The Springfield Update.

Does that sound like a name for a newspaper?

Just like last year and the years before, Clay headed out to Springfield Thursday around lunchtime; I stayed here to work 'til closing time Friday and then go feed the birds.

I pulled out of the garage Saturday morning and was well on my way up the turnpike when I realized I had left without my pillows and also forgot to grab a blanket for the bleachers. I wasn't interested in turning around for 'em; I'd packed a towel for my hair so that was gonna have to be good enough to fill in for a spare pillow if there wasn't one in the room, and maybe I could pick up a stadium blanket with some odd local sports team on it so we'd have a soft place to sit and a souvenir too.

I love the driving, I like to feel what the car is doing, I like knowing what goes into it all; like new tires this year, two Kumhos on the front and two Goodyears, just a little bigger on the back… The Mark 8 is notably heavy and stays put fairly well, but I can still feel it loosen up just a little bit when I get just close enough to the back of a semi. With a pinch of great CD's in the changer and a good breakfast (Diet Dew & Cheez-it's) in the passenger seat beside me, I was ready to watch for cops & wrecks and just cruise right on up the highway to Joplin.

When I got out of the car at the Joplin Hobby Lobby, my two-day-old clearance-sale Avias were starting to hurt my feet, but I'd already decided I was going to check the shoes & handbags at TJ Maxx and have lunch at the mall while I was there. I parked outside TJ Maxx and made my usual compulsive pass through the handbag department; resisting the temptation of the one and only Coach bag because the color was just wrong. I checked the shoe department and also resisted temptation there because as cool as hot pink All-Stars would be, one-size-too-big is way too big for shoes that already make everybody's feet look too big. I did find a pair of Sauconys to replace my ache-inducing Avias, and then I took off toward the food court for some lunch.

Joplin's Northpark Mall was crowded just like Christmastime in a movie, and it seemed really huge. I'm still trying to figure out if it seemed so big because I'd never been there before, or if it really is bigger than any of the familiar ol' malls in Tulsa -- I'd just bet it's bigger. Every place in the food court had a line of people waiting; I ended up at Chic-Fil-A, 'cause hey, might as well get what ya know is gonna be good. I took my tray and turned around to find a place to sit. I'm not a real big fan of eating alone in public, but I plopped my purse and my TJ Maxx bag on the end of a long row of tables where there were lots of chairs between me and the next stranger. I wasn't alone for long, next thing I knew, a couple with several elementary school age little girls sat down at the same table. The dad ended up closest to me, so he and I ended up talking about chicken, Mexican food, and motorcycles with the dad while the girls chattered away with the mom.

I almost hated to get up and leave, it's hard to find those folks who are "friendly like they've known ya forever" without running into a few super-creepy ones. I have no idea if it was just that guy or if there really is a higher percentage of friendly folks in Joplin -- it was kinda cool to not feel all awkward about eating lunch alone in a crowd though… I want to see more of the Joplin mall sometime when I can stay longer; but I had to get back on the road, I had a little more driving and shopping to do before time for the races in Springfield. Once I was back out on I-44, I set the cruise and kicked my shoes off -- then turned the cruise off as soon as I'd tossed the shoes into the back seat.

I got to the first Springfield Hobby Lobby and eased the Mark 8 into the same spot where I'd parked the Limo the year before, and the ol' Velveteen Rabbit Windstar a couple years before that. It's funny how my brain seems to "take notes" when it comes to sounds and smells and situations -- like how I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Norah Jones cover "Wurlitzer Prize," or the last time I played this particular game on my iPhone was while waiting at the Dr's office, or the last time I knitted on that bag with the green cotton yarn "Bit Bang Theory" was on the TV. When I opened the car door in that parking lot and tossed my new Sauconys on the ground to step into them, the first thing I thought of was the near-migraine headache that I was trying to fight off the last time I was there -- so I tied my shoes with thankfulness on my mind; "feels so good, felin' good again." -- what a way to arrive in Springfield!

Y'all already know how I love the dirt track in Springfield, and the annual Sunday morning walk through "The Car Corral," but this year, I found out I'm crazy about something I had no idea I could like…

Branson.

