Category Archives: Random Memories

The Ex-Files – My 1962 Cougar

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Back in the 80’s – I’m how old? – CP bought an old 1962 Cougar. He knew I wanted one, still do as a matter of fact. It wasn’t in bad shape but needed an engine. He said, “That’s no problem.” I was so excited! I love the sleekness of that car and I chose a ’62 because that’s the year I was born. Shhhh…you don’t need to know how old I am. Lol.

For my birthday that same year, he asked me to choose a color for my Cougar. He wanted to take me to pick out paint so that when he was finished fixing her up, he could also paint her. Note: If you missed my post,The Paint Job, you should check it out but be aware that my Cougar was purchased long before that fiasco.

I knew I wanted my Cougar to be a shade of purple, so when we went to the shop to order the paint, I was able to look through binders with many different color samples. That helped a lot. I chose a striking shade of medium-dark metallic purple. I could barely wait to see my purple Cougar and finally drive that baby! No one else had a purple car! I would be the envy of the entire town, I thought! (Actually, people would have thought I was completely bonkers because purple was not a cool color for a car back then.)

My Cougar had followed us from place to place as we moved, but CP never did a damn thing with it. He never bought an engine to rebuild. He never painted it. He never did anything. 10 years passed and it still sat. I had given up, no doubt.

As I was searching for a photo today, of a 1962 Mercury Cougar to share with you on this post, I became increasingly baffled! It appears that in the early 1960’s, Ford had a design contest. The winning design was originally called the Cougar but later became the famous Mustang that we are all familiar with! The Mercury Cougar (that I adore) in a much different design, came 3 years later. Here’s a photo of the original Ford Cougar – see the Cougar emblem on the grill? That is definitely NOT the car of my dreams.

Photo from: http://www.motor1.com/photo/3164336/1962-mustang-cougar-proposal/

Below is a 1967 Cougar and it is definitely the one I dreamed of having for so many years. I don’t know where I got my information about the year of the car. Most likely, from CP and I just took him for his word because I thought he knew cars. Hahaha. My Papa (paternal grandfather) had a Cougar in a kind of piss green. I wanted it so badly (and imagined it in purple) but I thought it was a ’62. The body design is just amazing, in my opinion! Maybe someday I’ll get my Cougar, ‘eh?

Photo Credit: GPS 56 from New Zealand / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Throwback Thursday

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Ah, memories of the old days… My cousin and I were probably about 5 or 6 so I’d say this was around the late 60’s.

Top and center photos: My cousin, Lyn and I were best buds. (I’m the terd with the darker hair.)

Bottom photo: It looks like my Aunt Helen (Lyn’s mom) is doing my mom’s hair. My mom looks thrilled, doesn’t she? They may just be getting drunk, who knows? Papa, (my dad’s dad) looks on. I wonder what he’s thinking.

Turkey Mae

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Turkey Mae wasn’t a turkey. You’ve heard of a crazy cat lady, right? Turkey Mae acquired her nickname for her love of turkeys…and chickens, and geese. She lived in the Ozark Mountains, Ava, Missouri to be exact. She was related to my mother, somehow. Perhaps my mother’s great aunt…

Dad told me the story of the time he was on a research trip for his genealogy book and mom insisted on going, much to his disappointment. He knew that wouldn’t turn out well, but that’s another story for another day. She convinced my Dad that they should stop in Missouri to visit her family because she, too, was writing a genealogy book. (That was a farce in itself.) So, to appease the angry-at-the-drop-of-a-dime Medusa, he agreed.

They stopped in to see Turkey Mae, who lived on a hill, hidden from the main road. When they first stepped out of the car, they noticed the mostly dried up bird poop all over the yard. Crunch, crunch. There were chickens and turkeys everywhere! Dad said he even saw a few geese. They knocked on the door.

An old lady, of small stature, opened the door and peered at them. My mom spoke up and introduced herself and then Dad. They were invited in and, to Dad’s surprise, there were chickens all over the house! “Come on in and sit down,” Turkey Mae insisted. Mom and Dad looked at each other. They sat down on a couch that was just as crunchy as the yard!

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

About the time they sat down, Dad said a chicken jumped up on the back of the couch and about scared the shit out of him. Then another chicken followed. There were chickens everywhere in that house! Mom and Dad were in total disbelief because they had never seen such a thing before! Turkey Mae shooed the chickens off the couch, talking to them as if they were pets. She explained that when the weather is cold, she lets the chickens in the house so they don’t freeze to death. I’m not sure the time of year Mom and Dad were there but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t wintertime!

Dad said they visited a little bit with Turkey Mae, but his memory is a bit faded now. He doesn’t recall if she gave Mom any genealogy-related information, but he remembered the visit being short. Ha, I wonder why?! Can you imagine having chickens in your house?

Day 25 and Counting…

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Dad and I have been holed up now for 25 days. Our lives aren’t much different than prior to the pandemic. I enjoy being home, doing my own thing but I like being able to go out if I so choose. Hopefully, this won’t last as long as I expect it to.

