Today guest blogger Dorothy Skarles introduces us to the power of thought. And what a powerful thinking little gal she was as a child. Heck, it’s how she got her first car. Welcome Dorothy.
The Power of Thought
At times, a memory has a funny way of entering your thoughts. You can see, hear or read something that will power an image or an expression of someone or something remembered. That is what happened to me when a friend from Texas sent me some Southern jokes that she knew I would understand.
I was smiling and laughing to myself when I came across several jokes that immediately reminded me of my daddy’s Mississippi Southern ways.
First, when I was very young, he taught me how to spell Mississippi.
M I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, Hump back, Hump back, I. It was a long time before I could spell it the dictionary way.
The second thing I learned as I was growing up was that my daddy never ever said anything he didn’t mean.
Which brings me to the one Southern joke that made me remember how I got my first car: “We don’t need no dang Driver’s Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive.”
Well, my mama didn’t say this, but my daddy sure did. At least he did to my way of thinken.
I still remember running into the house at six in the morning, and into my mother’s and dad’s bedroom. “Daddy daddy, I missed the school bus, and I don’t know how I am going to get to school.”
My dad raised his head from the pillow and looked at me. “Pumpkin, take the car. If you can drive it, I’ll give you the pink slip.”
I quickly reached in the pocket of my daddy’s pants hanging up on the door and got his car keys. I smiled, waved goodbye, and off I went.
My daddy never had to tell me anything twice!
I stripped gears all the way out of the drive-way to the highway, and headed for school.
My mama told me afterwards that daddy turned to her and asked, “Did she really take the car?” And mama answered, “Well, you told her you’d give her the pink slip if she could drive.”
And that is how my daddy gave me my first car!
Now it’s your turn to dash off a memory for your memoir with a few questions to answer.
- How did you get your first car? Did you buy it or did someone give it to you?
- How old were you? (I was fourteen going on fifteen)
- Was your first car an old one or a new one? (mine was a six year old Plymouth)
- How did you get the money for the car? Did you borrow it? Or work for it?
- Did you save part of your pay check for a car?
- How many weeks or months did you have to save before you could buy the car you wanted?
- Did you have to do any work on the car, before driving it?
daskarles©2011
That is so funny, Dorothy..I love it. Last night watching television, I had a memory of my mother, that made feel like she was with me. Not really sure what triggered it, but it was as simple as a word, but suddenly she seemed to be there with me, when I was very young, humming in the kitchen as she cooked breakfast.
I had to laugh when I read how Dorothy got her first car. Thanks for sharing with us to day and putting a smile on my face!
Wow, Dorothy's story about her first car (wonderful tale, Dorothy), and the picture of the interior of a car from my youth, combined to bring back lots of memories about my father.
He used to let me stay up late to listen to "the fights" on the radio. I still remember when Rocky Marciano was fighting, and later when Ingemar Johansson beat Floyd Patterson.
Dad was a musician and had very definite ideas about suitable listening material for me, his eldest child. For every rock'n'roll record I played on my first record player, I had to play one Glenn Miller record. The first record I ever bought with my own money was 'Oh Boy' by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, in 1958.
Amazing how those memories surface when prompted by a photo or by someone else's reminiscence.
Thanks, Dorothy. And thanks, Margaret, for the walk down memory lane.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Dear LA, Cathy and Kay, thank you so much for your comments. You made me smile at the memories that came to all of you. In fact Kay, you made me remember how much my mama and Daddy loved to dance to Glenn Miller's band.
Hi Dorothy, so cute, and so Dorothy! My first car was a 1950 blue stick shift Plymouth. I burned off two emergency breaks (causing smoke galore coming out of the tailpipe). After that I just left the emergency break off.
The car cost $150 and was purchased from a neighbor. My mother paid half and I paid half in installments. My first job was out in French Camp at the county hospital, where I drove my first car to and from. Thanks for the memories.
I almost forgot, after a couple of years, I traded my blue 1950 plymouth in for a white 1962 Chevy Impala with red interior and glass muffler. At 18 or 19, I was one 'hot chick'.
Oh Bernadine, you also had a good memory. Make sure you put your story in your own memoir. It was great. Thanks for writing.
Great story Dorothy. I got married so young I didn't get a first car while I was still home, my husband had 49' Mercury when I married him. So this was my first car, but didn't get a license until I was 19. We only had one car and my husband took it to work everyday, so no need for me to drive. When I was 19 we moved to the outskirts of town, I now needed a car, which we got along with my license. There was a sense of freedom to be able to go where I wanted, when I wanted.
I've had dozens of cars. My first one was a Hillman Imp. It has a lot of character and was VERY temperamental. Being al aluminium only engine, these cars were prone to overheating and blowing the head gasket. It didn't take me long! It sat on my fathers driver for 3 months until a friend wanted it. I offered to give it to him but he insisted on paying me £50 for it. It took him 3 days to get it working again and he did another 30,000 miles in it.
Judy I know how you feel when you don't have a car. It can sit in the driveway for days, but the one day you want to go someplace and it doesn't run, that's the day you go crazy.
Hi Marty, Isn't it fun to know you had a car that was so distinguished. Thanks for telling me about it. Do you have any other cars that have stories? I didn't even know cars had al aluminum engines. It was nice of you to write. I learned something today. .