The first time anybody I spent any amount of time with ever mentioned going to Branson, it was a little over ten years ago and I didn't really care either way. I probably would have went with him if he'd wanted me to, but I wasn't pushing for it and I didn't think it'd be my thing unless Bobby Bare or someone like that was there. Clay has family there though, and I'm crazy about his Aunt Linda -- so hey, it might be cool to see Branson one of these weekends…

And then I heard about The Coach Factory Outlet Store. My heavenly days, there's a Coach Outlet? Coach? Real Coach stuff at less-than-retail? Get me my car keys!

It was every bit as magical as I'd imagined, and the bag I've been waiting for an eB@y uber-deal to turn up on was only about ten steps from the door. Don't get me wrong, I made a lap of the building and checked the clearance shelves too, but I still wanted the same one that I'd wanted for a long time, and there it was… Oh, it is stunning, just stunning, the only hard part was deciding between black or tan -- and I ended up with tan, despite Clay's idea of "Just get 'em both." I came soooooo close, but I guess ya might say I halfway resisted the temptation.

I haven't made the switch yet, but I did drive home with it in the shotgun seat; and in all honesty, I did reach over and pet it a time or two…

I already wanna go back -- I can't stop thinking about "Just get 'em both," and if I find a wallet that matches this bag, it'll probably have to come home with me too.

My First "Wordless Wednesday!"

Well, okay, so it's not completely wordless, but it is freakin' awesome beyond words...

The annual trip to Springfield is usually fascinating (with the exception of that one year that I got sick from that restaurant). Clay goes on Thursday afternoon and I leave outta here about mid-day on Saturday and take my time gettin' there, which usually involves stops at multiple Hobby Lobby stores.

I always enjoy walkin' a pass through "The Car Corral," and I shoot random pictures of the stuff I like...









The weekend in Springfield also always includes a trip to the Dirt Track -- I know I've mentioned Springfield before, but it bears repeating: The place is impressive. Even this close to the end of the season, the cars are still straight and shiny 'cause they don't have anywhere near the rough-driving problem we have around here. The pre-race prayer before the National Anthem always makes me cry too.

Some of my pictures turn out kinda cool;


And some turn out kinda blurry;


But still moderately interesting;


Interesting, as in using a Front-Wheel Drive body on an obviously Rear-Wheel Drive car:


Ah, but the most interesting car in the whole bunch was this one, the two-seater Modified:


And Clay surprised me with a ride in it at intermission.


In the shotgun seat with Jerry Hoffman his-own-self;


And Clay took lots of pictures:


Along with a video of the experience:


In the interest of honesty, I showed up in Springfield with a monster of a headache. I took a teensy nap when I got to the hotel, and I took Tylenol with dinner, but it didn't completely go away 'til the first time Jerry hit the gas; and then I forgot all about it.

The two-seater Modified is an incredible experience, and if you ever get the chance to ride in one, by all means, do it!

I can't say I ever worried for my actual safety, 'cause hey, it's only one car out there, so ya know it's already safer than any Pure Stock A Feature I ever pulled out with. The only thing I really worried about was crammin' my ass into a racing seat that was visibly smaller than any of the ones I've had in my own race cars; but it worked out alright. The shotgun seat even has it's own free-spinning steering wheel; which I'd just as soon hand off to somebody who'd get a kick out of holding it, 'cause I didn't put my hands on it once we were out on the track. All I could really think about with a steering wheel that doesn't do anything was the kid mashin' all the buttons on the video game even though he hadn't put a quarter in -- it's not responding, but he's pushin' all those buttons just like he's playin' like crazy 'cause he's not smart enough to know the difference...

I'd kinda hoped it would be a bit of a learning experience, especially since the track had dried out and slicked off some -- I don't seem to do as well on a dry/slick track, so I thought it would be great to see how somebody else drove it. The whole car is boxed-in on both sides, so I didn't really get to see what he was doin', but getting a feel for it was Amazing and four laps is really just not enough when it comes right down to it.

The State Fair wouldn't know a Thrill Ride if it bit 'em...

Full Flickr Set from the whole weekend: Here.

More later. _\,,/

Back.

Last night I got the most amazing night's sleep, and I woke up thinkin' I'd write about what a fascinating dream I'd had... But... I guess turning the TV on was a bad idea, 'cause now my mind is a bit polluted from Comedy Central and that wonderful dream is sooooooooo far away.

