Hi, I'm Snazzy and I'm Trucker

Wow!! Are you, or are you not, working on a book here? I think you'd better be.
A good reason for wanting kids not to have too much is so they don't get spoiled. I never wanted my kids not to have enough money, but we went without any child support for three and a half years. I taught, and did what I could, including taking them to Hungary to live cheap for a year. And they were, for example, never picky about clothes. They were grateful for new jeans and never mind the brand. We went a whole year with me being unable to buy them clothes at all. Well, it all turned out okay. But I think that's a reason for it being good for kids not to grow up too prosperous.
Thanks for the new installment!

 

Snaz
Welcome back! whew now I can have coffee( or wine) again. Keeper goin'gotta here more.

 

Well, that kinda sums it up pretty good. I work. A lot. Too much, in fact. I need to play more... <sigh>

But I am kicked back and relaxed when I read your posts, Snazz. Thank you for the respite!

 

Raindancer, I apoligize for leaving your name out when I managed to come back. Also thanks for recommending my post to Dances with horses. Ducks, as you can see I'm in the same boat as you. I do have a plan for the future, but it's taking it's time falling in place. Nyegere, I agree with you about not spoiling the kids. Good point. One last comment about the earlier posting. The teenager found dead actually died from a drug overdose. I'm sure the head wound helped his demise but dope is what killed him. So said the medical examiner.


In 1980 car dealers couldn't give the new cars away. The going interest rates were about 18%. They tried extending the loans from 36 months to 48 months. They tried no money down. They even lowered their standards for loan approvals. One of the coldest days of the year my wife and I went car shopping. She had cut out all the news paper adds. There were at least 50 new car lots in the DFW area. We went to all of them. The best deal I could get was at a Ford Dealership. This was one of the oldest car dealerships and had a decent reputation. You'd thought we were celeberties. The whole sales staff rushed out in the 20 degree cold. We were rushed in and seated in the celeberity room. The hot chocolate flowed like the Hoover Dam. Our sales rep came across as a long lost relative. We were told it was too cold to shop the lot. Just tell them what we were interested in and they'd bring the new car to us. We presented the add for the new Ford pickup. It was a new buyers deal, with a special interest rate, and no money down. The sales rep leaped from his seat, downed his overcoat, and like a flash flew from the room. In two shakes of a lambs tail we were escorted to the service bay.

The pickup was a beauty. She was a dark brown with light brown interrior. I sat behind the wheel, my butt cheeks sank into the soft cushion. The sale rep started his pitch. This that, safety features, disc brakes, cold air, hot heater, stero this, ashtray that, tinted whatever, full size spare, tilt wheel, reliable inline 6, fuel efficent, even comes with a genuine Ford key. Yep, I was sold. The sale rep carried my wife and I rode him piggy back to the his sales office. We filled out our credit application. I hadn't finished signing it when it was ripped from my hand. Seconds later the manager shook my hand. I was the pround owner of...) Well, subject to the lender has rights hereby and forever of section 19 of title 81, the purchaser here as, where by, and agreeing to by the blood signature, therefore and always forever, except and unless times of nuclear attack, occurring on leap year of the following month. Do hereby and bind by the souls of all parties subject to paragraph 161, article 212. Yes, I was screwed. Something about $220 per month for 48 years of hard labor. The whole sales staff uncorked a bottle of Morgan David to celebrate. We were carried out and placed in our new vehicle.

My wife started it.Something about she heard a noise.I was to busy fighting the wheel. Going straight the truck pulled to the right. When I corrected to the left, it pulled left. Then the singing started. Like, a flock of song birds reherssing for an opera. My wife gave me the look. You know. Like your a dummy and you know it. That's when the steering wheel fell into my lap. Yep, he was right, tilt wheel. I didn't panic. Just held the wheel up and steered like it was normal. Beads of sweat poured down my forehead. My wife slid the heat lever over. It came off in her hand. A loud banging noise followed by a defineate thud. I glanced back in the mirror. Our pickup bed was being towed behind us. Yep, it had fallen off and was being dragged by it's wiring. Now I panicked. What to do ? What to do ? If I stopped my wife would begin her, " I told you so speech ". Of course leaving half my pickup on the freeway wasn't an option. I pulled over and drug the bed to the shoulder. Someone had called the fire department. The firemen placed the bed back on and strapped it down. We limped home as I had the pleasure of hearing," I told you so, I told you so, I told you so.......


