GRANDPA
SAID IT WAS THE SPORTS
MODEL A 1928 BUICK WITH TWO DOORS NO TRUNK AND AN ENGINE THAT COULD PULL
ANYTHING . 50 MILES AN HOUR WAS TOP SPEED AND ON COUNTRY ROADS THAT WAS FAST
ENOUGH . MY UNCLE DICK FITZ WOULD TAKE
19927-28-29- AND 30 BUICKS STRIP THEM DOWN INSTALL A TRUCK TRANSMISSION AND
REAR END AND SELL THEM FOR GARDEN TRACTORS . THEY DID NOT MAKE THEM THEN .
THAT OLD BUICK HAD BEEN A GOOD CAR FOR
GRANDPA AND AS WELL FOR US . WITH 21
INCH TIRES IT WAS GOOD IN SNOW AS WELL AS SPRING WHEN THE FROST BOILS WOULD
BLOW UP THE ROADS AND LEAVE DEEP SOFT RUTS IN THE ROAD TO GET STUCK IN . I
GUESS I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT TIRE NUMBER
5-25-21 . THEY DID NOT MAKE THEM ANY MORE SO WHEN WE NEEDED A TIRE WE
HAD TO DRIVE AROUND TO DIFFERENT TIRE PLACES . TOWARDS THE LAST IT GOT REAL
HARD TO FIND TIRES BUT WE ALL WAYS DID . ONE THING I REMEMBER NO MATTER WHERE
WE WENT THEY ALWAYS KNOW GRAMPA FITZ .AND THEY TALKED TO HIM WITH RESPECT
. A LOT OF THEM KNOW DAD TO BUT THEY
KNOW HIM AS FITZ’S SON IN LAW . DURING THE WINTER WHEN IT WAS REALY COOLED 0 TO30 BELOW THAT BUICK WOULD SET IN THE GARAGE ALL WEEK SO ON SUNDAY WE WOULD HAVE TO CRANK THE
MOTOR TO GET IT TO TURN OVER SOME TIMES IT WOULD NOT CRANK AND JIMMY WOULD PUT
IT IN REVIRSE AND I WOULD PUT MY BACK AGAINST THE END OF THE GARAGE PUT MY FEET
ON THE BUMPER AND STRAIGHTEN MY LEGS OUT THAT TURNED THE MOTOR OVER SO WE COULD
START IT. WHEN IT WAS REALLY COOLED 30 BELOW OR BETTER . WE WOULD BUILD A
FIRE UNDER THE MOTOR WITH CORNCOBS , TO
WORM THE OIL , AND WHEN THE MOTOR COUGHT FIRE
WE WOULD GRAB SOME SNOW AND OUT IT OUT . SOME TIMES WE HAD TO PUT IT OUT
TWO OR THREE TIMES . WE DID NOT ALWAYS HAVE ANTIFREEZE AT THOSE TIMES WE HAD TO
WARM THE MOTOR BEFOR WE DARE PUT WATER IN . THEN AT CHURCH WE COVERED THE
RADIATOR WITH BLANKS DURING MASS AND RUSH OUT AFTER AND START THE MOTOR AS WOULD MOST OF THE PEOPLE AT CHURCH . I THINK I REFER TO WINTER SO MUCH
BECAUSE THAT’S WHEN I HAD THE MOST FUN . ICE-SKATING WAS ONE OF MY BIG PLEASURES
AND TAKEING THAT BUICK OUT ON THE ICE WAS A BIG ONE TOO. GET IT UP TO 40 MILES
AN HOUR AND HIT THE BREAKS AND GO ROUND AND ROUND NOW THAT WAS FUN . THE ICE
FISHERMAN HATED US ,I NEVER SAW ONE GET
HIT BUT I HEARD THEY DID .