The 4th was nice, we had a great time with the folks and nobody called anybody stupid this time. Heh heh. We had a lovely, quiet hotel room with an excellent shower and a crummy bed, but isn't that always how it is? It seems like I never sleep the first night anywhere, which means if there's only one night, well, that's what ya get. By the time we got home, I was achy and sore, but it made for a great nap.

The three-hundred-dollar car got about twenty-and-a-half miles a gallon, as figured when Clay filled it up to head home. When we got back to the house, it showed a hundred and fifty-some miles and was only down a quarter of a tank. A hundred and fifty miles on the top quarter of a tank -- if it'd get six hundred miles on a tank, I'd be so happy I wouldn't know what to do.

Still waiting for the silver Matchbox Hearses to turn up, we managed to visit two Wal-Marts on this trip. I know that sounds crazy, but hey, there's other stuff we need there -- like Diet Dr Pepper, Chex Mix and cheesy popcorn. Oh, and also a remnant of fur that looks a bit like deep-pile shag carpet, and a bit like really long possum fur.

Since we were that far from home, what's another half hour... We went to Hobby Lobby in Springdale, and I was quite pleasantly surprised! The Hobby Lobby in Springdale carries a little different stock from what's on the shelves here at home in Tulsa -- I bought my first real-deal ball of sock yarn, which I grabbed even though I didn't have a coupon, I was willing to pay full-price because it was the first time I'd seen sock yarn in a store. Just as soon as I round up some US2 needles, I'll be givin' that a shot, 'cause Robin said it'd be real easy if I'd just give it a try -- so, I'll knit my first pair with this "Cotton Candy" colored yarn from Hobby Lobby, and then once I'm sure I can do it and do it right, then I'll knit a pair with that lovely soft hand-spun, hand-dyed beautiful yarn from Robin's last Boob-Ha-Ha Auction. I am so not worthy of that yarn, it's so pretty, I don't even want to unwind it from its fluffy ball.

I really shouldn't be trying to write while the TV is on...

What else was I going to say?

Oh well... It'll come back to me... Maybe.

More later. _\,,/

Hearse Show & Leash Law Report

Our Saturday in Joplin was a pretty nice trip for us. As the only non-hearse in the bunch, The Ambulance won "Worst In Show," the plaque is oddly pretty in it's own unique way; there's something so fascinating about black glass... The weather was lovely; sunny with just enough breeze to keep it cool. We had a great time hangin' out, checkin' out hearses, and chattin' with people. I also enjoyed smiling and waving at that poor lady in the Honda Civic who made a lap around the group of us shaking her head with her hand over her mouth as if she were trying to hide her worry and silence her "nooooooooo..."

We had dinner at an interesting little place called "Red Hot & Blues" and since I'm not a big fan of barbecue (burnout, sorry), I was glad to see the part of the sign that said "BBQ & Southern Grill." Southern Grill... Oh my my, I'd go back in a heartbeat -- that steak was excellent, and the salsa was one-of-a-kind too.

On the way home, out on the Will Rogers Turnpike, just a little ways before we could see the big McDonald's up on the bridge, we were talkin' about needin' to stretch our legs and deal with my crusty contact lenses... Right about the time I made up my mind that The Glass House was gonna be the place to stop ('cause they have milkshakes there), I found something brown and squirmy right in my lane.

At 65mph or so, I couldn't really identify it, but it was dark brown, bigger than a coon or possum, probably smaller than a deer, and had at least four violently wiggling short stocky appendages pointin' upward. I couldn't miss it, I just couldn't. I'd do my best to "brake and evade" for a horse or a big ol' rodeo bull, but anything deer-size or smaller is just gonna get hit, 'cause I ain't jerkin' the wheel in anything, especially not something that rocks and sways like an E-350 with a huge box on the back.

l hit a possum with the Mark 8 a couple weeks ago, and that was a noticeable thump. The Ambulance is a lot bigger than the Mark, and this thump, even in the bigger vehicle, was a considerably bigger thump -- my foot was resting on the hump in the floor where the left front wheel is, and I felt the smack. Clay says he felt the whole truck take a bit of a jump, I was just holdin' the wheel real tight and trying to make sure we stayed in our own lane.

Okay, since there's no tellin' what that was, we should stop and look these tires over...

I was stunned by what I found -- I've made some roadkills before, but I've never had any actual messes to clean up afterward.





