My first husband, he whose name we must not speak, and I one Halloween. 
It was the 80's. Don't judge.

My most embarrassing moments, Automotive Edition

By Becky Lyn Rickman, Managing Editor
Some unbelievable, but true, stories of automobile freakishness!
Yea, I got this topic covered. My favorite embarrassing moments involve cars. Boy, do I have a love/hate relationship with automobiles. Here are a few highlights:
  • When I was 16, my father was stationed overseas and my mother didn't drive. I became the chauffeur for our family, including 6 younger sibs. It was kind of cool to miss school for a doctor's appointment that wasn't even yours! Anyway, one evening I was shopping with my mom and we were in the parking lot of the grocery store when the steering wheel suddenly popped off the column. I laughed so hard and all I could think to do was hand it to my dear mother sitting next to me. Fortunately, we were in the parking lot and going quite slow. I was able to grab the column and steer us to safety and pop it back on. 
  • The time I was driving my very first car, a 1968 Rambler station wagon home from work. I commuted about 40-50 minutes each way, depending on traffic. So I kept my tank full. It was dark, winter, cold, rainy and I was exhausted, being a single mom of a 1-year old. I suddenly heard this very loud *THUD* and then scraping noise. Fortunately, the spirit moved me to pull over and upon investigation, the brackets had rusted and what was dragging on the ground was my nearly full gas tank. A few more feet, sparks, Becky in 7 surrounding counties. Enough said.
  • When I was a single mom, I scraped enough together to buy an old Ford Escort. It was tri-color with replacement parts—my little calico car.  The previous owner had warned me that the hood latch was a little loose. You know how you can lift it a little and then slide a thingie over and lift it the rest of the way. Well, it lifted the first part on it's on and rattled. One day I was in a hurry on the highway and doing 60+ mph. The hood released and with the force of my velocity and the New York spring wind gusts, the darn thing not only went straight up, blocking my view altogether, but also buckled over the hood of the car itself, bending it into a nice, neat 90 degree angle. I was able to find my way off the road by viewing the lines on the side. Yikes! That was fun! 
  • Also, as a single mom, I was fiercely independent and hated to ask for help. When my brakes needed changing, I asked a mechanic friend to show me on one side and supervise me on the other. All was well . . . I thought. Taking the children to church activities one evening, I once again heard a *THUD* and then saw sparks flying out the rear view mirror. Turning my head to the right, I witnessed my entire wheel bouncing with reckless delight across a field of wild flowers. Yes. It was the glaring absence of one tiny little cotter pin that left me stranded with a car full of cranky teenagers. 


Like Becky Lyn Rickman's story? Here's more by her:
MilitaReality—a brat's perspective
Being There
How I still haven't learn to keep my smart mouth shut!
Cacti and Geraniums
Some mysterious goosebumps or "What is that on the wall?"
Finding my metal in wood
Some of my favorite herbal recipes are . . .
I love my cat, but . . . 
I love all creatures, but . . .
You might be addicted to Harry Potter if . . .
My shot at the big time
A cautionary tale
Why I do it
How I chill
How to clean up an egg and other helpful hints
The thing about getting older is . . .
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These are a few of my favorite (embarrassing) things! Please. Jump in. Share yours. It is so liberating! Click the button below or fill out a contact form!