JIMMY AND I WENT TO ALBERT LEE ONE
TIME AND ON THE WAY HOME THIS WHEELE
WENT ROLLING PAST US . WE WERE DOING ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WE WONDERED
WHERE THAT WHEELE CAME FROM ,THERE NOT BEING ANY CARS AROUND US, SO WE STOPED TO
SEE. PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WE GOT OUT AND LOOKED AND SURE ENOUGH IT
WAS OURS JIMMY HAD FORGOT TO BEND THE
COTTER KEY THAT LOCKED THE NUT IN PLACE AND THE NUT UNSCRED AND THAT TIRE WENT
WAY OUT INTO THE FIELD. I WENT AFTER THE WHEELE AND JIMMY WENT LOOKING FOR THE
NUT . FINDING THE WHEELE WAS EASY BUT WONDER OF WONDERS JIMMY FOUND THE NUT
TOO. WE WERE TILTED ENOUGH SO WE COULD JUST SLIP THE WHEELE ON AND PUT THE NUT
ON BUT WE HAD TO BREAK OFF A PIECE OF FENCE WIRE TO SECURE IT.
ONE OF OUR GREAT PLEASURES WAS GOING
TO THE FREE SHOWS . SUNDAY NIGHT WAS BATH, WEDNESDAY WAS CLARKS GROVE ,
SATURDAY WAS HARTLAND . THESE WERE PUT ON BY MERCHANTS TO DRAW IN SHOPPERS .
THEY WERE ALL FUN , A GREAT TIME TO MEET THE GIRLS . WE COULD NOT MAKE ALL OF
THEM , THE MOVIE’S THAT IS , BUT WE MADE A LOT OF THEM . AS I SAID THAT BUICK
HAD A PROBLIM WITH AXLES . ALL DRESSED
UP AND GOING SOME WHERE AND SURE ENOUGH IT WOULD BREAK ONE WELL I GOT SO I
COULD CHANGE AN AXLE IN TEWNTY MINUTES AND NOT GET DIRTY . WE ALLWAYS CARRIED A
SPARE . AS I REMEMBER WE HAD A LOT OF TRUBLE WITH AXLES AND TIRES BUT THAT
MOTOR ALWAYS STARTED NO MATTER WHAT .
ONE MENORY AND A FOND ONE TO WAS THE LAST TIME ON THE LAKE , IT WAS FREEBORN
LAKE , A GOOD SIZED LAKE AND NOT VERY DEEP . IT WAS COMEING SPRING AND STARTING
TO MELT AND WE KNOW IT WOULD BE OUR LAST TIME AND IT WAS . WE WERE ALL ALONE
OUT ON THAT BIG FLAT LAKE HAVING A BALL
HIT THE BREAK AND GO ROUND AND ROUND . BEING A SHALLOW LAKE TUFFS OF GRASS WERE
STICKING UP HERE AND THERE . SUDDENLY
ON A BIG SLIDE WE HIT ONE OF THOSE TUFFS OF GRASS . IT ALMOST TIPED US OVER AND
I HEARED THE RIFLE SHOOT ,THAT’S WHAT A
BIG CREAK IN THE ICE SOUNDS LIKE , THAT LAKE CREAKED FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER
. WELL THAT WAS ENOUGH FUN FOR US SO WE VERY GENTLY DROVE OFF THE LAKE . AS WE
PULLED UP ON DRY GROUND THIS BUNCH OF
KIDS IN A BRAND NEW FORD PULLED UP BESIDE US AND ASK HOW THE ICE WAS WE TOLD
THEM IT WAS BREAKING UP AND YOU COULD
SEE THE CREAK . OH ONE LAST TIME THEY SAID AND OFF THEY WENT . WE PULLED UP ON
THE ROAD MADE A RIGHT TURN AND THEN A LEFT , HALF WAY THROUGH THE LEFT TURN
THAT AXLE BROKE AND DROPED US HARD . IF THAT HAD HAPPENED ON THE ICE IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN GOOD BY . LIKE I SAID IN
TWENTY MINUTES WE WERE GONE . THE NEXT MORNING HEADLINES IN THE PAPER WERE NEW
FORD GOES IN FREEBORN LAKE . EVERY BODY AND THE FORD GOT OUT O.K. . SOME TIMES
YOU JUST LUCK OUT.
THAT BUICK WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF
OUR LIFE WHEN WE WERE ON THE FITZ FARM . I’D LIKE TO THINK GRAMPA ENJOYED HIM SELF AS WE DID BUT HE WAS IN
SUCH PAIN AND HE NEVER COMPLAINED . HE
HAD TO WALK WITH CRUCHES AND EVEN THAT WAS HARD FOR HIM . HIS LEFT LEG MUST
HAVE BOTHERED HIM SOME THING AWFUL
,THEY CALLED IT A BONE INFECTION THEN AND THE DOCTORS COULD DO NOTHING
FOR HIM , IT WAS A RUNNING SORE ALL THE TIME AND IT WAS MY JOB TO KEEP IT AS
CLEAN AS POSSIBLE . GRAMPA FITZ NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT ANY PAIN IN FACT THE
ONLY TIME I EVER SAW HIM COMPLAIN ABOUT ANY THING WAS WHEN MOTHER DID NOT SERVE
PATATOES AT A MEAL , IT WASN’T A MEAL WITH OUT PATATOES TO HIM
.