Needless to say I returned the pickup the next day. The service manager explained that just a couple of adjustments were needed. Some bolts needed to be tightend. I became a member of the let's sit in the waiting room group for about six months. Nice group of folks. Anyway, I sold that pickup for what was owed on it about a year after purchasing it. Now this is going to sound strange. I actually, several years later bought another new car there. But that's a another story.

Let's break, Snazzy.

 

Snaz,
Thanks for the stories they make my problems from my day seem to go away just reading your stories. And hey I am glad you made it back watch out for those bugs nasty cridders

 

Okay Hangman, glad your still hanging around. Now, on with show.

My wife and I were addicted to chicken fried steaks. There was an article in the local paper about a family resturant that had been in business for over 60 years. It was a good 30 miles from our house. So on a Saturday we packed up the kids and headed out. It was a beautiful drive and we arrived just after the lunch rush had ended. I'm sure the waitress must have started working there the day it opened. Real sweet older lady who threw a fit over over our kids. The twins were in their douple stroller and the oldest was pushing them. We took our booth and read over the menu. Of course, the chicken fried steak dinner special, ice tea, and applepie. As we sat I noticed a local deputy enter. He sat at the counter and kept glancing our way. Our order arrived and we dug in. A few minutes later the deputy came over. We had some small talk and blah,blah,and blah. So, he gives me his business card and writes a name and number on back. It turns out that the city across the interstate had just started up it's first police department. The new chief was looking to hire a couple of officers and the deputy knew the chief well. So, after eatting we loaded up and drove about another 15 miles. Sure enough there was a small city hall with a police car parked out front. I went in and introduced myself. The chief was a young man about my age. We hit it off and he had me bring the family in. After about an hour he handed me one of those 15 page applications. I thanked him and we left. My wife liked the idea of me working in a small town. She figured it wasn't as dangerous. I hated having to work in the sticks and being a Barney Fife.

That night I filled out the application in my security patrol car. By now I could fill one out with my eyes closed. I mailed it in and waited. A few weeks later I got a letter to attend an interview for the posistion of police officer.I dressed in my best suite and arrived early. There was another applicant before me. I sat and eased dropped. They were dragging him over the coals. I prepared myself as the other want to be cop crawled away. I entered and sat facing the panel. Yata, yata,yata. I answered all the questions best that I could. At least I did have a clean criminal record, a spotless driving record, and some experience. Well, 3 years military police, 2 year associate degree in criminal justice, and about a year as a security patrolman. The chief I could tell was impressed. A couple of the local council members kept on drilling me. Seems they thought I wouldn't stay. Back in 1980 you had to work for a city at least one year before your basic law enforcement license was issued. I met the training hours required with my college hours and having attended the reserve academy. They felt that I'd get my state issued license and immediatley leave for greener pastures. I didn't lie to them. I really was wanting to work for a large department. What I said was a little brash, " I'll work here for a year and probably move on. In the mean time, ya'll can find someone who can work for the wages your offering," Really, I was going to have to take a pay cut and also drive 30 miles to work everyday.

I drove home. That night the chief called. "Think you can start Monday?"

Lets break here, Your Snazzy.

 

hey snazzy, just read the whole thread from start to finish. holy crap dude when do you get your degree from the school of hard knocks? great thread keep them coming.

 

First, Welcome aboard Fastfred and thanks for your kind words. Like a few others here, I assume you were just a young pup in the 80's. I still can't believe that it's been over 27 years ago. My how time slips away. On with life.


