Mrs. Eaton and our youngest daughter Joeigh were sitting on the porch last night just before dark when I came home from checking the cows and fiddling with the two new calves that came into the world. They were giving the dog Nala (the golden doodle that the girls just had to keep from the last litter almost a year ago) some loving attention. She is kind of annoying, buy if I have to admit, I do like her. She actually likes me the best! Anyway, I was reminded of my second car (I don’t know why) but began to tell Joeigh and Mom of the deal I made with a classmate. He had a 1978 Ford Thunderbird, burnt orange in color with a landau top and an 8 track cassette player, but he had a cassette adapter! It only had 60K miles on it. My car was a 1974 Monte Carlo, with a 396 big block and Crager chrome racing wheels, swivel bucket seats, furry carpet on the dash, and complimented with furry string dice hanging from the rear view mirror. Continuing…. the classmate really liked my car and wanted it (he thought it was cooler than his). Mine had 110K miles on it (which, in those days was worn out) so I made the deal. I would trade him and he would give me $700 boot. I got home that night from school during my senior year and told my Dad of the deal. I have to admit I was super excited, his car had air conditioning, mine didn’t. My Dad (I love the guy and he is the smartest dude I know, a good Christian and deacon of the church) asked of the details of the car deal…………… I told him. He said “NO.” What? He told me that if I was going to make a trade and I was going to trade my car to him, I had to give him $700. I knew at the time Dad was right, he was always right. The next day at school I told my classmate that the deal had changed.... he was ecstatic. Why wouldn’t he be? I just made a deal that cost me $1400 dollars.
That was a long story to say---- that was a memory that I won’t ever forget…. thank you DAD! Seriously, thank you Dad, I learned from you not to take advantage of people just because you can.
We are in a weird time. So years from now what we all did during the COVID-19 saga, staying responsible with our actions and not living in fear is what truly matters. Making memories will last. Being in the “stay at home order mode” will lend itself to more board/card games, watching family movies together etc… Making memories. Why not, what else do we have to do?
Stay Healthy!