The Treasure Hunt

Friday November 30, 2012 9:18 am

38 years ago today on a Saturday morning I awoke as I had my previous nineteen years: s.o.s. (same-old-stuff). However, early the next morning, Sunday December 1, 1974 when I woke up there had been the first snowfall of the season and there was a lot of snow on the ground. But, that is not particularly what I am wanting to write about this morning. There was a reason why I had woke up so early that Sunday morning... Deb had gone into labor! And on that day she had a daughter, and I became a dad (:

What started me thinking about it this morning is that I'm off work today and I have to work tomorrow, so I was sitting here and basically waiting on some stores to open so I can go out and get a gift for Tammy's birthday tomorrow: and as I was trying to figure out what to get her (I'm not that good at picking gifts) I couldn't get beyond the thought that 38 years had passed! I mean, talk about ancient history... no offense Tam (lol) but Gerald Ford had taken the oath of office just a few months before. Gerald Ford!!! I mean, that sounds like ancient history even to me (:

Thinking back on that time I also thought of something else I hadn't thought about in years. Dangerfield used to tell a joke about his parents not wanting him when he was a kid and many times after he had left for school, they would move... and he would have to try and find them. They did it so often that he started wrapping his sandwiches in a road map so he could look for them easier. (lol) While Deb was in the hospital giving birth to Tammy, I sort of tried that? I moved... no kidding! Well, it's probably not what you might now be thinking (: We lived in a small duplex and I figured we now needed something bigger. So, on the second morning she was in the hospital I found a much larger place for us to live and I rented it: then I went back to our apartment and packed everything, rented a truck, moved everything, and (mostly) unpacked everything... and all within a space of 48 hours!

Driving Deb and Tammy home from the hospital I drove past our “old” apartment and I casually mentioned that we don't live there anymore. I proceeded to our newer, and much larger place and within an hour of us being home, Deb broke down and cried! Apparently she couldn't find anything? Our new apartment was nicer, newer, much larger and I thought she would like the fact that she didn't have to do any work at all to get us there... she didn't (:

Sometimes in my life it has been like the joke of the man carrying a case of beer under his arm. It's an early Sunday morning and this guy is walking down the street carrying a case of beer and his friend sees him. He asks, “What did you get the case of beer for?” The man said, “I got it for my wife.” His buddy thought for a second, and then he said, “Wow, great trade!”

Where does life go??? Wasn't it only last week that my life seemed to be just beginning? If my life was ever broken down into important events, then certainly the birth of all three girls would be red-letter days for me. Salvation... another wonderful event! And subsequently, now having thirteen grandchildren would all be days of happiness and remembering each special occasion. But I was also thinking it must be true that red-letter days should include the times I have loved as well. However, if I include those then my scale of happiness tips away from favoring me: because I have loved, and lost, loved again, then again, and lost... but I don't want to think about that right now ):

Now that I have bummed myself out this morning I think I am going to quit writing. (I know... using a word like “bummed” to describe how I feel also dates me and reminds everyone who reads this that I really am ancient.) Now instead of stopping I think that I will write just a few more things to really show my age. 

I was a teenager when my life was cool, groovy, boss, neato, and outta sight! Back then a couple of my girlfriends wore pedal pushers, and my least favorite car to take from my dad's lot was any of them that had the birth-control seats. With our cars my friend Doug and I would lay many patches, and we also thought it was great fun to have carloads of young people with us and we would do Chinese fire-drills at traffic lights. (I might add that this type of fun was much to the annoyance of some of the old chrome-domers behind us.) Back then a fag wasn't a queer... but a queer was a queer, can you dig? I think that mostly back then I just liked to hang loose. lol

Well, thinking about some of those things I can write about, and a few others that I can not (lol) I feel a little better: so, I am going to shower, dress, and go and buy some gifts. I hope everyone who reads this has a great day!!!