The Pyrex Collective

I just wrote my first post over at The Pyrex Collective, all about the Primary Colored Pyrex mixing bowls that I inherited from my great-aunt.  I know that I blogged about these here on the Shack about a year ago, but I have many new readers since then, so I'm mentioning them again.  If you're interested, you can read my post here.

Attic Find

While digging around in Mom and Dad's attic recently for a completely different purpose, I came across a vintage lamp that I bought years ago (think my early teen years).  I have loved 50s stuff forever, and this was among my first vintage purchases.  I'm sure that I got it really cheap as my auction and garage sale budget each week was no more than $5.  I thought about it earlier this summer, but thought that I had sold it in a garage sale, so imagine my excitement when I found it in a paper sack in the attic.  Now I just need to find a cool shade for it.  I think that may be a little more difficult.  Sorry it's a little dirty - I need to take some time and really clean it up.

Have a great Tuesday!

1960 Cadillac

Good morning, class.  I hope that you all had a restful weekend!  This morning, to start the day we have a filmstrip!  Yes, I knew that you would be excited!  Mick, would you please turn the filmstrip advance knob on the projector when you hear the beep?  Thank you.  Christine, would you please turn off the lights?  Thanks.  Maria, please start the record player and put the needle on the record!  You are such great students!

Class, I hope you all enjoyed this special treat!  Your assignment is to tell me which classic car you would like to see sitting in your driveway.  Now, it's time for recess!

eBay

I know that we all like to at least window shop eBay.  I make very few purchases on there anymore as shipping prices are insane, and make the items I'm looking at unreasonable.  However, I have purchased a few pieces of Pyrex on eBay this week.  I've made more eBay purchases in the past week than I did all summer.  Anyway, I have a little rant that I want to share and get off my chest.  One of the things that I am asked to rate a seller on when I give feedback is their communication.  If you want to get full stars from me for communication, I expect to actually HEAR FROM YOU!  I've had many sellers in the past never update me on when my items ship, or for that matter give me any other kind of communication.  When I purchase from you online, I expect the same courtesy that I would get if I bought that item in a shop.  I really want to receive a short email from you (not one that is automatically generated by PayPal when you mark the item shipped - although I do appreciate getting shipping notification).  I want a seller that sends me a short personalized email saying something to this effect: "Thank you for purchasing ***item name** from me on eBay.  I appreciate your business.  I will be shipping your item **time frame for item shipment**.  I have carefully packed your item to ensure that it arrives safely.  If everything is to your satisfaction when your item arrives I would appreciate positive feedback and I will be leaving positive feedback for you as well."

I know that many sellers have many items to ship daily.  I know that sending this personal message is a little extra work.  Really all that you need to do is keep it saved on your computer, copy and paste the message into an email, fill in the areas that need to be customized, click send, and boom, a nice personal note that is not eBay or PayPal generic.  This little note is what makes a good seller a great seller, and keeps me coming back to look at more of your items.  It may sound trivial, but when you are selling on eBay you are running a little business, and if you expect friendly customer service from an actual shop that you walk into, the same should be expected from eBay.

Thanks for reading Cul-De-Sac Shack!  Have a great Saturday!

Movie Friday: The Greatest Show on Earth

This week is the town fair here in my little piece of heaven town.  It is something that we all look forward to and four days of people coming back to town to reunite with each other, enjoy lots of great food, see the livestock exhibits, the art exhibits, the jars of home canned goods, quilts, pumpkins, watermelons, many other types of home grown produce, knitting, embroidery, and I could go on and on.  It's a four day event that ends on midnight Saturday, with a parade around the town square on Saturday afternoon.  I've helped set up our church youth stand, and I've worked the stand two nights in a row.  I'm pooped!  Tonight I get to just enjoy the fair and not work.  Then tomorrow night I get to be ready to take everything down at midnight.  It's amazing - until midnight Saturday it is full of people, by Sunday morning, when I drive to church, everything is gone, and there are almost no remnants of the big celebration.

Anyway, I was in the mood for a fair-type movie, but couldn't think of one.  So, I went for a circus movie.  The Greatest Show on Earth is a great classic from 1952.

