wild

For now I have become
The strangest case you ever saw
As the husband of my grandmother
I am my own grandpa

I'm my own grandpa
I'm my own grandpa
It sounds funny I know
But it really is so
I'm my own grandpa

I'm my own grandpa
I'm my own grandpa
It sounds funny I know
But it really is so
I'm my own grandpa

Remembering Y2k

 Autos of beauty

 1935 Alpha Romero

For today (the day after yesterday!):

For years I worked with the ‘IBM Card’. Payroll was from cards along with personnel records. That card could contain up to 80 alphanumeric characters and several special characters, i.e. %$<>,.’ ”.Cards would be like pages of books, a header and trailer cards. Some personel records were 50cards per person.

The date ‘field’ or area was as small as possible 2 positions each for month, day and year.  010199= January 1, 1999. This had worked for 1900s, but when the 1999 things changed. Now 4 positions were needed. That would cause a problem, requiring two more positions in the date field.

This was actually a major, MAJOR problem. At that time Most businesses, including banks and financial entities were still dependent on the card system, for all their records. Store records were on cards, the system would fail, etc. You could not buy groceries.

I remember the predictions, banks would fail, Planes would fall out of the air. Thousands actually withdrew their money at the banks ‘Just in Case.’  I was surprised when I learned later, that even my son withdrew his personal and company money out of the bank. The fear was real to many people.

There was very little ‘social media’ at the time. I can imagine what chaos would occur with such an active social media as today, things spread like wild fire.

Anyway, that was on my mind today, whatever today is, LOL.

Sherry is on the phone with Evelyn as I type. It seems no one can grasp the pressure I have been under to catch a signal to get out and expose to the world all my deep thoughts and advice. Thankfully I still have hot lines to Brother Trump and Sister Pelosi. They know my advice is always available to them. (I am beginning to think neither one listens) Lately I have about worn communications out!  LOL 

At present they have agreed not to shoot each other, but the agreement is being held together with a very thin thread. LOL.

About the card, Strange that, the year 2000 rolled in with only a few hitches, most everyone did not notice any significant change.

 

And the 2000 Ford Taurus continued to roll off the line.

Nite Shipslog