Wednesday, September 7, 2011

An Old Bike and an Old Memory

      I know it's kind of an odd photo to be sharing as my header picture, but it perfectly depicts my subject matter today...It has to do with what I mentioned yesterday about what hubby was doing when I woke up from my nap.
       His mom, in preparation of trying to get things in order so she can move out of their family home, has been calling all the siblings and saying: "If you want......you better come and get it before I sell it!"...Hubby got a call about this bicycle.
       It was a childhood bicycle of his father's. It's a J.C. Higgins bike.
      When hubby brought it from his mom's house it didn't look like this though! It was all in pieces...all except the seat section. That was intact. But as any J.C. Higgins aficionado will tell you, it's not vintage to the bicycle!!...Seriously?! An orange banana seat?!! ^_^
     Hubby started laughing when he saw the seat part because he recognized the seat from a bicycle that was his as a kid! Apparently his father had been 'tinkering' in the basement again!! LOL {If you knew his father you'd be rolling on the floor laughing right now!}
       But considering that some of his father's previous 'tinkering' resulted in a mattress on the roof of the garage, and a bunch of paint cans inside the garage with....'who knows what' in them...but NOT paint!! O_0...he figured that an orange banana seat on an old vintage bike wasn't all 'that' bad!!! ^_^ But, trust me, it doesn't belong on there! Look at all of these J.C. Higgins bikes. Not a banana seat in the bunch!....'Bunch'. Get it?! ^_^
      Anyway!...Hubby decided to spend part of his time,...after fiddling around with the sunflowers,...putting the bicycle back together. He was told that it might be worth some money...a few hundred dollars. After getting a close look at it,....Uhhhh...I'm not sure I think so! But I'm gonna share this Old Bike Blog site I found with him though. It appears to have some comprehensive info for J.C. Higgins bike owners, or people with questions anyway.
        I wasn't gonna show you 'every bit' of battered and beat up section of it, but just in case there's a J.C. Higgins expert out there somewhere that wants to see it....here you go!! ^_^
         Hubby thinks this thing is the next best thing to baked bread!!! :-))
        No....seriously!! He thinks it's as good as,...if not better than...baked bread!! ^_^ He even likes it with the banana seat on it!!
        That's why when I opened my eyes from my nap and looked out the window, this is what I saw....
         A grown man...riding his 'newly put together', orange banana seated, old J.C. Higgins bicycle...
       ...back and forth...around and around the backyard! :-)
      He was so happy that he actually got it working!....^_^ ...Somehow I think the chances of him selling it, at this point, are about as likely as us buying a baked bread company!! ^_^

 When Jeff Was A Boy

He had an orange bicycle
that he rode all over town;
A banana-seated 'Stingray',
and its handle grips were brown.

At 12, to make some cash,
he had a great big paper route.
He'd either walk or ride his bike.
Come rain or shine, he would go out.

He had a fast-red wagon
he pretended was a car.
He hauled everything in sight,
from sister's dolls to dirt-filled jars.

He played little league football,
basketball, kick soccer too.
Despite his having asthma
(which his coaches never knew).

He had lots of toys to play with-
matchbox cars and small 'Hot Wheels',
'Pick-up Sticks' and building blocks,
and model planes, which gave him thrills.

All his responsibility
was to take 'Skippy' out to run.
That's all his dog and him would do.
This made his childhood lots of fun!

Now he's older, likes to stroll,
and grow his garden in the yard;
Doesn't hanker for his boyhood.
Doesn't wanna play that hard!

16 comments:

  1. LOL very cool I reckon he should keep it and he sure does some cute things dont he?

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  2. Nelly, Keep it, huh?!...I'll tell him YOU said so! ^_^ And yes, he is a cutie! {Of course I could be slightly biased! ^_^}

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  3. I really like this post about the old bike! And your poem is so adoring! Do you love your husband????? Nah!!!! LOL
    You never know Wug, he just may get something for it!

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  4. FABULOUS!
    I'm sure it brought back SO many great memories!!!!
    HUGS and have a great day!
    Char.x

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  5. CinLynn, Thank you, Bead! :-) The post was an easy one today, and the poem was one hubby and I wrote together many years ago. (a collaboration! ^_^) Yeah, it's pretty obvious I kinda like him sometimes, isn't it?! ^_^ I know....I'm not alone!!

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  6. We Blog Artists, Thank you so much!! Yes, he was full of stories...one after the other! ^_^ And he can tell a story 'ALMOST' as long as mine! ^_^ Have a good day today!

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  7. Deb, I think it's a neat bike even though the banana seat doesn't look right with that particular bike.Seeing the pictures of your husband on the bike made me think of when I was a kid and the good times I use to have on my bike. I bet him being on that bike brought back lots of memories of back in the days. Nice poem. Hope you have a great day.

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  8. SnowflakeDreams1, Yes, Velma, riding his bike did bring back a lot of memories for him. And go him to wondering where other stuff from his youth went!! Oh Boy!! ^_^ Back to his mom's basement and attic!...Thanks for the nice comment, and the nice words about the poem. Have a good rest of the day too!

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  9. Anonymous9/07/2011

    Hehehe, that's adorable! Well, even if he can't sell it, it's still really impressive that he figured out how to put it all back together! Maybe he can find another one for you and then you can go on rides around town together! ;)

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  10. HazelandMare, Uhhhh! My bike riding days are behind me for now. Maybe in the future for sure, but not any time soon!...And I think it's pretty impressive too that he figured out how to put it together!! And still remembered how to ride it!! ^_^

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  11. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful post!!! I love that he freshened it up. I love that he rode it and I love that orange banana seat! xo

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  12. Katherines Corner, :-) I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And yes indeed, he did enjoy fixing and riding it! If the rain hadn't totally washed us out today I'm sure another 'spin' around the backyard might have been in order too! ^_^

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  13. Enjoying the comments.. I hope to see these kind of comments in the future too!!

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  14. Cool Math, I'm enjoying the comments too! I love that people take the time to let me know how they feel. :-)

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  15. What a great poem & a great bike (I like the seat too). I think you may be right about hubby not selling it. He looks like he is having way too much fun!

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  16. Jo-anne, I'm glad you like the poem! It was a collaborative effort...me and hubby wrote that one together. I needed inside information. ^_^ And you're right about hubby having fun on that bike. We haven't even had another conversation about selling it! :-)

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