Please forgive me for copying the following information from the YouTube video information.  I'm just too exhausted to do any research today!

"Release: 10 January 1952
Running Time: 152 min
Awards: Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations
Producer: Cecil B. DeMille
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Writer: Fredric M. Frank, Barré Lyndon, Theodore St. John
Cast: Betty Hutton (Holly), Cornel Wilde (The Great Sebastian),Charlton Heston (Brad Braden),Dorothy Lamour (Phyllis)
Genre: Drama, Family, Romance
Domestic Total Gross: $36 million
[IMDB.COM][BOXOFFICEMOJO.COM]"

Have a great Friday!

Glasbake / Fire King Week, Day 4: Odds and Ends

Can someone please fill me in as to what this grape design Fire King piece is supposed to be used for, other than the cabinet filler that it has been for quite a while?  I'm thinking that it might be a planter, but I'm not convinced that filling it with soil for a little plant would be too attractive - too much light travels through this milk glass.

Fire King mugs and cups!  I love the colorful mugs on the left, especially the front two that I got at that auction last Saturday!

A close up of the Fire King cups from the above photo.  They'll look nice on the three saucers that I have in the following pattern, even though it is different.  Who says I can't mix and match?

Here's a better picture of the Jadite cup that I also purchased at that auction last Saturday.

I like the fun hen and rooster pattern on this Glasbake mug.  Another find from the sale last Saturday.

Finally, a set of 7 Fire King ramekins or custard cups.  I'm thinking that creme brulee is sounding pretty good!

Thanks for hanging around during Glasbake / Fire King Week!  I think that pretty much wraps up all of my bakeware now!  Come back tomorrow for Movie Friday!

Glasbake / Fire King Week, Day 3: Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me???

How is it that I didn't know that Federal Glass also made milk glass type baking dishes?

I found this sunflower patterned Federal Glass baking dish at my favorite little junk shop last week for $1.49.  I though it was Glasbake when I first saw it!  Imagine my surprise to find that it had the Federal Glass marking on the bottom!  How did I not know this existed?

Have a great Wednesday!  Tomorrow I will finish up Glasbake / Fire King Week!

Glasbake / Fire King Week, Day 2: Fire King

As I said yesterday, I don't have any information to identify patterns for Fire King of Glasbake, so please forgive me.  I picked up this set of three blue / yellow gold Candleglow patterned Fire King baking dishes at an estate auction almost 2 years ago now.  I believe that I gave $5 for the set, but it's been a while.  I do know that they were cheap!  The sale was at a little broken-down house that the woman had lived in all her life - and it was in almost untouched condition, except that no maintenance had been done, so I think that the condition of the house might have kept people away.  There were a lot of great finds at this sale!

I picked up these two Cornflower Blue Fire King baking dishes at that auction that I attended last Saturday.  I picked up both pieces for only $5.

This dish is the same size as the center dish in the first photo.  One thing that I have noticed on Fire King / Anchor Hocking is that their manufacturing process could be a little sloppy when the designs were applied.  I had an Anchor Hocking loaf pan one time that the design was way off center, and the design on the back of this piece is centered, but it is crooked.  I appreciate that I can get a couple of Fire King pattern names from the Pyrex Love website.  The pattern of the above piece is Meadow Green.

Was Fire King cheaper than Pyrex?  I have yet to come across any Pyrex with such poor attention to detail.

Finally, who wouldn't want to eat up the pie baked in this pie plate?  How else are you going to be able to see the great design?  This is the only clear piece of Fire King that I have in my collection.

Monday Night Laughs

Okay, after a long Monday, I feel the need to spread some cheer.  After all, if we're going to make it through the week, this day needs to end well!

Have a great evening!

Glasbake / Fire King Week!

