Today's Feature

Roundabout Plans Presented.

The City Council met Tuesday evening and heard a presentation from the Dogwood and Mimosa Garden Clubs of Carthage concerning the proposed roundabout beautification project. Council by motion approved the plans for submittal to the Budget/Ways and Means Committee.

Architect Elliot Hunter, who has designed the plans with the input of the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Garden clubs, showed the members of the Council blueprints for the proposed layout of the decorations for the roundabout. Included in the plans are stones ranging from four to eight inches in height in a symmetrical design, a Carthage sign made from lighted metal letters, assorted plants and three flagpoles. The three flags to be displayed are the U.S. flag, the Missouri flag and a re-fabricated vintage Carthage flag.

Garden club member Martha Unruh told the Council that half of the funding for the estimated cost had already been secured via pledges. Unruh informed the Council that estimates showed the total annual costs for upkeep and maintenance at approximately $1,200.

As they say, most rules are made to be broken. That’s why folks don’t put down hard and fast rules. The rule of thumb is a good rule. Somewhere close, as in the ball park.

Where I grew up the ball park was about the size of a forty acre field. As a matter of fact, it was a forty acre field that happened to have a backstop in one corner. We didn’t have a fence to hit a home run over. Ya just had to hit the ball far enough you could out run it gettin’ home.

The rule of thumb was the only in park double occurred when the dog grabbed the ball and ran off with it. ‘Course even that could be challenged if it was the pitcher’s dog. There’s always the exception.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

My local Subaru dealer wants $130 to install a $30 block heater, because it involves draining the coolant. Would it be safe for me to simply wrap plumber’s heat tape - the stuff they using for warming copper pipes - around the engine and cooling hoses? If it doesn’t touch the exhaust, is there any danger of fire? The tape comes equipped with its own thermostat, so it turns itself on when the temperature falls below about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. It sells for about $35 in the local hardware store. Seems like a natural solution, doesn’t it? - Seth.

RAY: It’s a perfect solution, Seth. Except it won’t work for beans.

TOM: Plumber’s tape provides just enough heat to keep the water inside a 3/4 inch copper pipe from freezing. But it won’t provide enough heat to help you start your car on a frigid morning.

RAY: While the plumber’s tape wraps around the outside of a pipe, an automotive block heater actually goes inside the radiator hose. Working from inside, it heats the coolant directly.

TOM: But since it has to be installed inside a sealed system, your mechanic needs to cut the radiator hose, which then requires draining and refilling the entire cooling system, and then bleeding it to purge it of air.

RAY: That’s going to take at least an hour of labor. And when you add in the cost of the heater itself, the hardware for the hose and the fresh coolant, it comes to about $130.

TOM: If you go the plumber’s tape route, you’ll be paying a hefty electric bill every night just to heat up the outsides of your hoses. That might not be of much benefit to you, but I’m sure the local squirrels that nest in your engine compartment will appreciate it.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Rex White’s Book Is a Winner, Too

Rex White has been the subject of several of our columns over the years, from interviews on the 427 Mystery Motor he ran in his ’63 Chevy at Daytona to putting him in touch with boyhood friends who wrote us seeking his whereabouts. Rex has always been available for our calls, so we feel it’s only fair to return the favor and recommend his new book, "Gold Thunder: Autobiography of a NASCAR Champion."

"Gold Thunder" traces White’s life, from growing up on a farm in near-poverty to becoming one of NASCAR’s Top 50 all-time drivers. From 1959 through 1963 Rex White won more races than any other driver, and competed with stars like Lee and Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett, Fireball Roberts, Junior Johnson, Joe Weatherly, Curtis Turner and Buck Baker. He was Chevrolet’s best driver in the early ’60s, and one of the most consistent drivers ever.

In the 1950s, Chevrolet fans cheered for White as he took on big muscle cars with his underpowered 348-inch Chevy. He eventually won both the 1960 Winston Cup Championship and the Driver of the Year title.

Writer Anne B. Jones bases this firsthand account of the early days of NASCAR and Southern stock car racing on extensive research and hundreds of hours of interviews with White. It includes tales by participants and fans and is peppered with anecdotes of a virtual Who’s Who of NASCAR drivers and a host of other sportsman drivers. The book is well-illustrated, largely with photographs from Rex White’s private collection.

But this memoir is more than just racing. It’s filled with fun, tragedy and lessons on how to become a winner.

Senior News
By Pam Madole
Sponsored by Generations

Stress Busters

Take a deep breath · Have a hobby · Eat right · Say ‘no’ more often · Call a friend · Laugh at yourself · Pet a dog/cat · Avoid negative people · Don’t know all the answers

Say something nice · Talk things out · Take a walk · Strive for excellence, not perfection · Have realistic goals · Look at the stars · Say hello to a stranger · Keep a journal

Learn to relax · Doodle · Visualize a peaceful scene · Encourage others · Meditate · Think positively · Exercise · Plant a garden ·

Drive a different route to work · Eat a meal by candlelight · Stretch your limits · Reward yourself · Be kind · Go out to lunch · Clean a closet · Talk less and listen more · Get a massage

Watch a movie and eat popcorn · Write a letter · Get enough sleep · Praise others · Laugh often · Read a good book · Give a friend a hug · Be flexible · Don’t sweat the small stuff · Forgive and forget

Relax, take each day one at a time!