Thread Drift

[Winelover]

Dad's 67 Lesabre had a very nice ride. Had two different Ford owners (65 Galaxie 500 convertible & 67 LTD) that would rant and rave about the Lesabre's ride over their premium Fords. The one with the LTD actually purchased a 67 Lesabre, identical to Dad's but a different color. She was Dad's youngest sister. The 67 LTD was a Ford employee discount car, originally purchased by her in law's. The Galaxie owner was my fishing buddy. We would alternate vehicles on fishing trips.

 

[Mitty38]

Every car we had growing up was a used Galaxy. Till The last one blew a transmission in 1980. Then an LTD wagon, which was basically the discontinued Galaxy, turned into a station wagon. Last car dad bought was a brand new Ford Granada LTD. 1983 lasted him till he died in 1992. Then my cousin bought it fromm the estate. Drove it a few years. Still has it but it sits now in a barn.

 

[smokeywolf]

Best riding car we had was Mom's '58 Buick Roadmaster. Had airbag suspension. Come out to the garage in the morning and rocker panels would be 3" off the floor. Fire it up and in minute or two the bags were pumped up. It was a COPO, bought by a bank president and had every conceivable gadget and kluge available in 1958. Dad bought it used in '63. If Mom kept her foot out of it, it got 9 MPG; if she didn't, it got 6.

 

[RicinYakima]

Where I grew up, gas was $.219 a gallon, but was only making $.45 an hour in 1963.

 

[fiver]

we had a 77 Buick LeSabre that I really liked.
it originally was the wife's Grandpa's, then her mom drove it for years until she broke a couple of valve springs, I bought it from her and put a new 305 Pontiac engine in it.
the first time I rode in that car I woulda sworn on a Bible it had at least a 350 at minimum under the hood.
that thing got up and went.
went better after I done the engine and put a cam and headers in it.
put some nice tires and rims on it and it was a pretty decent looking 4 door family car.
the wife hated it because it had some little spots of rust and thought I was gonna buy her some little dinky town car to zoom around in.
after 6-7 months of walking to work she started coming around... LOL.
it got right at 18 pulling our little tent trailer on the highway at 70 or so, and it rode pretty nice for a full frame vehicle with the same suspension as the 70 Chevelle I had.
I drove that thing all over the south west and western states to dozens of trap shoots.

 

[462]

1963:
Threw the local fish wrapper five days a week, after school, for $30 a month.
Wheeled Dad's manual push mower round the neighborhood, and charged a buck to mow and rake a yard.
Saved up and bought a 10-speed bike, but kept the single-speed for the paper route. The 10-speed allowed me to pedal up the 1/2 block long stee-eep hill sitting down, instead of zigging and zagging while standing on the pedals.

Too young to drive, but think gas was a quarter a gallon.

 

[RicinYakima]

I lived on a farm and got a “farm “ license at 14 only good for the county. So I could drive the 1 1/2 ton truck and the pickup but not Mom’s car. Still got into mischief in the pickup.

 

[smokeywolf]

1963... Yard work for my folks and the neighbors, wash Mom's car and Dad's pickup, polish Dad's wingtips at 2 bits per pair.

 

[Winelover]

First job was a once a week, local paper route, every Wednesday. Was in 7th grade. Graduated to a daily route. The Detroit Free Press, that had a morning and evening edition. I had the evening edition...............70 customers, IIRC. No way was I getting up at 5 AM to deliver papers.

The town, I grew up in, was two miles square and had 138 bars/taverns/clubs. Had several on my route. Needless to say, had to carry a lot of extra papers for their patrons.

 

[JonB]

My first paying gig, was selling greeting cards door to door when I was 12. We lived on a lake, back when lake property was priced the same as non-lake property. Most of the homes around the lake were seasonal cabins. So I'd sell christmas cards in August/September before those snow birds flew the coop. It was a pretty good gig, until I started mowing lawns...that was some real money. Then I got a gas station job when I was 15 and let the mowing jobs go to the competition. Got fired from Gas station job within a year, but lucked into a hardware store gig that carried me through college.

 

[Mitty38]

Think my first paying "job" outside of allowance chores,was cleaning stalls, shoveling horse manure. Had two major breaders- within walking distance. Steady winter gig. Not so much in the summer. They would lean too, manger them in the summer unless there was a storm, a show the next morning, the vet, a buyer, or the husbandry fellow was coming. Some event like that. Then they would use the barn to separate the horses. They would clean the lean too out with a bucket tractor.
Spring time dad had me for garden work and chores.
Summer mowed grass for dad 2 acres, got paid 2 bucks.
I got in on some hay throwing, usually would get a 10 spot, and lunch.Had several Hay and straw farmers so managed at least a few good days of that in the summer.

 

[462]

I was slave labor -- no allowance. Food was excellent, though.

 

[Rick]

I was slave labor -- no allowance. Food was excellent, though.

Same here but not all bad. Rule of the house was that my parents paid all my expenses and any money I earned working was mine to do with as I wanted. No room & board, no food payments, parents bought all the clothes etc. That rule continued until the day I wasn't in school anymore, at that time I couldn't afford the rent.

 

[popper]

I was slave labor -- no allowance. Food was excellent, though.
It was a fight to get to mow the yard, with a corded electric, till I got a real job. Stock/delivery/gofur boy for elec. light Co. - 3 summer mo. Pay was like 2$/hr. Then I got 72$/mo military pay. 10 centavos/hr. Lots of exercise.

 

[dannyd]

My old man owned a Kitchen Cabinet Company; we lived in an apartment over it. Cleaned the place every Saturday from 6 to 17 years old and by the time I was 12 could run almost any woodworking machine. Turned 17 joined the Navy; I was one of the few people that enjoyed Boot Camp.

The scariest machine I ran was a old sharper with 6 inch head to make raise panel doors; no guard that thing just sucked.

 

[462]

Hummingbird food:

 

[smokeywolf]

After high school I worked a 5PM to midnight shift at a truck stop and attended undergrad classes during the day. Also paid $100/mo rent (about 1 week of pay).

 

[smokeywolf]

I think this will work here...

Cicadas! Holy crap! Having to sweep at least a dozen dead cicadas off the back deck every morning. A few nights ago I could hear them crashing into to the windows and the side of the house. Can't take more than 4 or 5 steps outside the house without crunching a dead or live cicada underfoot. If swarms of Asian Lady Beatles follow this (like we saw in Oct. of 2019), I'm gonna be watching for someone riding a pale horse.

 

[Joshua]

I don’t know if it’s the same as frogs falling from the sky.

But, I’ll see your Cicada’s and raise you Murder Hornets!

It seems that these big dangerous bugs are taking up residence here in my fine state, less than a hundred miles from my house.

A Nest Of Nearly 1,500 Asian Giant 'Murder Hornets' Has Been Eradicated

Officials in Washington state said they had destroyed the first nest of the season. The hornets prey on honey bees and can destroy a hive in a matter of hours.

www.npr.org

Apparently in a couple of years they could colonize from Vancouver Canada down to south of Portland Oregon.

A new map shows where ‘murder hornets’ could spread in the U.S.

Suitable habitat along the Pacific West Coast means so-called “murder hornets” could get a foothold in North America if they aren’t eradicated.

www.sciencenews.org

 

[Winelover]

Just the opposite over here. Only seen a few cicadas, in the mornings. However, they sure do make a lot of noise during the daylight hours. Could be they are being eaten, during the night.



Yesterday afternoon, while sitting on the veranda. Cindy took video but I'm unable to post it.