I got a Ross with spokes, instead of BMX

[Brian37]

Speeking of flying over the handlebars. That same bike in my op. Once I built a make shift ramp on the sidewalk, just a concrete block, and plywood. I never did figure out how to jump anything and land on my back wheel. So one day, I build that ramp, back myself up to gain momentum, peddled as fast as I could, hit the ramp. I have never had any uper body strength. So of course the front wheel hits the sidewalk first. But it was at such an angle I went forward over the handlebars. Landed hands first, broke my left middle finger. 

After my mom took me to the hospital, they put the old plaster cast on my hand and wrist and arm. I had a huge metal stint sticking out of my cast keeping my middle finger streight. I was not allowed to raise that hand in class, because the middle finger stuck out. Some assholes however, reported my mom to CPS shortly after I came home.

---

S&H Green Stamps? Correct me if I am wrong, but is that like Benson & Hedges stamps? My mom collected Benson & Hedges cigarrette stamps to get free stuff. She also handed those to me to keep me busy. Is that what you are talking about too?

I'm not familiar with the Benson and Hedges program.  Mom and dad collected the Green Stamps at the gas station and the grocery store.  They had little machines to dispense them.  IIRC, there were two denominations so two sizes of stamps.  One for every $10.00 spent and one smaller stamp for every $1.00 spent that didn't add up to ten.  The little books had pages with squares marked to take one size or the other.  You filled the books and purchased things with them out of a catalog.

Benson & Hedges is a ciggarette brand. Back in the 70s and 80s, they put stamps in every pack, and they had a tract sized cateloge in the carton which allowed you to chose a multitude of crap, like camping equipment, kitchen items, just about anything, and if you collected enough stamps, you could order the item from the cateloge.

But, even if what you are talking about isn't a ciggaratte company  marketing ploy, it seems to be the same ploy.

---

My first bike that was mine (as opposed to a hand-me-down) was a Raleigh three-speed. My fondest memory of it is being chased by an angry ram across a neighbour’s field. I got away with my bones intact, if not my dignity. Loved that machine.

And Ranjr’s nut-skewering story is going to give me nightmares, I just know it.

Boru

Was the ram's name Jack Youngblood, Decon Jones, or Fred Dryer? I'd be scared too if any of them were chasing me.