Me and My Arrow

There's a really fun song by Harry Nillson, about a boy and his dog, and the words go...

"Me and my Arrow
takin' the high road
where ever we go
everyone knows
it's Me and my Arrow"

It's rather obscure, but I was humming that tune the other night while driving home, at the same time looking at the voltage meter. My truck needs a new alternator, so until I have enough cash to get it serviced, I have to swap out batteries and recharge them to just keep it running...

I apologize to my truck, as I do every day when I get in it, to go to work. I began to associate that song with my truck, like a faithful companion, like a faithful old dog. Then something amazing happened, "Me and My Arrow" came on the radio! What are the odds?! It was a 'God is in your radio' moment... and my truck seemed happy, as if it was saying, "don't worry, I know you'll fix me, and I'll always get you where you need to go...if I can."

Me and my truck go way back. I bought it brand new back in 1984, when it had only 6 miles on it. A 1984 Toyota 4x4... It came in sooo handy! (and still does). I remember about a couple weeks after I bought it, my buddy Mike and his girlfriend Berta came to visit, and Mike insisted on riding in the back... that was back when it was legal to do so...as I looked in the mirror as we went down the freeway, his eyes were sooooo wide, like he was on a roller coaster... I don't think he realized that this was a 'light' truck, not a full-sized bed like the Ford trucks... but he was cool... he's kind of a 'tough guy' but I'll never forget his face on his roller coaster ride.

I cannot count how many times I've helped people move... and I know what a pain in the butt is to move... but as long as it's not myself moving, I actually enjoy helping people move, it's like a fun outing, and it's always nice to feel 'useful'...

Back then, my friend Patty who I worked with would move about once or twice a year, so...I was naturally enlisted to help her. In 1987, my roommates' twin brother in Pleasant Hill was moving into a new house, and it seemed only natural... and a year later a buddy from Spectrum Holobyte needed moving. 'Me and My Arrow' again... and this was still back in the 80's!

There was only ONE time when the truck cut out on me, just the one time... on Christmas Eve no less! It was Christmas Eve 1987 and I was driving down to Tulare, CA where my parents live... but on hiway 99 the engine started cutting out, but would still rev on lower speeds... I called my parents' house, and like Knights, my dad and uncle Toody came to look for me... and searched up and down 99 until they found me on the shoulder, limping along ...they towed my poor little truck to the house.

The next day... my uncle tore the engine apart...he was an aircraft mechanic so he totally knew what he was doing, and seemed to relish in it. After cleaning the fuel lines and carburator, the three of us put it all back together, "okay, let's take it for a test ride."

So me and my uncle drove off... "pull onto the freeway.." so we did, and the truck seemed to run fine.

A car passed us at a much faster rate, like around 80 or 90.
"okay follow that guy"
"are you sure?"
"yeahhh, let's go."
"but the speedometer only goes to 85."
"don't worry about it, it'll go faster, let's go, floor it!"
So I did, silently saying 'sorry, truck' but at the same time admiring my uncle, not a sentimental man, but I admired his confidence in mechanics, and how machines can, and should work.

I didn't have my truck this whole time, but it stayed in the family. In 1990 I bought a sporty little convertible, and at that time, my dad was in the market for a truck, so he bought it, and he had it for 11 years... and took good care of it. That's just one of many things I learned from him (and uncle Toody!)...to always take care of your cars. Change the oil, that's the big thing.

Unfortunately my dad passed away in 2001, later my mom said, "why don't you just take your truck back? it just sits here." So I drove it back, and now here we are again, Me and my Arrow...to this day it comes in handy hauling stuff, still helping with moves, even myself!

And numerous times, I get people who say, "hey! you wanna sell your truck?"
It appears the Toyota trucks from '78 to '86 were a good batch...in demand, because they were just built good... I get waves from other guys in Toyota trucks of that era on the road...

I'll fix it as soon as I can...I owe it that much. Me and My Arrow.