After having Pyrex Week all last week, I had a request from Maria from over at Shallow Thoughts from Iowa to have a Glasbake Week.  Well, I don't really have very much Glasbake, so this week will be a combination Glasbake and Fire King Week. (Maybe a surprise from yet another company as well :P)

I'll start the week with Glasbake though.  Today I have two divided dishes to share.  The one above has pinkish floral stems on it, with the printing on both sides of the dish.  I have not yet discovered a good website for identification of either Glasbake or Fire King patterns, so if you know of one, would you kindly post it in the comments section?  Thanks!

Second is this gray and light blue starburst pattern divided dish.  The light blue is really hard to see.  This piece is unmarked Glasbake, but you can tell exactly what it is when you sit it next to the pink floral piece.  The printed design is only one side of this piece.

I need another divided dish like I need another hole in my head.  I don't use the ones that I have, and I have only picked up the ones that I have because I liked the patterns!

Have a great Monday!

Two Boxes...

...is all that I brought home from the estate sale I attended yesterday.

But, two boxes can hide a lot of things!  Let's take a look!

Pyrex!  A big 2 1/2 quart Number 045 Snowflake Blue casserole dish with the matching lid.  Not a flaw on it, that I have found.  I love picking up new Pyrex pieces in patterns that I don't have yet.  I was attracted to this auction because they listed it as having Pyrex, so I drove a half hour to go to it.  This casserole was all the Pyrex they had beside some newer clear pieces.  I felt a little let down.  Anyway, snatched this huge casserole up for $7.

A little about the sale.  It was held inside the American Legion Hall in the little town that I teach in.  I had never been to a sale conducted by this auctioneer before, and I don't plan to ever go to one again.  It was unusual in that at every estate auction that I attend, the people stand and go along the different tables of items to be sold.  This sale had everyone sitting in chairs to bid on items as they were held up.  This didn't bother me, I just sat by one of my coworkers and we chatted quietly while we waited for items we were interested in to come up for sale.  What did bother me was the way that the auctioneer jumped around the sale.  I think he had auctioneer ADHD.  He would sell some of the glassware, and just when he was getting close to an item that I was interested in, he would move halfway around the room and sell some furniture, a quilt or two, and then go back to the small stuff.  There were items that were on the front table of stuff that he announced would be the first things to sell, and once the table was cleared he would sell some furniture while the auction workers moved items from other tables up to the main table to sell.  I don't have a problem with that, as long as you do it.  The problem is that he didn't do what he said he would do.  There were some items on each end of the table that hadn't sold yet when he moved on.  They ended up selling the items that I wanted (which were on the first sale table) at almost the end of the sale.  I had to leave, so I left a bid with my coworker so that I could get to a family activity in the afternoon.  She did get those items for me, and I'll share them next week sometime after I get them.  Another thing that turned me off of this auctioneer was that he yelled at everyone for talking because he couldn't hear.  He wasn't even nice about it.  He could have said something like, "I would appreciate it if there was not so much noise as I am having a hard time hearing the buyers."  That's not how he handled it.  Let's just say that when I am there to buy items which will net the auctioneer a commission, I expect some manners.  I left after he yelled at everyone.

Anyway, on to the rest of my finds:

A Marcrest Daisy Dot pattern cookie jar.  This is ovenproof stoneware, although why anyone would want to put a cookie jar in the oven beats me...  This piece is also in pristine condition.  I picked it up for the same price as the Pyrex - $7. (This and the Pyrex account for half of the money I spent yesterday).

A souvenir Missouri wall hanging plate.

15 gold wheat pattern glasses and one matching juice glass.  $2 for the set.

Fun little lidded dish.  Sugar bowl?  I'm not sure.  $1.

A couple of Fire King mugs (I love these!) and a mug with kitchen utensils on it.  The utensil mug looks like a Pyrex-type material, but there is no manufacturer marking on the bottom.  $1 for the mugs.  Also picked up a Jadite square shaped cup which I believe is Fire King's Charm design.  $2.

A bunch of stuff that I have put in the box of items to be donated to the thrift store the next time I go there.

There are a few things that I did not share today that I will share this week.  Since last week was Pyrex Week, I had a request from Maria to make this week Glasbake Week.  Well, I don't have enough Glasbake to last an entire week, so this week will be a combination of Glasbake and Fire King Week (and any other interesting bakeware that fits in with the theme)!  So, I better get busy going through the kitchen cabinets to get everything pulled out so I can take pictures!

