OT: Update on Blondie

Mom is still feeling bad, so I got elected 1 to 1 to take Victoria to work again this morning. (In case of a tie vote, the 'speaker of the house' has the final say). She is slowly getting better at speed control, but she still wants to ride the white line with her right wheel and still loves to keep her foot on the brake. But she did much better in getting us down the road. But, in making a left into the park where she worked, she let about five cars pass in the opposite direction with plenty of room to turn between them, and waited for a red light a 1/4 mile down the road to change and hold up traffic for her. About two or three cars coming out of the park were starting to go back to sleep waiting for her to turn into the park. When we go to where she worked, I told her I wanted to see her park the car perpendicular to the curb for a change. It's head-in parking, and there's all kind of open spaces- about 10 in a row empty. The past two days have been at about a forty five degree angle, and she has to learn. Well, she got in the first time at about a 30 degree angle. Not good, I told her, so she backed out without turning the wheel any, put the car back into drive, and pulled back in without turning the wheel. Not good enough. So she backed out again, reversed direction, and again pulled in. Again, without turning the steering wheel. "Try turning the wheel to the right, back out, turn the wheel to the left and try pulling in". Now we have a 30 degree angle to the left. "Try it again". She finally got it in straight. Almost. Right dead center over the line, not between them. We'll try getting between them some other time, because she was going to be late if we tried to get between the lines. I can tell right now that parallel parking ought to really be a circus. More to come--

So why have we waited til 19 to start teaching driving? Out here in the wilderness we were driving lawn mowers @ 9-10, tractors with hand clutch @10, and foot clutch tractors and trucks when we could hold them down and release slowly.

Because she's blonde, I guess. She was afraid to drive earlier. Now she is getting bold. She is although a really nice kid, wonderfully naive.

Since she moved in with us in May, she has finally started to grow up. She still has to be told to take charge of her own life. But it has to rattle around in her head for a while before anything starts to take root. She's far from dumb, just very timid at times and unsure of what she can do. It's almost like having a city kid out here. Spent a lot of time on videos, but has trouble actually doing anything productive in the real world.

I guess it's a lot like some of the kids I met in the service- fresh out of school, never really had to do anything, and now out in the cruel hard world. Just needs some direction. A lot of direction. Like a truckload--

Patience is the key,even though i'm not long on it myself. I was driving ever since i could reach the pedals around the farm. Bought my first car when i was 12. But i remember also burning the clutch out of dads old pickup trying to start off in high gear. He normally left it in low,and i could take right off, didnt know nothing about shifting gears.I figured out what the smoke was about the time he yanked the door open!( also found out how to replace one that evening!LOL)I taught my wife to drive long after we were married,I still shudder every time i think of it. She would nearly hit something,i would yell , she would cry,what a nightmare. When it came time to teach the kids,i started when they were real small steering around the pasture, also made them take a drivers ed course before they got their license.I have five grandaughters.oldest one learned the same way. Next one just turned sixteen,i dont think my nerves will handle anymore,i told her i would pay the schooling costs.I'm simply too old to get my heart rate up like that!

It just might be a woman thing. Sitting in my car during lunch today at work, watch 6 women wonder around the parking lot trying to find their cars..

You're a late bloomer. I was solo on a JD620 @ 8

Drove the school bus my last 2 years in High school but, that was a long time ago.

It's obvious she does not have much of an idea,yet, so why not a little coaching, like the parking. she did not move the wheel, did you tell her how to do it so that once would have been sufficient,
I hear a lot of criticism but nothing about instruction.

Don,

Being that both wife and I travel that way
from time to time , maybe you should let us know
what color and flavor the transporting vehicle
is so we can look out for her. Wife goes to the
school to pick up grand kids and I go to
jarrettsville sometimes. How far past the circle
are you ?

george

Dad had an old 1932 chev 2 door that he cut the body off right at the windsheild,that is what i learned to automobile drive with. I started to operate the Ford 8N when I was around 9 years old.I got good at mounting the 2 bottom Dearborn Plow for the Garden work,or the 6' 3 point hitch dearborn disc or the 7' dearborn 3 point hitch sickle mower for hay. He also had a Ford 9N which was pretty fast but I never got to operate it.He used it like a Pick up truck. He drove it to town to the elevator to pick up salt blocks etc or to go to his freinds place which was about 4 miles away.Our farm tractors were all Olivers and I got plenty of seat time on the old 70 and the newer 77 row crops.

Dunno about this blonde thing. Wife put one a blonde wig the other night. Just as smart as always, maybe a bit sassier. I didn't give her driving test, but sure got my motor running. Dave

Answer time-
barnE- trouble is her's ain't no wig. She's really pretty cute, but we used to talk about WAVES when I was in the service. Most got hit by one of two sticks. If they didn't get nailed by the ugly stick, someone beat them with the stupid stick.

John- I started driving a B when I was about 6 in the hayfield while the men picked up hay. Around 8, I was trusted to take out manure on my own and drive a Wheel Horse. I was driving trucks at 13, and just about ny machine on the farm. I planted my first corn crop when I was 13. My Gmom just about denutered Gdad when she found out I was helping with hay, but just about any kid can have a ball on a B.

George- watch out- I'm about 2 or 3 miles north of Jarrettsville- even the sidewalk at the service station isn't safe for a while-

Bendee- One thing at a time- I just got her to realize she's supposed to stay between the lines on the road. She's still trying to figure out why they have lines in parking lots, too.

I think I have tomorrow off. Mom says she'll take her to work and then go shopping. But I still have Friday and Saturday to look forward to. She's doing much better, but she has a long way to jet jockey!

P.C. term would be "Late bloomer".