I won't mention the towns name or the real names involved. Not to protect the innocent but to protect the guilty's name. No, not guilty of crimes as much as guilty of knowing me. The city was founded in 1850 by settlers. Most had sat out the Texas revolution from Mexico and waited for the free U.S. land deeds. Of course Texas had taken the land by force from Mexico. The Mexicans had taken it from Spain by force. The U.S, just handed out worthless land grants. Whatever. I'm sure the real owners are to busy with thier casinos to worry about it.

The Chief was close to my age around 28. He wasn't a veteran but had worked as a city police officer for several years. Seems that him and the department heads didn't see eye to eye. So, his folks owned some property in this small town. He went to the mayor and offered to create a police department. He did all the leg work and the mayor had some pull with a senator. So, the Chief became chief and I was a patrolman. That was it. Me and the Chief. No one else. Just the two of us. Yep, Andy and Barney. I was Barney. The chief was Andy.

My first day was interesting. The only patrol car was in the local garage. It was Andy's personal vehicle that looked like a police car. It was getting lights, siren, and radio installed. So, I drove my new pickup to the local cop supply store. Andy gave me the honor of paying for my uniforms and equipment. I had to write a check and argue for them to accept it. Now Andy had the same taste as the Mayberry bunch. I'm not sure if it was a joke but our uniforms could have come from central casting. I guess, I need to mention that the chief was a little on the short side. I'm guessing about 5' 0" inches. Maybe 4' 9". Short. Nothing wrong with that. I know alot of dwarfs, midgets, small fries, runts, little people, smurfs, off to the see the Wizzard. Now other than short he was also bow-legged. Nothing wrong with that. Yee-haw, frisky rabbit, dad burn it, blame cotton tail. Yes, Yosimitte Sam. Not there's anyting wrong with. Never mind.

The only gun I owned was my $15.00 Saturday night special from 1975. Yes, I had retrieved it from the streets of El Paso. ( That El Paso cop did have good eyes.) Anyway, the Chief loaned me one of his guns. We went to his house and an entire bedroom was stacked with every weapon known to man. I couldn't make my mind up between the light anti tank bazooka or the 50 calliber water cooled machine gun. After awhile I decided on the S/W 38 special. It's the only one that fit my holster. Next stop was the local garage. Yep, Goober had her ready. Kind of. Well, the light bar a of course was a single rotating gum ball machine. The radio was the size of a juke box. The siren worked best. The faster you cranked her the louder she got. Yep, even the whip antenna was a piece of modern art. She was about 50' foot tall and whipped so well the car in front of us would get lashes. Nice set up.

Day two. I showed up earlier wearing my Mayberry uniform. Chief Andy and I walked next door to the only cafe in town. After coffee and introducing me to the local coffee hounds we got to business. Andy took the wheel and I rode shotgun. Andy called in to the Sheriff's department, " Mayberry One in service." Some stattic and crackling replied, " Runway clear for take off. Have a good flight." Seems that we got bleed over from the Dallas Love Field. Andy popped her in gear and we roared away. We weren't on patrol long when our first call of the day came in. Well. A farmer reported the cows out on Farm to Market 92. We ran code (bubble machine on). Cows captured we returned to service. Next call. Same said cows escaped. Recaptured. Call. Frig the cows.

I learned a liitle more from Andy. It seems the city had been about 20 square miles. There was a civil war and half the city voted to de-anex and returned to the county. The mayor and city council continued on thier quest. They wanted a Beverly Hills of Texas. City ordinances forbid all poor folk from owning homes. The building codes forbid any moble homes and all new housing had to be a minimum of 3,000 sq. feet. The have nots in thier trailers were now just next door neighbors to the snottiest city on earth. There was tension to say the least. The city at one time had a city marshall. He was gunned down by the hole in the wall gang. There use to be a statue but someone sold it for it's copper. As Andy told his tales I tried to remove my knees from my ears. He had the seat up to the dashboard so he could reach the pedals.

Lets break, Snaze.

 

Oh my goodness, Snazz! I'm getting this mental image...

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How funny Ducks! Same image I had but added more humor to the already hilarious story. This is great Snazzy, I need to send this story to my dad lol. He doesn't like computers. Guess I'll wait on his next visit and sit him down to read a good book at my pc.