Derby

On Saturday, Sweet Daughter and Shorter Half participated in the local Powder Puff Derby (think Pinewood Derby for the Girl Scouts). The Boy Scouts had their Pinewood Derby two weeks earlier, and someone said they had 17 entries. The girls? Close to 80. Yeah. They weren’t prepared for that.

It's hard to focus when your subject is bouncing around like a squirrel on meth.

It was a single elimination tournament, and SD won her first heat, and came in second in her second heat. While she didn't place in the racing, she did win the medal for the “Most Patriotic” design. A flag in the front, and butterflies and flowers in the back – we called it “America the Beautiful”. But her favorite part? She insisted on a little round orange sticker on the back, with “Guns Save Lives” written on it.  Yup. Just like those on the family cars.

Projects

Let's see ... I've been working on these and they're almost done:

And there was this little project for Michael W. (cutler to the stars). Bless his heart ... if it involves a needle and thread, he figures I'm good at it. I haven't done any real embroidery work in ... um, I think I did something with yarn for my sister when I was in first grade. Counted cross-stitch just isn't the same. I won't tell you how many times I ripped those stars out and started over, but I quit counting after 6 or 7 attempts. Well, that and the fact he told me needed it at the end of January which translated into needing it in his hands on by today. The photo is horrid, but it hides a multitude of sins. I haven't decided if this has poisoned me on embroidery/crewel work altogether, or if it's now something I need to do more of to prove to myself that I can.



These are on the back of a Civil War sailor something-or-other.

Then there are the skirts ...

Sweet Daughter is in Daisy Scouts. In two weeks time, all the Girl Scouts in the county are getting together for "World Thinking Day". Each troop is representing a country, and is doing a dance and providing food samples, and stamping passports and the like. Her Troop is representing France. Their dance is the can-can. For some reason, I thought that by volunteering to make the costumes (skirts), I could help control the cost. Somehow, I neglected to see how many I needed to make. Look forward to more info on that as we get closer to the event as I'm having problems finding enough inexpensive fabric. Even Joann Fabrics online doesn't have enough in stock. Wish me luck, and send rum.

Just so you know ...

Just so you know this is on purpose, not just lack of content.

Image from here,  and here, and a bunch of other places.

Go read Peter and Alan to see why.

Tractor Pr0n

Tractor Pr0n for the Adaptive Curmudgeon.

I learned to drive a clutch on a 1930's Massey-Ferguson. But these have been sitting on the edge of my mechanic's lot for months and I think of The AC every time I drive past them.

Review Haiku

Uncle Oinker's Savory Bacon Mints

Image from here.

Dusty white gems taste

like Bac~Os® dipp'd in Colgate

Short answer: Just don’t.

Friday the 13th

Car won't start, and won't take a jump.

School bus had a substitute driver and went right past us this morning. Luckily, she saw me chasing her down the road and stopped so I could get Sweet Daughter on board. Apparently our house isn't on the pick-up sheet.

Called my mechanic and they're sending a tow truck out for me, and only about an hour after the original call. Things are looking up. Unless, of course, this is supposed to lull me into a false sense of security before the next round hits.

UPDATE:
Good news: The car was en route to the garage an hour after I called for a tow.
Bad news: It was the battery.
Good news: It was still under warranty.
Bad news: It needed new brakes in front.
Good news: We caught it before it got down to the rotors.
Bad news: The dome light still didn't stay fixed.
Good news: The substitute bus driver remembered to bring Sweet Daughter home.

All in all, this was just an (expensive) inconvenience. I wasn't trying to get out of town early for the long weekend. I wasn't stranded with Sweet Daughter 30 miles away in town. All in all it could have been much worse.

Linked by a car blog!

A very nice gentleman named John from My First Car e-mailed me and asked if he could use my story about Mr. Valiant.

Linked by a car blog. What I know about cars can be writen on the inside of a matchbook with a grease pencil. The next thing you know, JayG will be asking me about Harleys, Tam will ask my opinion about pistols, Brigid will want pointers on poetry, and Alan Gura will be asking me for legal advice.

Anyhow, go check him out, and if you like, offer to share your first car story with him.