Just as we pulled in and parked, there was a pickup that parked a row over that had just exited ahead of us -- there were two cowboy-lookin' dogs in the back and one jumped out to try & follow the people into the building. I could be wrong, but I think the humans might have been lookin' around for a third doggy.

Ten or fifteen years ago, I might've been freaked-out by that, but hey, I'd bet the fall from the pickup really boogered the little fella up -- by smackin' it with a front tire and then a set of duals, I'm sure I ended a horrible moment of severe misery.

That's what I'm tellin' myself, anyway.

I just hope nobody ended up risking their life to walk the median and whistle for their little buddy in hopes that he'd landed safely and not been hit yet...

Helena '07

What we do when it's not Racing Season...

The annual Helena Weekend was quite nice, I'm glad I got to go this year -- especially considering that I skipped last year. I was also quite stunned when I got out of the car and the lady who runs the hotel remembered me immediately. I had a nice time at the festival; and I also got a huge laugh out of hearing the "Preacher" tellin' about the "Evils of it all" on the radio Sunday Morning as we were leaving. Yes, I capitalized "Evils" there, because that's how important this guy made it all sound...

The weather was much, much warmer than anybody had figured, and I was very glad we'd planned for rain -- a pair of umbrellas is also quite handy for extreme sun, and I was glad to have 'em. Saturday afternoon, I held my "Fairy Umbrella" up to shade the top of me, and wedged my little-tiny-fits-in-tote-bag umbrella into the center of my chair frame so that it shaded my legs to keep me free of sunburn, and also shaded my bag to keep my granola bars from melting. I got to thinkin', in all these years, the "Fairy Umbrella" has probably only been out of the trunk of my car maybe three or four times in the ten years or so that I've had it. It's a little grubby, but it's not really showin' any wear. What the hell is a "Fairy Umbrella," you ask? Well, it's a reasonably large blue & white traditional umbrella (it doesn't fold up small), and I picked it up in my driveway several years ago -- probably right around the time the SHO was new -- and it was just layin' right in the center of the driveway right about where you'd expect to find the newspaper. We live on a dead-end street in an older neighborhood where each house sits on 2.5 or more acres, so we're not really close to anybody; it's not like finding something in a Subway Train or on a Metro Bus. I picked it up out of the middle of my own driveway, and I live in relative-country-nowhere -- so I figure The Umbrella Fairy must've left it for me.

My un-cropped, un-zoomed view of the stage, from under my Fairy Umbrella.

In the earlier parts of the day, when I wasn't trying to balance two umbrellas, I wedged the smaller one into the back of my chair so I could knit.



A little past halfway into my third knit of this particular pattern (my first two were solid, this is my first stripedy one), this festival was the first time I've pulled out my knitting bag in the midst of a huuuuge crowd. I've done a little knitting at the Hockey games, but I only get it out during intermission and most everybody's gone then. This weekend was my first experience with "actual public knitting," and it was pretty cool. I met a knitter who told me about an afghan she was working on, and I also met a Librarian from Texas who was a crocheter and seamstress.

I'm getting closer and closer to finishing this hot pink & black sweater; so then I can flip a coin to decide if I'm going to learn more about socks and shop for Christmas gifts, or put off socks (again) and start knittin' for Christmas...

Viva Velvetteen Rabbit Theory!!

Apparently, it works.

Remember that sweet little story "The Velvetteen Rabbit?" The details have escaped me over the years, but the general gist of it all has certainly stuck. "A child's love will make you real!" It's about believing; that's where "The Velvetteen Rabbit Theory" comes from. I've come to the conclusion that believing is important; like believing that the ol' three-colored Windstar with the iffy transmission would make the trip to Springfield and back even though it chattered pretty hard when I pulled out of the QuickTrip in Claremore. I'm guessing that some people, okay, most people, would've turned around and headed back home at that point; but I figured that if it had enough left to go as long as it had, it surely had enough left to go a little further.

Don't get me wrong, I have no real idea how to quantify Transmission Failure by feel other than when it's gone, it's gone; it's just that I figure that if it's slipping a little bit now, it'll surely slip a little bit for a while and then most likely get a little worse before it's completely gone like some of the goners we've had turn up around here. Since the slipping usually occurs at low speeds and usually in first or second gear; I also figure that a 600-mile highway trip shouldn't be quite so taxing as 600 miles around town since highway driving involves mostly fourth or occasionally third gear.

