HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 26 VOL 3
October 26, 2007
WEATHER; CLEAR, BRRR COOL, LOW HUMIDITY, 62 DEGREES
THIS WAS ALSO KIND OF A LAZY DAY, GOT UP ATE BREAKFAST AND WATCHED CNN FOR A WHILE THEN WHEN IT WARMED UP A LITTLE MOM AND I WENT OUT ON THE DECK AND FINISHED TAKING THE REST OF THE POST AND BRACING DOWN.
I HAD A PHONE CALL FROM SAN FERNANDO MISSION CEMETERY ABOUT THE PLACK STOLEN FROM MY MOTHER’S GRAVE MARKER. THEY INSIST WE HAD NO RIGHT TO PUT THE PLACK ON THE GRANITE HEADSTONE MARKING MY MOTHERS AND DADS GRAVE. LIKE I TOLD THEM, BILL MASON TRIED TO FIND OUT ABOUT PUTTING IT ON THE HEADSTONE AND ALL THEY WOULD SAY IS WE NEED TO BUY A COMPLETE NEW HEADSTONE FOR $6-750. DOLLARS AND HAVE BOTH NAMES PUT ON IT! I ASKED THEM WHY WE CAN’T PUT A BRONZ CUSTOM MADE PLACK ON A HEADSTONE WE OWN! AGAIN, YOU NEED TO PURCHASE A NEW HEADSTONE AND PUT BOTH NAMES ON IT!
AND THEY DON’T BELIEVE THE ARCHBISHOPS OFFICE IN DALLAS HAS ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN OR CAN’T PUT ON A HEADSTONE! I ASKED THEM TO SEND ME THE RULES GOVERNING THE CEMETERY.
I’M IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING TO THE DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC CEMETERIES OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY AND SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY?
NOW, I’LL GET BACK TO HERB DAVIS TEACHING ME TO DRIVE IN 1944.
AS WE ARE GOING DOWN THE ROAD FROM SIDE TO SIDE HERB SAYS LETS GO OVER TO THE GENERAL MOTORS PARKING LOT, THERE’S A BIG OPEN PART THAT HASN’T BEEN PAVED YET.
WHEN WE GET THERE THE GATE’S LOCKED AND HERB GETS OUT AND SLIPS THE CHAIN OVER THE POST AND OPENED THE GATE, THAT’S THE WAY THEY LEAVE IT BECAUSE THE GUYS WHO CUT ACROSS COMING AND GOING TO AND FROM WORK DON’T ALL HAVE KEYS. OK, HE SAYS HEAD OVER IN THAT DIRECTION AND HE POINTS TO THE LEFT WHICH I DO, STEP ON IT HE SAYS AND I PUSHED THE GAS TO THE FLOOR. WOW, 45MPH, AND HE GRABS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THE CAR GOES INTO A SLIDE, CUT THE WHEELS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SLIDE HE YELLS, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT AND I STEP ON THE FOOT BRAKE, WE WENT INTO A SLIDE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AND WHEN WE CAME TO A STOP THE CAR LEANED OVER AND I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING ALL THE WAY OVER BUT IT DROPED BACK DOWN WITH A BANG AND WAS STOPPED.
I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO HAVE A TALK WITH MY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR, HE GOT OUT AND WE SAT ON THE RUNNING BOARD AND I INFORMED HIM I’D NEVER DRIVEN ONE FOOT IN A CAR AND HE NEEDED TO TELL ME WHAT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE ME DO, NOT WHEN BUT WHAT, AND I WAS TO BE READY IF HE MADE SOMETHING HAPPEN. HE AGREED AND WE GOT BACK IN AND STARTED DRIVING AROUND THE LOT, FIRST ONE DIRECTION THEN THE OTHER DIRECTION. THIS IS WHERE HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT NOT WEAVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND TO USE REVERSE GEAR, GO FORWARD THEN STOP AND PUT THE SHIFTER IN REVERSE AND SLOWLY BACK UP, I DAMN NEAR TURNED THE CAR OVER A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT PRETTY SOON I GOT THE HANG OF IT.
NOW WERE GOING TO TRY THE SLIDE AGAIN HE SAID. I GOT GOING AS STRAIGHT AS I COULD AND GOT TO 45MPH AND HE GRABBED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND SENT THE CAR SLIDING SIDEWAYS, CUT THE WHEELS INTO THE SLIDE HE YELLED, I DID AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I WAS IN A CONTROLED SLIDE, THE REAR WHEELS WERE STILL PULLING BECAUSE HE HADN’T TOLD ME TO STEP ON THE CLUTCH, AS WE CAME TO A STOP THE CAR BUCKED AND SHOOK AND IT SCARED ME TILL I REMEMBERED TO PUSH IN ON THE CLUTCH.
