SPELLING BEE

BY BEA WESTERBERG

Move those wheels

I was thinking that maybe I should let the world know that I am beginning to unpin my feathers so that I am driving in areas I would never consider going by myself. I was born in central Minnesota so I think they did not have too many “feel comfortable driving in heavy traffic in the future” stickers to stick on babies. I could manage country roads and small towns. Little Falls and Brainerd was as big as I got to in my younger days. My solid rock was Husband Larry who never batted an eyelash at driving anyplace. Hand him a map of real paper and ink and off he would go be it a mountain route or a big city. I no longer have that solid rock but I do have a cell phone and daughter who was willing to teach me how to use Google Maps. I started off programming to find Cub and the Post Office in town and it worked! (Yes, you can go ahead and laugh but I had to prove that I could do it but still be safe and not lost in the woods).

The auction pickup in Beldenville, Wisconsin area for my Brother Marvin raised my confidence that I could find a place even if it was in the middle of nowhere. Wisconsin has that letter and number thing for their roads that I bet God even has a hard time figuring out. This past week brave me did an auction pick up in both Maple Grove and Wayzata. I took the yellow Mustang to the Maple Grove sale and we just got the over 5 foot Chefs Menu sign in with the back seats all laid down. Three cases of ceiling lights totally filled up everything but the drivers seat. (A very small vision for the lights and they were only $2 for all). I thought for sure I was going to be outbid on a rug at the Wayzata auction and was very surprised to see I got an invoice for it. Everything else I had bid on that auction went for at least 4 times what I was willing to pay. I tried my best to get the Chef out of the car so I could go get the rug but he said “NOPE, I am staying here”. The Ford pickup was not my first choice to be driving in traffic but I had to do it and I did!

I kind of feel sorry for those people who have to put their 2 to who knows how many million dollar houses so close to each other. Their main houses take up all the space overlooking the lakes so they have to build their guest houses right by the common roads. The big iron gates and fences help to keep the lost drivers off the private property. Thanks to Google, I made it out of that zoo and back home all safe and sound with my rug.

Now people who really know me may think it is a bit strange to be confessing a bit of fear for driving. I do really like to drive, and to get to places, I do like to go on the bit faster side. I love sports cars and yes, I am indeed keeping the screaming yellow Mustang and not getting an SUV any time soon. I have been known to test cars to see how they can perform. Husband Larry’s favorite story of my driving was the time we were test driving a fancy new red Mustang with all the goodies and a 6 speed Hurst shifter. Some how or other the sales person did get himself in the back seat of the Mustang. Larry started off on the first half of the test drive. He had never shifted (me either) with a Hurst before so he was doing some embarrassing driving. At the half way point we changed seats and I said to myself, “let see what this puppy can do”. (We were way out in the no traffic rural area). That puppy could move! I did a perfect shifting pattern and in about 6 seconds I got to a speed that probably should not be put in writing. It might have been good for the record books!

When the sales person was done getting his breath back he said, “I have never seen a woman drive like that! In fact I have never seen anyone drive like that before”. We did not get that Mustang as we could not get to a price we could agree on but I told myself that I liked the red color better on the one we did end up buying. Yes, every once in awhile I would dream about doing some more test runs with the perfect shift. Just to let you know the only speeding ticket I ever got was with the Ford pickup!