GRAMPA AND I WERE GOING TO ALBERT LEE
ONE TIME WHEN AT A STOP SIGN A COUNTY SHERIFF , A YOUNG MAN , PARKED BY THE
SIDE OF THE ROAD CAME OVER AND SAID HI JIM
WE ARE CHECKING DRIVER LICENCE’S TODAY . GRAMPA SAID YOU KNOW I HAVE NEVER HAD
A LICENCE I WAS DRIVING LONG BEFORE THEY REQUIRED THEM . HOW’S YOUR DAD DOING .
NOT TO GOOD SAID THE SHERFF HE’S NOT GETTING OVER THAT HEART ATTACH VERY WELL .
WELL NONE OF US OLD TIMERS ARE DOING TO WELL EATHER SAID GRAMPA WITH THAT THE SHERFF WALKED OFF SAYING MAYBE
YOU HAD BETTER LET YOUR GRANDSON DRIVE . GRAMPA JUST DROVE OFF . I REALY THOUGHT EVERY ONE IN THE COUNTY
KNOW MY GRANDPA FITZ .
I WILL NEVER FORGET MY LAST RIDE IN THAT 1928 BUICK WITH GRAMPA FITZ . ONE MORNING AFTER BREAKFAST HE SAID I THINK WE HAD BETTER GO SEE THE DOCTOR . SO OFF WE WENT WITH ME DRIVING WE TALKED AS WE RODE NOTHING SEEMED TO BE WRONG BUT WHEN WE GOT TO THE NAVIE HOSPITAL HE SAID I THINK YOU HAD BETTER PULL IN HERE “ THROW HIS HEAD BACK AND I KNOW HE STOPED BREATHING RIGHT THERE . I PULLED IN TO THE EMERGENCEY ENTERINCE ,STOPED AND JUST LOOKED AT HIM . HE WAS DEAD AND I KNOW IT,AND I LOVED THAT OLD MAN SO MUCH . HE WAS THE MAN I WANTED TO EMULATE THE REST OF MY LIFE . I FINLLY GOT MY WITTES ABOUT ME AND WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL . I ACTUALLY COULD NOT TALK . I POINTED OUT THE DOOR ONE THE NURSES SAID O MY GOD IT’S JIM FITZ . SOME ONE ELSE SAID WHO IS HE AND THE NURSE SAID HE’S A GRANDSON YOU’RE AN ENFIELD AREN’T YOU AND I JUST NODDED . THERE WAS A BUNCH OF PEOPLE AND THEY GOT GRAMPA IN SOMEONE SAID HE’S GONE THERE’S NO USE TRYING ANYTHING . I SAT DOWN ON A BINCH I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG UNTIL THAT NURSE SAID AREN’T YOU GOING TO CALL SOME ONE . MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS THIS WILL BE A TERRIBLE SHOCK TO MOTHER . MAY BE ELEANOR WOULD HANDLE IT BETTER AND SHE COULD DRIVE MOTHER IN. THEY GOT THERE ABOUT AN HOUR LATER . CLIMBING BACK IN TO THAT BUICK WAS NOT AN EASY THING FOR ME TO DO ..I DID NOT KNOW IT THEN BUT MY WHOLE LIFE AS I HAD KNOWN IT CHANGED RIGHT THEN.. GRAMPA HAD LEFT ME WITH THE ONLY THING HE COULD “ A WAY OF LIFE TO LIVE “ MY HOPE IS THAT I HAVE BEEN TRUE TO HIM . I DON’T KNOW WHY BUT I DID NOT CRY THEN BUT I WEEP FOR HIM NOW , FOR HIM AND A LOST WAY OF LIFE . WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH THAT OLD BUICK . WE ALL LIVE BY SIMBLES TO A DEGREE AND WHEN I THINK OF GRAMPA.