HERB REACHED OVER AND PATTED ME ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER AND SAID, YOU’RE ALMOST THERE. HE THEN HAD ME START THE ENGINE AND START DRIVING IN CIRCLES, TIGHTER AND TIGHTER TILL I WAS ALMOST TURNING IN ON MY SELF, WE WERE DOING 10MPH HE YELLED, LET GO OF THE WHEEL AND I DID, THE CAR STRAIGHTEND OUT BUT SWAYED FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL WHIPPING FIRST LEFT THEN RIGHT. WE WERE STILL GOING FORWARD AND HE TOLD ME TO GRAB THE WHEEL AT THE TOP AND STOP IT FROM WHIPPING. WELL, THAT WAS EASER SAID THAN DONE, I GOT HOLD OF ONE OF THE SPOKES AND IT DAMN NEAR BROKE MY WRIST, I SAID AT THE TOP NOT THE SPOKES HE POINTED OUT. WE FINALLY CAME TO A STOP AND HE TOLD ME I HAD JUST CORRECTED THE DIRECTION OF A CAR THAT HAD RUN OFF THE EDGE OF THE ROAD SURFACE. HE THEN GOT OUT AND LAID DOWN AND WAS CHECKING THE STEERING LINKAGE TO SEE IF WE SHOOK ANYTHING LOSE AND TO CHECK THE TIRES, HE SAID SOMETIME WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT WILL BEND THE DRAG LINK OR CAUSE A TIRE TO ROLL OFF THE RIM BUT NOT IN THIS CASE!
NEXT HE SAID HE WANTED TO GO INTO VAN NUYS AND ASKED IF I WANTED TO DRIVE? I HESITATED BUT THEN SAID OK. AS WE GOT TO THE CENTER OF TOWN TWO MOTORCYCLE COPS PULLED AROUND THE CORNER AND FELL IN BEHIND US, DON’T PANIC HE SAID JUST DO WHAT WE’VE BEEN PRACTICING FOR THE LAST TO DAYS AND I DID, AFTER A COUPLE OF BLOCKS THE COPS PULLED AROUND US, WAVED AND TOOK OFF FOR WHERE EVER THEY WERE GOING.
HERB WANTED TO STOP AT THE GROCERY STORE AND GET A PACK OF LUCKIES SO I PULLED IN TO THE CURB AND ACTUALLY JUMPED OVER IT ONTO THE SIDEWALK. HE GOT OUT WITHOUT SAYING A WORD AND PUSHED THE CAR BACK ON TO THE PAVEMENT, WENT IN AND GOT HIS CIGARETTS AND CAME OUT AND SAID MAYBE HE SHOULD DRIVE HOME! BOY, WAS I RELEIVED AND CLIMBED OVER IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. HE SAID IT WASN’T GOING FORWARD HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT BUT ME BACKING OUT OF THE PARKING PLACE THERE WAS A BIG LINCOLN PARKED ACROSS THE STREET AND HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN AND ACCIDENT WITH IT!
WE WENT HOME AND PICKED UP RUTH AND THE KIDS AND THEY TOOK ME HOME. I WAS ON CLOUD 9 I’D SPENT THE WEEKEND DOING SOMETHING I’D BEEN AFRAID OF FOR QUITE A WHILE BUT NOT ANY MORE, ALL I NEEDED NOW WAS A DRIVERS LICENSE BUT THAT WOULDN’T BE FOR AT LEAST TWO MORE YEARS. HERB TOLD ME WHEN I CAME OUT TO BABY SIT FOR THEM HE WOULD TAKE ME OUT AND LET ME DRIVE WHICH HE DID! I’M NOT SURE BUT, I DON’T THINK MY FOLKS EVER KNEW ABOUT HERB TEACHING ME THE BASICS OF DRIVING. I’VE NEVER FORGOTTENTHE THINGS HE TOLD ME AND I STILL CAN REMEMBER HIM YELLING AT ME. HERB WAS 5’6” TALL I WAS AT LEAST 6’1”. THIS WAS AFTER I GOT ELECTROCUTED IN APRIL 1944 AND THIS WAS IN DECEMBER OF ‘44
I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE ON MY 16TH BIRTHDAY AND STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL BLACK ONE ISSUED TO ME!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE
HOWARD
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