Have a great Sunday!

Some of My Favorite Pyrex Patterns...

...can be found in these listings!

Thought this would be a fun way to close Pyrex Week.  Have a great weekend!

Please note - I am not affiliated with any of the sellers in the above listings nor do I receive any financial benefit (or any other benefit) for sharing these with you.

Movie Friday: That Touch of Mink

This fun 1962 film, starring Doris Day and Cary Grant along with Audrey Meadows and Gig Young follows in the tradition of other Day films, such as Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back.

The film brought Grant back into the spotlight but seemed to have a somewhat opposite effect on Day. 

Some fun facts about the film:

* This was Grant's 69th film.
* Day was paid $750,000 for her role as Kathy Timberlake
* Grant was paid $600,000 plus a percentage for his role as Philip Shane
* This was the first film to break over $1,000,000 at a single theater, which was Radio City Music Hall in New York.

For more information on this film, and other films in which Doris Day starred, please visit The Films of Doris Day.

Pyrex Week, Day 4 - Odds and Ends

Today I'm sharing everything that I haven't already shared this week.  Mostly they are pieces that don't really match anything else that I have.  I guess you could say that they are orphans!

A small 1 1/2 pint mixing bowl in Butterfly Gold.  This is one of the pieces that I forgot I had until I found it when I was getting the other pieces out for this week.  It's in good shape, but it isn't my favorite pattern.

A 473 - B casserole dish in Woodland pattern.  This one didn't come with a lid.  A newer piece as it is marked microwave safe on the bottom.  Another piece that is in good shape, but not my favorite pattern.

Imagine my surprise when I realized what I originally thought (when I bought it) was a small casserole dish was actually a yellow refrigerator dish from the Primary color set.  Piece number 503.  Unfortunately it has a chip in one of the handles, but otherwise the finish is in good vintage condition.  Just normal small nicks in the yellow finish.  This one is also missing it's lid.

6 Pyrex plates with a Lime Green? rim.  Two of them are larger, my guess would be that they are salad plates, with the other four plates a smaller size that I would imagine were intended to be dessert plates.  The salad plates look like they have been used in the dishwasher as the finish is dull and the small plates shine.  Stamped on the back "Made in U.S.A. Pyrex."

Two carafes with gold designs.  The piece on the left has starbursts, not sure what the piece on the right is.  I think that I have shared these in the past.

Finally, I have this little Pyrex piece with a chrome lid.  I have no idea what it is for, but my guess would be to place it as a piece that would have been used in a doctor's office for something like cotton swabs.  Can anybody provide any more information on this piece?

This wraps up Pyrex week.  Thanks for sticking with me this week.  I have never tried a whole theme week before, and so I though I would give it a shot.  Come back tomorrow for Movie Friday!

Pyrex Week, Day 3: Spring Blossom

Today I have two pieces of Spring Blossom to share, one piece from each of the two different Spring Blossom patterns.

Both pieces are clear glass lidded casserole dishes.

The piece on the left is a 475-B 2 1/2 quart casserole in "Spring Blossom 2" (according to Pyrex Love).  The bottom is marked that it is safe for microwave use, so I know that it is newer.  Also, the piece feels thinner than my older pieces - has anybody else noticed this with newer Pyrex pieces?

The piece on the right is a 473 1 quart casserole in "Spring Blossom 1".  This piece appears to be older, as the stamping on the bottom does not mention microwave use, just stating that it is "ovenware". 

Come back tomorrow for the final installment of Pyrex Week!

Pyrex Week, Day 2: Oval Dishes

Today I have two oval dishes to share.  I seem to have many oval pieces, but most of them are Fire King and Glasbake, so I won't be sharing those this week.  I have two oval pieces of Pyrex.