I ain't gonna lie to ya, I knew it was a little risky, but ya know, my head's like a rock -- I wanted to go, I wanted to drive somethin' big enough to haul back some stuff if I decided to, so I went. I figured if the transmission gave up, I'd still have cold A/C, and I'd have lots of room to stretch out and get comfy, put on a movie, and knit a bit while I waited. I figured that if it gave out in Springfield, I could rent a tow-dolly and we'd just haul it back home; and I even found one for sale, I could've bought one if I'd decided to. If it gave out in Oklahoma, Clay's AAA Card would get it home. Maybe having a "backup plan" or two helped as well, but I really didn't think I'd need either back-up plan, and it turned out I didn't.

I left outta here thinkin' I was going to get comfy in my seat, eat a candy bar, drink a 'dew, and listen to some short stories all while getting to Springfield and back without having any problems I couldn't handle, so I did, and it worked. I can't help but compare the situation with someone leaving here to head to midtown Tulsa, grumbling and bitching, and then ending up grumbling and bitching beside the highway with a broken truck ten minutes into what would've been a twenty minute drive; but I'm not gettin' into a rant about that damn drunk, not today...

I had a nice time in MO, it was a nice short little trip for the most part. I enjoyed the drive, and the iPod -- I know I've said this before, but if you've ever thought about gettin' one, get one, you'll love it; I still wish I hadn't waited so long to buy mine. Other than gettin' siiiiiiiiick Saturday night, I had a great time -- I'm not goin' back to that restaurant next time, but I really would like to go back to the Dirt Track in Springfield; it was a nice show and I was impressed. They said a little prayer before the national anthem and I thought it was real nice to hear 'em ask for a "clean, safe night of racing and a safe trip home for all of us."

A Clean, Safe Night Of Racing. God bless 'em, each and every one. I know, deep down, that seeing it from a seat in the stands really doesn't compare to seeing it from a seat with a wheel in my hands, but I really think there was a difference in the driving there. There wasn't a lot of obvious beatin'-bangin'-leanin'-bankin'-rammin' like I've seen way too much of over the years. Lots of the cars were still straight and shiny even this far into the season, and I was stunned to see 'em side-by-side and sometimes three or four wide without touchin' even in hotlaps; and I saw several occasions where they were actually using the brakes to keep from hitting each other. Yes, seriously, when ya let out to set it in and turn, the car behind you lets out too instead of just bashing into you, and after gettin' rammed a couple times at a couple different tracks, I started to wonder if the guy behind me had trouble figuring out there happened to be a car there. I'm also really diggin' that black & orange Ford that was just off and gone for the heat race and then won the feature too...

The swap-meet was huge, but my T-Tops-from-the-Ex didn't sell; I'm thinkin' about puttin' 'em on Cr@igsL!st. Maybe I'll offer to trade 'em for a Dremel Set, an ArtCarved ring, and a 2002 Ch!li Bowl T-shirt, since that's what I couldn't ever get back from the ex who can't seem to be enough of a grown-up to act respectable on the phone, let alone give my stuff back or get his stuff back.

I guess since I'm "being the grown-up" in that situation, getting a little cash for 'em on Cr@igsL!st is a better, more mature option than smashing them into a Wal-Mart bag and leaving it in his front yard... Since he claimed he "had multiple personalities"* and was also seen cuttin' up somethin' white and powdery on the kitchen table, who knows, maybe he doesn't even remember the Camaro or the T-Tops; it might even be a mystery as to where the ring and the T-shirt and the Dremel came from, and the humor of a million tiny pieces of mirrory glass in a plastic bag would be completely lost on him. Or at least on the other six of his seven "personalities." Heh.

* : I'm not passing judgement on people with mental-health issues; I'm just takin' a poke at that guy who walked out of a movie about a schizophrenic criminal and then turned to me and said, "Did I ever tell you I have multiple personalities?" Seriously... And if he's reading this, uhm, hey, I don't care about your nasty attitude, I don't care about the damn Dremel, but I would really like to have my ring and my clothes back. I really don't give a damn about keepin' these T-Tops either, so if you want 'em, get over here and get 'em out of my way, it won't bother me a bit just as long as you leave your childish personalitles at home, send the guy in his thirties, okay? I don't do well with kids.

More later... _\,,/