Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

   Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been interested in how things work.  I thought nothing of taking a radio or television that my parents or neighbors were getting rid of, tinkering with it, figuring out what was wrong with it, and with any luck, giving it a second life.  I salvaged everything from lawn mowers and bicycles, to an antique rolling ironing press and an old table saw.  With nothing more than my memory of how I took things apart, I would dismantle these items, find out what was wrong with them, rebuild the broken pieces, and put the item back together.  Admittedly, I was not always successful in my restoration process, but I took great pleasure and pride if I could resurrect an old broken down piece of equipment and restore it back to working form.
   For me, it wasn't so much about just getting the item working again.  As I took things apart, I learned to admire and appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the design and manufacture of the items.  I learned first-hand and tangibly what quality design and engineering was, and also what was not.  I could see that good design and materials resulted in items that stood the test of time.  Many times I would find that good quality items failed due to one or two inferior parts, or by one poor design flaw.
   The hardest thing for me to do was to admit defeat when I just could not fix something and to actually throw the item away.  Once I did finally throw in the towel however, I would always salvage a few parts just to save for the next project.
  I guess I really have never got past this obsession to fix antiquated items, and I now find myself at yet another crossroad.  I love old cars, and by last count, I have owned more than my share of them over the years.  I am not talking about mint condition cars that you see on the Barrett Jackson Auction.  No, I have always been more of a Charlie Brown character that sees the beauty in the broken down little Christmas tree of a vehicle, and believes that with a little paint and elbow grease, I can turn the junk into a jewel.
  A few years back, I discovered a little "tree" up in the Green Mountains of Vermont via the Christmas tree farm known as Ebay.  Much like the Charlie Brown tree, this little 1976 MGB needed a good home.  So, I took the girls in the pickup truck, rented a trailer and headed off for a "three-hour tour...a three hour tour" through the woods of Vermont.
  We brought her home, I built a shed to restore her in, and began taking her apart.  My thought was that since the girls would soon be going off to college, and my soccer coaching days were about over, that I would have plenty of time to work on this.  And I did do a lot of work on it.
  Well, life has a funny way of giving you other things to do, and my little MG got ignored.  We sold the house in Worcester, and with the help of a few friends, we moved the old girl to the new house.  Now, she was in a proper garage, only a few feet from me at all times.  Surely I would fix her now.
  Fast forward to a month ago when I found another MGB on Craigs List.  Unlike the sad little thing I bought in Vermont , this was the big shiny aluminum tree that Charlie Brown was supposed to get.  It still needs a little tinkering with (which is right up my alley), but it can be driven and enjoyed...so I bought it.
  Now, my crossroad dilemma.  I know that I have to get rid of the old, ripped apart MG, but I just hate to see her go.  It was such an adventure going to get her.  I have enjoyed restoring many of the parts, and looked forward to the day that I got to drive it.  But it is time to man-up and do the right thing.
   So, just like I did with the old radio's and t.v.'s, I am keeping a few parts from the old gem, and installing them on the new car.  I guess that the little kid in me is still doing the same things.  It is great keeping that piece of my youth.  "...And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."