Driving with daughter not a standard affair
How did this happen?
This summer I have been riding with my daughter, Heather, who has her learner’s permit and will turn 16 on Friday. When did my little girl become a teenager and get behind the wheel of a car? Am I really that old?
Heather is my child from my first marriage. She lives with her mother, but spends the fleeting summer months with me. It seems like just last week she was a cute little towheaded blonde who loved Barney the dinosaur, the Little Mermaid and animals of all kinds.
Now she’s got sandy blonde hair, is almost as tall as I am, and is getting behind the wheel of our van. She won’t try my car because it’s a stick and, being blonde, she gets too confused by it. (Now, all of you blondes, please don’t write and complain; it’s a running joke between me and her.)
When I was her age, my dad insisted I learn to drive a stick before I tried an automatic. He had a 1968 Chevy pickup with automatic nothing on it. The God forsaken thing didn’t even have power steering. My first time behind the wheel was in a field while we were getting hay for the cows.
Dad had my driving down the rows of bales while he and my brothers picked them up and hoisted them into the truck bed. It was stop-and-go as I constantly popped the clutch as I would try to take off again after each stop.
When we reached the end of the first row, my dad cranked the wheel and instructed me how to make the turn. My two younger brothers sat impatiently in the back as I very nervously popped the clutch several times before finally getting the truck to move.
And move it did.
I whipped around the corner like a NASCAR driver, forgetting to let go of the wheel. Bales and brothers went flying everywhere.
I eventually learned to drive that truck and I’m glad my dad had the patience and persistence to teach me. Now if I can just find that same patience with my child, maybe we’ll get somewhere.
Rental houses in Hereford
If I had a lot of money to invest, I would be snatching up houses in Hereford to rent. I need one. I’ve been looking for months for a place to live here. Buying is currently not an option for me thanks to Mr. Credit Report. But finding an affordable rental for a family of six seems almost impossible.
When I first got here, I ran an ad in the classifieds seeking a place to rent. I got numerous calls every day from people wanting to know about the house I had to rent. I don’t know if these people can read, but the ad clearly stated that I was looking for a place to rent. I finally got tired of the calls and pulled the ad.
What that experience taught me is that there is a huge market here for rental property. Had I been a landlord with four-bedroom houses to rent, I could have placed probably a dozen or so families. (That’s a hint, by the way, to all you entrepreneurial Real Estate types.)
Hairy Potter dilemma
I remember when Harry Potter first came out. My wife and I, being good Christians, were outraged. Children’s books that delved into witchcraft could not be a good thing. Witchcraft is evil and the Bible warns against it. All it could do is steer young minds away from God and down a dark path of destruction.
But not so fast. Sandy’s sister Susan, who is a teacher and is married to an Army chaplain, wanted to make up her own mind based on the facts. She started reading the books and fell in love with the stories. She assured Sandy that the books were not evil and were in fact a delight to read.
Susan convinced Sandy to read the books. Then we started watching the movies. I was still standoffish, but my wife was hooked.
Since I’ve been commuting here from Amarillo, I’ve been listening to books on CD. I finally gave in and started listening to the Harry Potter Books. I’m on the sixth one, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
I have to say that the writing is wonderful and the stories are creative and crafty. I think the tales are outlandish enough that no one is going to become a witch or wizard by getting into them. What I do enjoy is a story that is cleaver, original and thought-provoking. It makes that hour-long drive enjoyable.
While I cannot encourage nor condone the witchcraft angle of the books, I can recommend them as good, entertaining reading (or listening) material.
For those who have children who are getting into Harry Potter, be wise and talk to them about what they read, hear or see (there’s another movie coming out later this year). It is the basic story of good versus evil, and that is a moral lesson that is always worth learning.
Accountability Report:
This has not been a good week for losing weight. I didn’t get a chance to work out and I only got a couple short walk in.
This summer I have been riding with my daughter, Heather, who has her learner’s permit and will turn 16 on Friday. When did my little girl become a teenager and get behind the wheel of a car? Am I really that old?
Heather is my child from my first marriage. She lives with her mother, but spends the fleeting summer months with me. It seems like just last week she was a cute little towheaded blonde who loved Barney the dinosaur, the Little Mermaid and animals of all kinds.
Now she’s got sandy blonde hair, is almost as tall as I am, and is getting behind the wheel of our van. She won’t try my car because it’s a stick and, being blonde, she gets too confused by it. (Now, all of you blondes, please don’t write and complain; it’s a running joke between me and her.)
When I was her age, my dad insisted I learn to drive a stick before I tried an automatic. He had a 1968 Chevy pickup with automatic nothing on it. The God forsaken thing didn’t even have power steering. My first time behind the wheel was in a field while we were getting hay for the cows.
Dad had my driving down the rows of bales while he and my brothers picked them up and hoisted them into the truck bed. It was stop-and-go as I constantly popped the clutch as I would try to take off again after each stop.
When we reached the end of the first row, my dad cranked the wheel and instructed me how to make the turn. My two younger brothers sat impatiently in the back as I very nervously popped the clutch several times before finally getting the truck to move.
And move it did.
I whipped around the corner like a NASCAR driver, forgetting to let go of the wheel. Bales and brothers went flying everywhere.
I eventually learned to drive that truck and I’m glad my dad had the patience and persistence to teach me. Now if I can just find that same patience with my child, maybe we’ll get somewhere.
Rental houses in Hereford
If I had a lot of money to invest, I would be snatching up houses in Hereford to rent. I need one. I’ve been looking for months for a place to live here. Buying is currently not an option for me thanks to Mr. Credit Report. But finding an affordable rental for a family of six seems almost impossible.
When I first got here, I ran an ad in the classifieds seeking a place to rent. I got numerous calls every day from people wanting to know about the house I had to rent. I don’t know if these people can read, but the ad clearly stated that I was looking for a place to rent. I finally got tired of the calls and pulled the ad.
What that experience taught me is that there is a huge market here for rental property. Had I been a landlord with four-bedroom houses to rent, I could have placed probably a dozen or so families. (That’s a hint, by the way, to all you entrepreneurial Real Estate types.)
Hairy Potter dilemma
I remember when Harry Potter first came out. My wife and I, being good Christians, were outraged. Children’s books that delved into witchcraft could not be a good thing. Witchcraft is evil and the Bible warns against it. All it could do is steer young minds away from God and down a dark path of destruction.
But not so fast. Sandy’s sister Susan, who is a teacher and is married to an Army chaplain, wanted to make up her own mind based on the facts. She started reading the books and fell in love with the stories. She assured Sandy that the books were not evil and were in fact a delight to read.
Susan convinced Sandy to read the books. Then we started watching the movies. I was still standoffish, but my wife was hooked.
Since I’ve been commuting here from Amarillo, I’ve been listening to books on CD. I finally gave in and started listening to the Harry Potter Books. I’m on the sixth one, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
I have to say that the writing is wonderful and the stories are creative and crafty. I think the tales are outlandish enough that no one is going to become a witch or wizard by getting into them. What I do enjoy is a story that is cleaver, original and thought-provoking. It makes that hour-long drive enjoyable.
While I cannot encourage nor condone the witchcraft angle of the books, I can recommend them as good, entertaining reading (or listening) material.
For those who have children who are getting into Harry Potter, be wise and talk to them about what they read, hear or see (there’s another movie coming out later this year). It is the basic story of good versus evil, and that is a moral lesson that is always worth learning.
Accountability Report:
This has not been a good week for losing weight. I didn’t get a chance to work out and I only got a couple short walk in.
posted by Joe Southern | 11:05 AM
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