My Dad thought that Larry might find this little video useful:
If you’re wondering why my Dad would think Larry might need that kind of info, I will be happy to tell you. Larry is a redneck. Everyone knows this and Larry himself does not deny it. He is not obnoxious about it – doesn’t chew tobacco, or spit, didn’t try to keep me barefoot and pregnant [much] and he doesn’t keep a pen full of hunting dogs or anything like that. There is one redneck tendancy that he does exhibit and that is his love for pick up trucks. Not just any trucks though. Old trucks. Old rusty trucks. Old rusty Chevy/GMC trucks in particular.
He buys them after any other person would be taking them to the junk yard, gets them running and keeps them running until there is nothing left. I am talking actual, physical parts of the truck are falling off before he gives up on it. A friend at work once said to him, “One of these days, when you get out of that thing, you’re going to get arrested for walking away from the scene of an wreck.”
Keeping old trucks running requires a steady supply of parts, and these parts must come from other old trucks. I bless the people in local government around here who decided to pass an ordinance that allows only two unlicensed vehicles per residence at any one time. Usually I am not that thrilled with the ordinances they come up with, but I am fond of this one which helps hold down the population of “extra” trucks we have around the place.
Here’s one:
I actually kind of like this truck and was sorry when it quit running. It is crammed full of stuff like old snow fence and tarps and spiders and who knows what all. Taking this picture is about as close to it as I will get, mostly because of the spider-potential. A high spider-potential will keep me away from nearly anything. This truck does not in any way figure into my life. It is down behind the chicken coop and other assorted things that are in Larry’s domain, and I don’t ever see it unless I am walking the dog down by the creek or fetching a bag of mulch or something.
This truck however, is another story. 
This truck is much better than it’s outward appearance would suggest. It needs a bit of body work, but Larry built it pretty much from the ground up and it has a really big, fast, wonderful engine in it and some kinda great transmission yadda yadda yadda. He’s been working on it for years but never quite gets it to the point that he can drive it. None of that bothers me and I certainly have enough money-sucking obsessions that I can’t complain if he has a few of his own. So why is this particular vehicle the bane of my existence?
Well, let’s take a look from a little further away:
I’ve arranged these photos by season, so that you can get a better idea of what a year in my world looks like. The hummingbirds and leaves and flowers and corn and snow all come and go, but the truck NEVER goes. It sits there, in the middle of every picture I take. I shoot around it and I crop around it and sometimes I even clone it out completely, but it is still there. And this is because I am married to a redneck. Who I love. Which is why we are still married and he is still alive. But as the internet is my witness – I swear, come spring, that truck is moving to someplace where I don’t have to look at it anymore!
And I will let you know if he finds a cordless electric mixer for it.
Instead of trucks, we have about three push-mowers laying around with various parts here and there because my boyfriend is working on fixing them. One such mower has been sitting on our backporch on my cute little patio table for about 8 months now. I feel your pain!!
Instead of trucks, we have about three push-mowers laying around with various parts here and there because my boyfriend is working on fixing them. One such mower has been sitting on our backporch on my cute little patio table for about 8 months now. I feel your pain!!
Oh good grief – don’t even get me started on lawnmowers! Push or rider, we do not buy new. We buy old and fix them….. and fix them and fix them and fix them and fix them…. I am sure you get the idea :)
Gotta love Red Green!
I just Freecycled an old busted up ride on mower the other day. It had been sitting behind my shed for a couple years exposed to the elements. No way I was remotely handy enough to even attempt to fix it.
Post it on my local Freecycle group just as a last ditch effort to unload it before I had to pay some junk removal service to haul it out of here. SOMEBODY CLAIMED IT!
WHOOOO-HOOOOOO!
I should be posting this on my own site! Gotta go do that now!
That would be the one and only thing I like about living in a community with a homeowner’s association. No vehicles that don’t run. Zero. Zip. Zilch. It kills my husband, but I think that one rule is what is keeping me from killing him for real.
That would be the one and only thing I like about living in a community with a homeowner’s association. No vehicles that don’t run. Zero. Zip. Zilch. It kills my husband, but I think that one rule is what is keeping me from killing him for real.
I dated a “truck” man for awhile. Didn’t last, though. I knew I’d never see a new sofa in my lifetime if there was yet another old truck to be purchased.
Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
Must be a man thing, huh? My husband restored a ’62 chev 4×4. Complete with new wood and shiny metal strips in the box. Did such a nice job that he won’t use it. So it just sits in the driveway, useless. Oh well, at least it is pretty.
This is one of my nightmares that since we moved from the city to a rural area that my husband and children will pick up “red neck” habits. I think I’m safe since I continue to wear shoes and still accessorize ;) Cute post!
Yours is a whole new world to me, and a hoot! The only pick-ups we use here in suburbia are for show, mostly. They are always clean and new. I must say, I like the old, beat up stuff better: it looks useful! But I’d want it out of sight, really.
I love Red Green and his antics.
I have a brother like that… Mr. Mountain Man… he lives out in the boondocks and has several trucks, cars, ATV’s..etc… fixing things all the time .. just to keep busy I suppose.
We used to have old derelicts in our yard as kids..not my dad’s either… my brother the hoarder again. There won’t be any sitting my yard…. just a second… what am I saying? We have 3 motorcycles sitting beside the house that aren’t running….arrrgghhhh!@!!! time for a sale or give away!
Hi dlyn–looking forward to spending some time on your blog…and don’t forget to say howdy again the next time you are visiting mine!
I’m not sure how to put this ……. I love the truck there! I have loooked at that truck every work day for the last 6 weeks and it’s never bothered me. In fact, I have been quite intrigued by the old truck. It is a part of a beautiful snow scene that you provided to me of beautiful Upstate New York rolling hills, with a winter mist, blue sky and a quaint little farm house. When I’ve looked at that scence I’ve often thought “there is a story behind that abandoned truck” on the right side of the picture. (Only the bed shows, adding to the intrigue.) Who put it there? Why was it abandoned?
Well, I know the story now ….. it’s not very “romantic” as Anne of Green Gables would say. …. but at least I know the story. I will miss it in future photo scenes in 2008. ; )
(And you know I am not even close to a redneck.)
CM
bwahahahaaa!!!
brilliant, eloquent post . . .
bravo!
-from one who lives in redneck country and whose late husband’s name was Larry . . .
Oh what fun! I have a best friend who remodels homes, builds garages from scratch, rebuilds old cars, anything with her hands she can do. She’d love Larry’s trucks.
Red Green is. the. best! ;D
Thanks for stopping by my site!
I am sorry, I can’t stop laughing…this would be Military Man if all the moving didn’t provent him from collecting things that could be used later for parts.
And I do love me some Red Green. If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
I love Red Green! Larry sounds pretty great too even with his trucky faults. I don’t blame you for wanting that one moved.
Even though it’s been replaced, my hubby’s old truck is pulled in the garage and he’ll call me out there and say “Look how clean I got the engine” I’m thinking, why are you cleaning the engine on a truck that barely runs????
How about helping me with the laundry?
I grew up surrounded by old cars. My dad is a truck driver and had a shop built that was big enough to drive his truck and trailers into. After a couple of years he stopped using it for the truck and started piling it full of old cars.
OMGosh! Is this my MIL’s blog?! Had the whole family gathered around to watch the video in this post– very funny!
Dear dlyn,
Thank you for visiting.
Your blog went straight to my heart.
I’ve been touched by Isaiah, (always new), I’ve had a good laugh with your pets, and I for sure know your husband. He’s just like my Gunnar.
We once had a huge Dodge Tradesman, flaming red, because it had been part of a fire station’s stable.
I just loved the deep bass of the V8 coming home. Backside was that the whole town was familiar with the car, we were not anonymous at all.
As for now Gunnar has three old cars to keep running. Cost him lots of time, but hardly no money. He’s quite a handy man. If we have to give one own them up, the government will pay us 1000 dollars in return. The heavy polluters are encouraged to give up their hobbies…Then we’d have to buy a new, which would also be of an environmental cost so I really don’t see any longterm gain.
I don’t even have a driver’s license, yet I enjoy my husband’s “redneck’s” skills every day. He even changed a fan in my laptop the other day, saved us for a lot of money.
I’m looking forward reading more of your many coloured days.
From Felisol
Thanks Felisol – I enjoy your blog as well and I do have your Mom in my prayers still – I keep going to check for updates about her on your blog. Hope she is coming along well.