DJ's Dragon

DJ is away this week at FFA state convention in Lubbock.  Even though it seems this time of year he is only home from midnight to 7am every day anyway (except when bribed home for supper with favorite foods), I miss the guy.  I miss his stories.  I miss his smile.  I even kinda miss The Dragon. 

The Dragon is DJ's truck, so named for it's temperment and affinity for belching smoke in large quantities...  very large quantities....  and for it's load roar....  and that it's usually 'flying' down the road... and occasionally spitting fire.  Yikes!   LOL   Money hasn't exactly been growing on trees around our house the past few years and DJ worked hard last summer and bought this truck all by himself.  I'm really proud of him for that.  Who needs a nice shiny new truck anyway?  One with windows that actually work?  And the ceiling isn't held in place by stolen Whataburger numbers?  Or the tailgate held on with a piece of rope?  Beauty and dependability are way overrated, right? 

The Myth, The Legend... THE DRAGON  =D

 

When The Dragon rolled off the assembly line in 1988 with its cassette stereo and huge bench seats covered in red crushed velvet (you don't want to hear what DJ calls them) Reagan was president and I was still in college.  It's a wonderfully big and roomy old beast though and can not only pull big trailers with literally tons of hay or equipment, but the back seat alone can also hold approximately one ton of junk, clothing, tractor parts, tools, and all manner of assorted objects and trash.  I tease Dollie that instead of a walk-in closet she has a four wheel drive closet because her truck is always full of clothes.  DJ's truck is more of a dumpster with mud tires!

Pardon the Arsenal and It's usually NOT this clean

DJ finally cleaned his truck out last week.  The clouds parted and angels sang.  It was quite the occasion.  No, of course he didn't clean it out because I had asked him 500 times over the past 5 months.  He did it so he could fit more people in for a hog hunting trip.  Nice.  At least he found the bag of cinnamon rolls and snacks I had bought for him.  I bought them back in APRIL for Fair week.  Eeeeeww!  He even took out his special seatcovers made of green astroturf and baling string.   Nothing but the Dragon's finest imitation red velvet for his hunting buddies! 

Redneck Seat Covers

All kidding aside, it's been a really good truck.  And it's been a great teacher... of life lessons, of patience, and of auto repair.  We keep telling DJ pretty soon he's going to have a brand new truck - one piece at a time.  God Bless our friend KB (who is an absolute mechanical whiz and can fix or McGuyver just about anything) who has helped DJ keep it running.  I'm not kidding... I saw DJ and Trey get it started one time it was broke down using only a tire iron and an old pencil under the hood.  KB taught these boys some SKILLS!  

What The Dragon lacks in beauty and polish though, it makes up for in personality.  I can't help but smile when DJ sits in the driveway grinning and revving that big ole engine until it looks like our house is on fire with smoke rolling from the stacks, waiting for me to come running out the door and tell him to knock it off.  Then he'll give me that mischevious head pop and laugh at me.  DJ!!! 

The Dragon has taught him to make do with what you have and be proud of it.  It's taught that beauty is more than skin deep.  It's taught the value of ingenuity and good friends.  It's also become something of a local redneck icon... a friend told me she was discussing vehicles with her junior high age son and telling him her current very nice truck would be his when he turned 16.  He said seriously "No way.  I want to buy DJ's truck!"  Hahahaha

Like a lot of us, I also started with a real POS first car and it definitely made me appreciate the better cars I had later in life.  I know DJ will be leaving the Dragon behind soon as he moves on to better things but I have to admit I'll be a little sorry to see the big ole eyesore go.  I've gotten kind of fond of it.  Now if DJ would only do something to get rid of his darn school bus....