Yesterday, Dad and I did venture out. I needed to pick up my meds and Dad needed his wine. Both pharmacy and liquor store have drive-up windows so we never had to get out of the car. I never even had to get dressed! Jammies all the way!

I’ve been trying to stay away from Facebook as of late. I’m so sick of the misinformation and attitude of people these days. Some aren’t taking this virus seriously enough while others are bitching about the “shelter in place” order being an infringement of their rights. Come the fuck on, people! It’s temporary! I’ve had to unfriend several people over this past week. I’m tired of people talking to me as if I’m stupid, or as if I don’t have a right to feel the way I do. Sometimes the comments are so condescending I want to throat punch someone! I mean, what the fuck is it about ME that makes people talk down to me like that? Do I appear to be stupid?

I’m feeling heartbroken for our country, for the people who have died and their families. I just can’t believe this is happening to us; the USA! My only focus right now is making sure Dad is safe. My sisters are counting on me to take care of him since they can’t. I will see him through this. Our country will come through this even stronger, hopefully with a deeper appreciation for what we had/have.

My hope is that people won’t congregate for Easter, as this will prove to be a huge mistake. Our “shelter in place” is working, so let’s not screw it up! That reminds me of one year (many years ago) when my sister and her kids came for a visit in July. I decided to cram all the holidays into that one week. Imagine having Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Easter (etc.)…in July! We had a blast! So, just remember you can celebrate Easter anytime when this is over!

So, I’m trying to stay positive even though my heart is heavy.  I can still go outside and enjoy the Spring! I hear the birds chirping outside my bedroom window as I type this. There’s a woodpecker in the walnut tree banging his damn fool head; it almost sounds like he’s headbanging to a classic heavy metal song. The redbuds and dogwoods are blooming. The air is fresh and warm. There’s a cold front moving in. They say tomorrow it will be near freezing.

I appreciate this life, although a bit interrupted and inconvenienced. It will pass….slowly, but it will pass. Be grateful, friends, and stay safe!

 

Talking To Aliens

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Have you ever had to call or email customer service and felt like you were talking to aliens from another planet? This happens to me all the time! I used to think it was just me. Me, being the problem; that perhaps I wasn’t expressing myself properly or maybe I was leaving out words or important details. Nope. It is NOT me.

Many years ago, we had one of those humungous satellite dishes and hadn’t had a problem with it for years. Then one year, we lost our signal. I called customer service. They directed me to call the installation department, and so I did. After briefly explaining the issue and what I had done to troubleshoot the problem, they transferred my call back to customer service. I hadn’t had the chance to tell them that customer service directed me to them. I explain again to customer service because I was speaking to someone different. They said I needed to call the technical department. They gave me the number and I called. I explained the issues again and this foreign-accented man asked me if the television was on. I’m like, “Um, yes. How else would I know if I was or was not getting a signal?” He guided me through the troubleshooting process even though I explained I had already done that. I followed him through the steps, and then in all of his wisdom he declares, “You need a tech-nee-shan!!” I said, “OMG. Are you serious? That’s why I’m talking to you!” I was so disgusted from spending the last hour on the phone and getting nowhere that I just hung up. Not too long after that, we replaced our humungous satellite dish with a smaller one from Dish.

Another example: I had a credit with a company because they had discontinued something that I had ordered and paid for. I couldn’t find any information on the website or in my account regarding using that credit, so I emailed customer service. I explained that I had a credit coming to me and I asked, “How do I apply that credit to my next order?” I was flabbergasted when the answer I received was how to login to my account. I emailed again stating that logging into my account was not the issue and explained again. This time, I got some other stupid answer that had nothing to do with my issue! After several tries, I sent them a rude and to the point email about how the company needed to hire competent people. It wasn’t long before I received an email from a manager, who apologized and that he didn’t know what the problem was with the two reps but that he knew what I was asking and understood my frustration. He solved my problem and all was well in the world.

Just this week, I was trying to find a certain product that I had purchased many times before on a website because I have a friend interested in said product. This time, I couldn’t find it. Using the search option, the product appeared but when I clicked the link I was taken to an “ERROR 404” page. I emailed the company. I was instructed to call them to place the order. Well, I don’t want to call them because the company is located in the UK, plus I’m not ready to order at the moment. I responded and explained, then asked if they had the item in stock or if they were going to get them back in stock any time soon because I had a friend who was interested in purchasing right now. I also explained again about the “ERROR 404” page. The response back was simply, to use the search option to locate the product. OMG. I was ready to scream. I responded back and got the exact same response but from a different representative. Finally, I blew a gasket. I responded back with, “Will you please direct this email and the entire conversation to someone who reads and comprehends English?!” I also added, “The keyword search from your website sends me to an ERROR 404 page!!! Do you have the product or not? Will you be getting them or NOT? Why is it so hard to get a straight answer????”

It’s like talking to aliens from another planet, I swear. I do not play well with STUPID. It frustrates the hell out of me, and it happens all the damn time! I have even read aloud to other people what I have written and everyone, including my therapist, agrees that I express exactly what the problem is and/or what I need. So, why do people not understand? Does everyone have the wrong freakin’ job or what?

What are some of your experiences? I surely can’t be alone….and don’t call me Shirley.