HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 13 VOL 5
DECEMBER 13TH 2007
WEATHER; COLD, LOW HUMIDITY, 37 DEGREES
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS START TODAY WHICH MEANS YOU’VE ONLY GOT THAT MANY DAYS TO WAIT FOR THAT NEW 2009 DODGE 1500 PICKUP YOU TOLD SANTA YOU WANTED WHEN YOU SAT ON HIS LAP AT WAL-MART!
IN MY LAST CHRONICLE I TOLD OF MY BROTHER BUYING A 1939 FORD FROM A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, LEONARD BERGERON. I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT TODAY AND REMEMBERED LEONARD WAS THE SON WHO WAS MY AGE, THE DADS NAME WAS LARRY WHICH OF COURSE IS A NICK NAME FOR LEONARD! WHEN I REMEMBER THINGS LIKE THIS I HAVE TO CORRECT THEM!
PRETTY BUSY TODAY, GOT UP AND WENT TO BONHAM VA FOR MOM’S CHECK UP. EVERYTHING OK! ON THE WAY HOME WE STOPPED AT KROGERS IN SHERMAN AND BOUGHT GAS FOR $2.69. I HOPE YOU ALL ARE SEEING THE PRICE OF GAS COMING DOWN! ISN’T IT KIND OF SICKENING WHEN WE’RE GLAD TO SEE GAS AT $2.69! I CAN REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS 18 CENTS A GALLON BACK HOME IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD. AND THAT WAS DURING THE WAR YEARS 1941-1945! I REMEMBER MY MOTHER STOPPING ON THE HOLLYWOOD PASS GOING TO HOLLYWOOD TO PUT 5 GALLONS IN THE OLD HUPMOBILE (ON THE WAY HOME I HAD TO KNEEL ON THE BACK SEAT AND DIRECT MY MOM WHILE SHE BACKED OVER THE PASS ON THE SERVICE ROAD. THE CHRISTMAS OF 1938 MY DAD GAVE HER A NEW 1939 DODGE 4 DR.) THE STATION HAD THE OLD GLASS JAR ON THE PUMP WITH WIRE MESH AROUND IT THAT HELD 5 GALLONS. THE MAN WOULD TURN A HANDLE AFTER PUTTING THE NOZZEL IN THE FILL HOLE ON THE TANK THAT WAS IN THE BACK AND THE JAR WOULD EMPTY, HE TURNED THE NOZZEL OFF AND HAD A LONG HANDLE HE WORKED BACK AND FORTH AND THE JAR FILLED UP, THIS USED TO AMAZE ME WHERE DID THE GAS COME FROM?( I WAS 8 OR 9) AFTER THE WAR WE THOUGHT WE WERE BEING RIPPED OFF WHEN WE HAD TO PAY 25 CENTS A GALLON THEN THE POLITICIANS TOOK HOLD OF IT AND NOW AS YOU KNOW IT’S OVER $3.00 A GALLON IN SOME PLACES AND OVER $4.00 IN OTHERS. ON OUR TRIP WE PULLED IN A STATION ABOUT 50 MILES FROM LAUGHLIN, NEVADA TO FILL UP AND THE PRICE WAS $3.98. I DIDN’T THINK I HAD ENOUGH TO MAKE LAUGHLIN SO I WENT AHEAD AND FILLED UP, WHEN I WALKED IN TO PAY WITH THE CREDIT CARD I WALKED UP TO THE COUNTER WITH MY HANDS IN THE AIR AND SAID; “YOU DIDN’T EVEN USE A GUN!” THE CLERK DIDN’T THINK THAT WAS FUNNY AND SAID; WHY DIDN’T YOU GO NEXT DOOR WHERE IT’S $4.25 A GALLON! I TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE COMPANY AND CLAIM PRICE GOUGHING WHICH I DID BUT I’M SURE THE COMPANY JUST PUT IT IN FILE 13 ( THE TRASH CAN)!
IN 1945 ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON I TOOK MY DADS 1932 FORD MODEL B ROADSTER OUT WHILE HE AND MY MOM WERE IN LOS ANGELES SHOPPING. I WAS GOING TO RACE JIMMY KLINGAMAN IN HIS 31 FORD MODEL A ROADSTER. WE WERE ON LANKERSHIM BLVD., THE MAIN STREET IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD WHEN WE WENT PAST A MOTORCYCLE COP GOING THE OTHER WAY I TURNED TO LOOK AT HIM BECAUSE I KNEW HE KNEW I DIDN’T HAVE A DRIVERS LICENSE AND DROVE RIGHT INTO THE BACK OF A PACIFIC ELECTRIC BUS SETTING WAITING FOR PASSENGERS AT THE STREETCAR STATION. IT DROVE THE RADIATOR BACK OVER THE ENGINE, DESTROYED THE GRILL, HOOD AND BUMPER. MY KNEE WENT INTO THE DASH AND BRUISED IT BAD, MY CHIN HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND BROKE IT. JIMMY PUSHED ME HOME AND WE PUT THE CAR IN THE GARAGE! IT DIDN’T EVEN PUT A SCRATCH ON THE BUS AND THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS IN IT YET! I WENT IN AND WENT TO BED, ABOUT 10:00 MY FOLKS GOT HOME AND I HEARD MY MOM SAY; “HE’S DONE SOMETHING, HE’S IN BED.” MY DAD TURNED ON THE LIGHT AND ASKED WHAT I HAD DONE? I SAID; “I WRECKED YOUR CAR!” HE AND MY MOM WENT OUT TO THE GARAGE AND SAW WHAT HAD BEEN DONE TO THE CAR! MY DAD CAME IN AND QUIETLY SAID; “YOU’RE GOING TO WORK AT J.C.PENNEYS TILL YOU PAY TO FIX THE CAR.”
THE NEXT DAY I CALLED MY BROTHER-IN-LAW HERB DAVIS AND TOLD HIM WHAT I HAD DONE, HE CAME OVER AFTER WORK AND MADE A LIST OF THE PARTS HE THOUGHT IT WOULD TAKE TO FIX IT. HE GOT ON THE PHONE AND CALLED ALL THE PEOPLE HE KNEW AND ALL HE COULDN’T FIND WAS THE 32 FORD GRILL, IT WAS USED BY THE HOT RODDERS AND CUSTOM CAR PEOPLE. HE FINALLY FOUND ONE AT A WRECKING YARD IN GLENDALE THAT NEEDED SOME REPAIR. I WENT WITH HIM AND IT COST $50.00. HE DID THE REPAIR! WE GOT THE CAR DONE AND TOOK IT OUT FOR A TEST DRIVE WHEN WE GOT OUT OF TOWN HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DRIVE AND I SAID NO BUT HE TALKED ME INTO IT. AS HE PULLED OVER HE PULLED UP ON THE STEERING HEEL TO SET HIGHER AND THE STEERING WHEEL CAME OFF IN HIS HANDS, HE’D FORGOTTEN TO PUT THE NUT ON THE NEW WHEEL AND WE WENT INTO THE DITCH CRUNCHING THE RIGHT FRONT FENDER. HE LAUGHED AND SAID DON’T WORRY, I CAN FIX IT AND WE HEADED HOME WITHOUT ME DRIVING! HERB WAS MY BEST FRIEND AND NEVER TURNED ME DOWN WHEN I’D SCREW UP. I FINALLY GOT OFF THE HOOK ABOUT THE CAR AND NEVER SCRATCHED ANOTHER ONE OF MY FOLKS CARS!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
HOWARD
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