First up:

A number 33 (? it's the only number on the bottom besides the capacity) 1 1/2 quart oval non-divided dish.  Snowflake pattern, white on Charcoal.  Very attractive!  Looks like production of this pattern began in 1957, but I am unsure when production ended.  I love this piece, and the color combination is the least common of the snowflake color combinations.  I'm imagining it filled with macaroni and cheese this winter!  Yum!  Comfort food in a vintage dish.

Next:

This divided oval dish is piece number 16 (?) and is also a 1 1/2 quart capacity piece.  The pattern on this piece is Early American, with gold figures on a brown background.  The clear lid is in excellent condition as is the dish itself.  Actually, this piece is so perfect, I question if it was ever even used!  According to Pyrex Love, this pattern was manufactured beginning in 1961, but I do not know when the pattern was discontinued.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for more!

Pyrex Week!

Okay, so after sharing my turquoise refrigerator dish set Saturday, I got to digging through my cabinets and realized that I have quite a few Pyrex pieces that I haven't shared with y'all.  So, today I'm declaring this Pyrex week - every post (except for Movie Friday) will be some vintage Pyrex that I have collected.  (I'll leave out the Fire King and Glasbake, etc.)

In the past I have shared my Primary color mixing bowl set, which dates from the late 1940s, my Turquoise refrigerator dishes, and an odd piece whenever I come across one.  I may have a repeat or two this week as I can't remember what all I have posted (Hey, after 300 plus posts, things get a little fuzzy!).  If that happens, I apologize!

Today I'm starting out with the round casserole dishes.

First up:

This 1 1/2 quart 023 dish features the Blue Wheat pattern (all pattern names were taken from Pyrex Love).  According to the Pyrex Love site, this is listed as a promotional pattern.  No information is given as to the type of promotion.  Can anybody fill me in?

Next:

Two 024 2 quart dishes.  The piece on the left is in Lime Green, and unfortunately no longer has it's lid.  The piece on the right is in Red, I believe.  The red dish still has it's original lid.

So, there you have it.  Day 1 is finished.  Come back tomorrow for more!

Oh, I've also added some new Pyrex pieces to my Etsy favorites.  You can see them all by clicking on the Etsy widget on the left.  (I don't get any compensation of any kind for sharing this with you.)

Oooohhhh.....Pyrex!

So, on Thursday, my last day before returning to work, I went to the local antique mall to look around.  Most of the stuff in this place is insanely overpriced and I almost never buy anything.  But, they have some of the most amazing things in there.

Mick's recent blog post about his quest to piece together a Primary color Pyrex refrigerator dish set had me thinking that a Primary set would be great to go along with my Primary mixing bowls, which have been in my family since the late 40's, from what I have gathered from my grandma and great aunt.

I had found a complete set of them in what looked to be very nice condition in an antique store in a nearby town last Saturday for the price of $40.  I wasn't sure if that was a decent price or not, but after doing some research on complete sets, I believe that is at the lower end of the price range.

Anyway, I was combing through the overpriced antique store here in town Thursday, and walked into one of the three booths that a guy I know has set up.  The first thing that I noticed was the "15% Off Anything over $20" sign.  Hmm...he has a lot of neat things in his booth.  Lots of Jadeite, Frankoma dinner set, some great antique vases, a bunch of vintage aluminum beverage ware, antique radios, old toys...you name it, he probably had it.  Then I saw it.  A complete set.  All with lids.  And on sale!

It's not the Primary color set, but who could pass up this amazing set of turquoise Pyrex refrigerator dishes?  The large piece has a chip in the part of the lid that fits down inside the bowl, but when the lid is on, you can't see it.  Since it was on sale, I managed to get it for just over $30.  Not the usual bargains that I find and share, but still I feel like I got a decent deal!  And the turquoise color?  Well, it sure puts a smile on my face!

Movie Friday: Little Heroes

Today's movie is a touching story of a little girl from a poor family and her dog.

