Throwback Thursday: Bicycle Ruth

The following account was written by my dad, John McGuire, via email in 2002. The events themselves took place in the late 70’s.

Ruth Ann, or “Bicycle Ruth” as she was known by some, lived on the street

where we grew up. She was not the smartest or most refined of the residents of Prospect Place. Nonetheless, she provided year round entertainment. I remember one summer, sitting on my front porch enjoying the shade, when I looked up to see a tow truck coming down the street. There was no car behind it so I wondered who had called it. It stopped in front of the neighbors’ house, and out climbed Ruth Ann and her son, David. The driver went around to the back of the back of the truck, lifted her bicycle off, and put it on the ground. Ruth Ann looked up at the neighbor and said, “The d- -n bicycle had a flat!”

I could only surmise that she had telephoned the auto club and told them she had a flat tire and they sent a tow truck to help. I can’t imagine what the tow truck driver must’ve thought when he found out what the deal was. Ruth Ann evidently talked him into taking her, her son, and the bicycle home.

My favorite story is her adventure with gardening. The houses on Prospect Place had driveways that went from the street to under the house. Between the retaining wall of the drive and the pavement to the front porch steps there was a stretch of lawn that was about four feet wide. Between the steps and the drive most people planted flowers or shrubbery. Ruth Ann decided she wanted to grow carrots. It didn’t look as pretty as flowers, but the carrots did grow. When harvest time came, she went out to pull them up. One carrot stuck tight, so she planted a foot on either side, grabbed hold of it with both hands and pulled for all she was worth. It held for a while and then suddenly gave way. She lost her balance and went tumbling over the retaining wall into the driveway.