I pulled up to a red light last week on the highway and all the sudden my car began to pulsate and thump as it vibrated in place.
Behind me was a big, lifted Ford 250, high above my little car, and it seemed to be bouncing up and down to the beat and rhythm of the thunderous sound coming from the big deafening speakers inside, and maybe outside, the monstrous truck. The windows were tinted and shaded so dark and obscure that I could not see inside as to who was more than likely wearing some type of headgear to protect the ear drums. As a matter of fact, all the cars near me seemed to be vibrating.
Then, to add to my experience, as we pulled away from the stop light, the big silver behemoth jumped ahead of me and the mufflers at the back of the truck sounded like thunder before the heavens open. Here I was just chugging along, granny like, in my little red GMC, lost in the hullabaloo.
As I retold this story to my husband later that night, I was reminded of my first car as a teenager. It was not really my car, but our family car I was allowed to drive on occasion.
At the time, I thought it was one of the ugliest, most hideous-looking vehicles ever made. And honestly still do. My Daddy worked for the company that sold these cars, so naturally we would drive one. This was in the 1960s and I was not as astute and wise as I am now, so I thought it was really clever that we had a new car, our first one.
The car, to me, looked as if it had a “nose” — perhaps that resembling a pig’s nose. Ours was a quirky colored green which just “enhanced” the new car’s lines.
Not only was it peculiar-looking outside, but the inside was also so very different from what we were used to. Instead of having a gear shift, we changed gears with push buttons right next to the left of the steering wheel.
I remember once I went somewhere and pushed “R” for reverse and the little button fell over into the dashboard and I could only back up until my daddy came and helped me get it into “go” gear again.
The Studebaker came and went rather fast in our line of vehicles as they stopped making them in the late 1960s. I have a picture with me of the unusual-looking car and it brings back lots of good and bad memories.
I don’t believe the phenomenon of raised or lowered, bouncing, vibrating, blaring speakers and shrouded windows will pass as quickly as my Studebaker.
FRESH CORN SALAD
2 cups of freshly cut off sweet corn
1 chopped cucumber
½ cup of chopped onion
½ cup of chopped green pepper
1 T. fresh basil or ½ t. dried
¼ cup of olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 T. sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients well and put in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