The following plot summary comes from IMDb:

"A girl named Charley Wilson and her loyal dog named "Fuzz" are 2 best friends. Charley is anxoius to make new friends. She and Fuzz are befriended by Alonzo, a gruff old farmer. Another girl named Carol Evans befriends her and then Charley is coldly rejected by Carol's wealthy, prejudiced mother. Charley has another friend named Fritz and they play sometimes and have fun. Finally, Charley is invited to Carol's birthday party and on the day of Carol's party, Charley goes to she store and Carol's mother is in there, Charley tells the butcher she is going to Carol's party and Carol's mother overhears. She tells Charley she would not fit in with the others and to not come, Charley felt awful. Then, Alonzo is in serious trouble when a bailor cuts his thumb off and Charley and Fuzz make a rescue test of life and death for their love for Alonzo. Written by mountain91"

The movie is much better than the above plot makes it sound.  Normally I like to provide information from Wikipedia on the movies that I share as they have better written and more in-depth information.  However, I was unable to find this movie in Wikipedia.

The movie was a low-budget film from 1992.  You can view the IMDb page for the movie here.  I personally think that the user rating for the movie is a little low.  It wasn't a big budget film, and it shows, but it is still a great story.

Have a great Friday.  It's my first day back to work for the new school year, and somehow I can't get over the fact that teachers have to be back on Friday the 13th!

The Restored Lamp

I purchased this lamp at a garage sale when I was much younger for 50 cents.  The original blond finish was flaking off of it badly and it had to be completely stripped.  Working with my grandfather, who passed away almost 11 year ago (my how time flies!) we sanded it down, cleaned up the brass post (which needs to be done again) and refinished the wood.  I really wanted a true blond finish, but at that time that materials weren't available to me to achieve that finish, so I went with a natural finish on the wood.  I've thought about redoing it again, but since it was a project with my grandfather, I think that I'll leave it as is.

The lamp now lives in my old bedroom at Mom and Dad's house with the Heywood Wakefield bedroom set.  A great place for it, in my opinion!

My Heywood Wakefield...

...finally has been set up in it's new home, and I think that it looks great!  It's in my old bedroom at my parent's house.  Mom was looking for a bedroom set for the room as they converted it from "my room" several months ago into the "guest room".  Kind of makes me feel like my presence has been erased from the house!

Anyway, talked Mom into this great color of turquoise for the walls (which is the same color that I used in my bathroom and still haven't warmed up to - the bathroom may be in for a repaint).  I really like the color in the bedroom though.  And, with the light colored Heywood Wakefield bedroom set that I bought for a steal last fall ($170!), I think it has a great 1950s vibe beginning.  Mom is still in the process of picking out a bedspread and curtains for the room, but I wanted to share it anyway!

Haunted House...Continued

As a follow-up to my post earlier today, here is a photo of the historic (haunted looking) house shortly after it was built, and before the exterior was modified to try to update it to the more popular Craftsman / Prairie style of the early 1900s.  Wasn't she a beautiful old thing?  They completely modified the roofline when they attempted to update it.  I think what they did just looks botched, but oh well.

Here's another photo of what she looks like today, better showing her dilapidated condition:

Here is a link to a Facebook photo album that has 20 more photos of the Victorian house I featured earlier today (mostly interior) so that you can appreciate what it once was, and what it could be once again.


See the pictures here.

And yes, she really is available for only $30,000.

And now, for another question.  Would you like me to post more historic homes like this?  I have a source to get historic photos of the houses as well as posting photos of the houses today (the ones that are still standing, that is).

Haunted House?

Doesn't this big old place look haunted to you?  I have loved this old house while growing up.  It's been empty for years and years (at least 20 plus) and now it's on the market.  It's on a main road here in my town, and you pass it on your way to the city park.  The old girl has 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,636 square feet, and sits on a lot that is 84 x 334 (0.64 acres).  Let's just say that it's a fixer upper.  No maintenance was done to it during those 20 years, and the roof has leaked and caused some pretty good damage inside, from what I've gathered from people familiar with the house.  This Victorian, built in 1880, was altered in the early 1900's to attempt to give it a more updated Craftsman / Prairie style.  The right hand side of the house also had a turret on it, which was a story higher, but that room was removed in the remodel.  The listing states that it is a three story house, but I always thought that the top was just a big attic.  It features window unit air conditioning and asbestos siding!  At some point, the first floor and second floor were made into separate living spaces.  It has curved stained glass windows where the tower used to be (the corner of the house is rounded there).  The windows are in the wall next to the grand staircase.  I think if I were to buy this place (I've always wanted an old house like this, but I don't think I could afford to restore it!) I would get the roof fixed, repair the first floor (new plumbing, wiring, replace the broken and missing windows, repair the floor, etc.) and live on the first floor and slowly work my way through the second and third floors as money permitted.  This is the house where the sale was that I purchased my antique console radio that I restored and the platform rocker.  I still have one piece of furniture from this house to have restored.  The old girl can be yours to restore to her former grandeur for the low, low price of $30,000.  I hope that someone buys it that wants to restore it, and not just for the large lot.

