A welcome milestone today

No, not for me, or even the old truck, but for the bride of my youth, she of the Summer of Broken Bones. She went back to work at the bank today, part time. Her surgeon gave the okay last Thursday. It’ll be three weeks of part time, then full time if she’s able. She was eager to get back. It’s been a long haul since July 11, and she never complained once, about any of it. That’s pioneer stock. She might still need surgery down the road, to increase the limited range of motion she has on account of those ugly fractures to the shoulder and how they glued together all by themselves, without plates and screws and all the rest. Time will tell.

 

Okay, but dig the truck. This was not quite two weeks ago, second night of that “Son of Sandy” nor’easter, I believe.

 

 

And this is today. No time to make a full report but I’ll aim to get to it before the end of the year. In brief, the cab and chassis are up the hill, the flatmotor and transmission are in, body parts are going on. The doors and the grille are next. With a little luck the bride and I will run after our Christmas tree in the old bomb, a family tradition since ’97. Missed it last year because the truck was in pieces and scattered in the woods down back.

 

 

The interior’s going back together as well. Will keep picking away at it. My headspace has been monopolized by a spec writing project lately but I’m switching off onto a different job now, got approval on that today from Brendan Burford, my friend and editor at King Features Syndicate in New York. So it’s time to shift gears. Just not in the truck. No shifter yet, see? And no clutch pedal.

Tony DePaul, November 19, 2012, Cranston, Rhode Island

 

 

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About Tony

The occasional scribblings of Tony DePaul, 68, father, grandfather, husband, freelance writer in many forms, recovering journalist, long-distance motorcycle rider, blue routes wanderer, topo map bushwhacker, blah blah...
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20 Responses to A welcome milestone today

  1. John Kendrick says:

    I have a hugely distracting life in Corporate America so I didn’t get a chance to say how astonished at the amazing job you did on the truck!! Chris and I noticed it on multiple passes by your driveway!

    • Tony says:

      Thanks, John. I’m not the welder you are yet but I learned a thing or two. I wouldn’t mind stitching together another one of these buggies, just for yuks. Man, 15 years of New England salt almost sent the old truck to the crusher.

  2. Denise says:

    The truck is beautiful! But mostly glad that your wife is back at em’!
    Being it the season, I want to thank you for something. When I met you I told you I had a brother that I had not heard from for about 10 years. You offered to help with looking him up. I never took you up on that, but thanks be to you for offering. I am happy to say that he is back in my life and he’s doing pretty good. Tis’ the season to be thankful, no? Thanks to you for being so damn creative, sharing all that creativity with us, and for taking such good care of your wife. Cheers to you!

    • Tony says:

      Whoa! That’s fantastic news, Denise. A Happy Thanksgiving indeed. I’d like to know more about this. I’ve heard about cases where siblings lose touch and find out decades later they were living 5 miles apart and shopping at the same supermarket. Did you happen to find your brother in the next town over? Or was it the opposite coast? China…?

  3. David Bright says:

    Always a project. To paraphrase the late great Roseanne Roseannadanna, “If it isn’t one vehicle it’s another.”
    Happy T-Day, and say hello to Alix for me.

    d.

    • Tony says:

      Somewhere, Roseanne is lambasting the “physical cliff” in an on-air editorial. Happy Thanksgiving, Dave! And thanks for being a faithful reader of the scribble.

  4. The first thing I noticed in the photos was a box of Captain Morgan…..and now I’m thirsty. It’s great to hear that Pam is getting better, hope that the cold weather doesn’t affect her. As always, a real pleasure to read your words and enjoying your photos. 😀 Blessings from Tampico!

  5. Mari Nelson says:

    Pam is the best….love her:) Hope your
    tree comes home in that beauty and that you send us a pic!

    • Tony says:

      Thanks, Mari. Say hi to Hugo, Eva and Brynn for me. Will hope to see you all next summer. Iron piggy run to Alaska, meet Pam in Anchorage, ferry down to Bellingham. That’s the plan, anyway.

  6. Vincent Ogutu says:

    I’m so glad Pam’s well enough to go back. Make sure she’s just a passenger when you go for the Christmas tree though – she might just insist on hoisting the tree aboard. And I fear for the job that tree will do on your paint 🙂

    • Tony says:

      One year she fell in a snowy field while we were dragging a tree to the truck, not only fell but rolled a few revolutions before she could stand up again. The girls and I couldn’t stop laughing. Remember the movie “Real Women Have Curves?” On the day Pam fell in the field the girls and I coined the phrase “Round Moms Roll.”

      • Pam says:

        Thanks for that story!! I was holding the back of our cut tree, and enjoying the walk in the beautiful winter air, looking around to see the lovely scenery as the tree bounced along. I didn’t realize that Tony stepped up over a boulder. I smacked right into it, fell down and rolled down the hill. I looked up to see my family laughing hysterically. Good times, good memories! Even at my expense!

  7. Cynthia Farrington Cameron says:

    Tony,
    I do like your writing….certain word combinations have always intrigued me. Your words pictures are descriptive.
    I’m curious about your blog title…please explain. I could guess it’s more than your two cents worth, hence, a nickels worth?
    I’m in the process of changing my blog title, but haven’t found the quintessential title.
    Cynthia

    • Tony says:

      I’m smiling, Cynthia, because I’ve often thought of writing a separate post to divulge what the title means. No one will ever guess. For now I’ll just say I’ve made an ironic use of said nickels. Is irony still in? Hmmm… might have been when I started.

      I didn’t know you were writing a blog. Send me the URL!

      Tony

  8. Chris Whitney says:

    Dang! Looking good, sir. Carry on.

    Rgds,
    Chris

  9. Alix Williams says:

    Great job, Tony! The truck looks new, for heaven sake!
    Very happy that Pam is doing better. What a piece of bad luck for her. She does sound like a trooper. I hope that things work out for her without more difficulty.
    All the best to you and yours. Happy nearly Thanksgiving as well.
    Cheers, Alix Williams

    • Tony says:

      Thanks, Alix. The truck looks new from, oh, 30 feet. I think it’ll weather nicely into its third incarnation. Happy Thanksgiving! Hope to see you on my next trip north. Last one was forever ago.
      Tony

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