Neanderpundit

Ceiling fan, and just me and the mutt. Who steals blankets. I wake up naked and freezing, dog wrapped in a bundle like a mutt-turban. Fling the dog off the bed and straighten out the blankets for the next round. Makes me wish the wife were home again, to slip next to when the temp drops, maybe generate a little of our own heat. Come home to me, love of my life, i miss you like crazy.

Truck was tuned to the old, nearly dead spark plugs, so the computer had overcompensated for a long time. Therefore, the mix was lean and tight, and the first road day after the tuneup, I got 27 miles per gallon.

Now, it’s not good for a vehicle to run that lean (and hence hot) but it was amusing how much you can squeeze out of an 8. And I pushed the bugger, too. Back to the usual 17-18 today.

Christmas, 1974. Got a new Schwinn. One of the proudest days of my life. Four days later, playing in the snow with friends, I slide down a steel slide (a waterslide in summer, ends in hard ice in winter) and hurt my leg. Not being a pansy, I stayed out the rest of the day, playing, skating, sledding, etc.

later that evening Dad says “Come on in for supper”.

me: “I don’t feel much like eating”

dad: “Start the car, mama, we got to get this kid to the hospital”

Four fractures to the tibia and fibula (two each) and several of the small bones of the ankle damaged. To this day, if I swivel my ankle it pops like popcorn.

Worst part, they cut off my red suede denim leisure suit pants. Pissed me off no end, they were also a Christmas present.

Five months in casts. Didn’t get to ride my bike till midsummer.