Sorry...

I want to apologize for my lack of posts this summer.  I really thought that with more free time I would be better at posting, but I certainly wasn't.  I have a stack of things to post about, and I will get them up soon.  Now that school's about to start and I'm going back to work, my routine will get back on track.  It's been a great summer (very busy), and as much as I would like to have another week or two off, it'll be nice to get back into a routine and see all my kiddos again.

Missouri Love

Even though this song is from a woman's perspective, I feel like it completely sums up how I feel about living in Missouri.  Especially the chorus.  I have yet to find a place in all of my travels that gives me the feeling of when I travel in this state.  I think it's the people.  They just make you feel at home.

Sara Evans

Missing Missouri

I love my life, love my husband
Without those kid's, man I ain't nothin'
I love my fans, love my band
Love my little Tennessee piece of land
Sometimes my life can get so hectic
Out of the blue when I least expect it
Somewhere between the hubbub and the drama
I get to thinkin' bout mama and

(CHORUS)
I'm caught up in missing Missouri
'Cause I wanna be with my family
Instead of stuck out on this road I'm on
Everytime my bus wheels hit the boot hill
There's no limelight and I'm alright
'Cause I'm almost home
Where they love me, where they know me
Where they show me back in Missouri

The road just ain't no place for whiners
It's motels, truck stops, all night diners
Hoping that your song'll sell
And having to smile when it ain't doin well
So when everything just gets to much
And I feel like I'm givin up
I close my eyes and say a little prayer
And its like I'm there and

(CHORUS)

Bridge:
Late summer nights sneakin out the window
Me and the girls driving down the backroads
Tobacco fields and bumblebees
And the Cardinals playing on TV

So Long, Old Friend

Yesterday something happened that I would never have dreamed would occur.  My father sold Clyde.  What is Clyde, you may ask?  Well, my father always names his pickups.  His 1994 F150 is a regular cab, short bed so he named him "Shorty".  His 1998 F150 is an extended cab, short bed which we named Chuck (after Chuck Norris) because it's a bad-ass truck.  (Never thought I would say that on the blog!)  Clyde was my father's 1970 F250 Sport Custom Camper Special.  Dad bought this truck in July, 1987.  I was five.  I still remember going to look at the truck, bringing it home (with Dad stopping to remove the ugly wooden side rails), and the first trip to the farm in it.  Clyde's a stout old fellow!  Back in the late 1990s his original 360 cubic inch big block finally gave up (after somewhere around 175,000 miles) and Dad pulled it out and dropped a 390 cubic inch big block in it.  When he left the driveway yesterday, he had 202 thousand miles showing on his odometer.  He would pull anything!  I used it to pull the shrubs out from around the Shack when I moved in...just hit the gas, a quick jerk, and they were out of the ground!

This old boy has pulled the travel trailer to the lake countless times (took the old cab-over truck bed camper countless times before we had the travel trailer), the boat countless more, with the family squeezed in the seat (before Missouri had seat belt laws for pickups), and generally has been the family work-horse.  Since Dad got his 1994 F150 several years ago, Clyde has been mostly retired, and the time finally came for him to go to a new home.  I will have to say though, after so many years together, Dad had a tear in his eye as the new owner pulled away.  So, here's to you, Clyde!  May your new owner love and cherish you as much as we have.  May you have a long and healthy life ahead of you!