My dad ‘s favorite thing to do was to go to the junkyard on Saturday. He would find something to buy and then bring it home and try to fix it. I was always amazed at the number of things he was able to repair. I’m not sure he even had an eighth-grade education. We couldn’t afford a mechanic, so when we had a car, if it broke down, it would sit in the yard until he figured out how to fix it.
One time Mom drove us kids over to see relatives in Harrisburg Illinois, and on the way back the car quit. I don’t know how she got a hold of dad, as there were no cell phones are anything like it in those days. But Dad drove Grandpa’s coal hauling truck over and jerry rigged the car to get us home. It sat in the back yard for a couple of days until he figured the right fix.
My first and only one growing up bicycle came from the junk yard. It was an all-aluminum Monarch brand. It was mostly complete and cost a quarter. I learned how to straighten wheels repair bent axles, and how to completely revamp a New Departure coaster brake. It was a lesson in how to take care of things, because if you didn’t, you never got another one. I just saw an ad for a monarch frame on the computer. The asking price is $900.00.
Those were the days
