My Life 3

"What makes me tick?"

So growing up with four brothers gave me a different perspective than many of my friends. To begin with, I am the middle of the five - too old to do with my younger brothers still did, and not old enough to hang out with my older brothers. On reflection, that left me with a lot of time to be introspective - be observant and listen. I found that generally, if I was observant enough and attentive enough, I could avoid a lot of mistakes.

Here's some things I learned over my early years that helped shape who I would become.

1. In life there is always a choice. To take no action is an action.
2. In life there is always an answer. You're not required to like it or accept it.
3. There is always a cheaper, faster, or better way. But you either sacrifice quality, value, or time.
4. In life there is always a cost. Everything worth anything costs somebody something.
5. In life sometimes doing the right thing or the hard thing are the same thing.

Growing Up:

To be honest my mom, dad and brothers were alcoholics. I choose not to be like them. They were not bad per se' they just got drunk, got loud, and would loudly argue before eventually falling asleep. No DUI's that I recall, just a lot of loud drunkenness. My dad drank Miller beer and my mom drank liquor. I don't think anyone drank wine or cocktail drinks, pretty much just beer and vodka and orange juice. Everybody but me and Greg smoked. My mom smoked Raleigh filtered cigarettes, my dad smoked Pall Mall unfiltered for the most part. He also smoked a pipe, and once in awhile a cigar. Herbert and WIlliam smoked the Cool Menthol cigarette and the skinny cigars, and Randall smoked whatever. I never saw the appeal in any of that so I went another way. I didn't consider myself better than anyone else, just different. Still and all, even though I'm pretty sure we were poor, and were eligible for food stamps, I don't recall us ever using them and we always had enough food, clean clothes (hand-me-downs), and a roof over our head. Thinking about it, we even had a dog, a garden with lots of vegetables and the whole outdoors to play in everyday. When it snowed, it was sledding time and snowball fights, and snow forts. 

I recall my dad taking me, Randall and Greg fishing at Prospect Lake in Memorial Park in the springs. I don't recall ever catching anything and both Randall and Greg got tangled in their fishing lines and fell in the water. We were there for hours and that never said more than a few words - because we didn't want to scare the fish away. Afterwards, we'd drive home like we had accomplished something. I don't know what it might have been because we didn't have anything but wet shoes to show for our time out. Even though we only went fishing a couple of times, and never caught anything, those were good times as I recall.

Driving to Missouri:

I remember driving from Colorado to Kansas City Missouri to see my Grandma and Grandpa in the 70's in a 1970 2-dr Chevrolet Nova, mom, dad and four brothers. We only stopped to use the bathroom and get gas - then get back in the car. I think my mom made bologna sandwiches with mustard, and Ritz crackers with cheese to eat on the way. I have no idea how long we would stayed each time, but it was always good to go there. I think we always left when it was super early in the morning and dark because I never had any problem going back to sleep as soon as we backed out of the driveway. For most of the drive I would alternately read my comic books, or sleep. 

One of the last trips I made I was maybe 10 or so. Me, Herbert, William, and Randall were in the back and Greg was in the front with mom and dad. It was crowded in the back of the Nova so I sat on the floor with my legs over the hump where the drive shaft and muffler went under the car. I pretty much slept the whole way like that and when we got to grandma's house my legs didn't work right. I guess - and so did my folks - that they had fallen asleep and would return to normal after a bit. That didn't happen. The whole week I was there I had little appetite and used one of grandpa's canes to try to hobble around. I feel like they cut the trip short and on the way home I was made to sit in the seat with Herbert, William and Randall. 

A couple of days after we got home, I still couldn't walk so my parents took me to Fort Carson Hospital where I was admitted for a week or so. They ran some tests, I slept a lot, and then one day the doctor said, I could go home. So I got out of bed walk to the car and went home. Neither my mom or dad ever told me what had happened and I never thought much about it. I was sick and went to the hospital, I got well and went home.  

I Like to Read:

My mom and dad read a lot. My mom mainly read westerns and harlequin I think. My dad read the newspaper every day, and the would both do the crossword puzzles. I pretty much only read the comics. I don't know what my dad read be had five or six volumes of encyclopedias, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana, World Book Encyclopedia and more. Anytime I was curious about anything I would look it up in one volume and check it with another. When I learned how to use the card catalog for the library and found I could check out ten (10) books at a time, I was pretty much hooked on reading. I still like visiting libraries. I always like reading near-science fiction books like Space Eagle, detective books like Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, the Hardy Boys and of course comic books. 

Growing up I also loved listening to the radio shows like, the Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, and The Shadow. When we got a TV we would get up early on Saturday and watch The Lone Ranger and Tonto, the Green Hornet, Batman, and Superman. Then in the early 70's we could watch the cartoons with The Justice League, Spiderman, and all the rest. Finally, on Sunday nights we could watch Bill Bixby as The Magician, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, and just about every Disney movie ever made. During the week I could watch my favorite shows like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Space 1999 with Moonbase Alpha, Star Trek, or any number of westerns. I guess, reading and some TV shows were my go-to rather than alcohol or cigarettes. 

My First Job(s) then My First Car(s):
My very first job was delivering newspapers - Colorado Springs Gazette for around $25 a month. Pretty good money for the most part and I used it to buy my first bike. Used of course, but mine. My first paycheck job was as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Mitchell High School where I attended from 10th -12th grade. I learned to swim when I was in 10th grade. I wasn't afraid of the water, I just didn't know how to swim and I also didn't float then because of too much muscle and bone and not enough fat. I can float now (when I hold my breath) but otherwise I'm still not fully buoyant. 

After helping my neighbor convert his garage to a living room and roofing his house one summer he gave me an old car. A 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II, 4dr sedan. It only needed a battery and a gas cap. I got it jump started and drove it across the street to our garage. We got the title changed for $1.00 and I got a new battery and a gas cap a week later. I spend time cleaning it out in the garage and then sitting in it and listening to the radio. Occasionally, I'd let Randall or Greg sit in my car. After I got it registered and put on my mom and dad's insurance - just liability - I got a job at Kelly's Pizza delivering pizzas and panzarottis (calzones). I made enough money to keep gas in the car, and give some to my mom from time to time. Then one night about a year or so later I was driving and got hit by a drunk driver, who ran a red light. I got jostled around a bit but the car was totaled. The guy's insurance paid me $500 and I bought a 1962 Ford Falcon. I got my next real job at the Sky View Drive in Theater as a Ramp Guard (drive-in bouncer). I got promoted to assistant manager and moved to the 8th Street Drive in Theater where I subsequently met your mother. 

Eventually I decided to join the Army, Herbert was already in, Gregory was already in, and William was living at home and working at a car wash. Randall was in Buena Vista Prison for some violation or another when I went into the Army. Before I left though, we got married.