The Steering Column
Left Hand Drive from our President

While watching the news the other day, Tom Skilling mentioned that we are in a deficit period this May, meaning that we’ve been significantly below the average for this time of year. It seems a bit hard to believe that we’re knocking on the door of June, and the top of the B is still up! Luckily, the next week or two will fix that.

As I write this, I’m sitting on my deck, it’s barely 10 AM on a Sunday morning, and it’s a lovely sunny and 70F. Which makes me think that it’s time to pull the top down on the B, and take her for a spin before the roads get too congested for my liking. But alas, now that the weather is decent, there’s a lot to be done around the house. I spent the bulk of yesterday pulling weeds and generally making the house look presentable. Something I learned, again, yesterday. Rose bush thorns hurt, and not just when they prick you, but the whole next day as well. Why is that? I don’t know, but I guess that is just one of the joys of homeownership.

The other joy of homeownership is a garage. A garage that keeps our pride and joy’s sheltered from the weather, and safe from door dings and unkind birds. Now that the temperature has risen higher than my refrigerator, so has the temperature on the garage. This means it’s time to start making evening pilgrimages to the garage to tinker with this, and adjust that, in the quiet cool solitude of the cement and brick palace where our B snoozes.

Once June gets underway, I’m sure we’ll all be top-down in our roadsters, until then, keep on driving!

-- Dave Novak

	The Steering Column
	Right Hand Drive   from our Vice-President

The end of May finally brought us August weather. I’m not complaining since the beginning of May had March weather. It seems like the temperature is either too cold or too hot. Just can’t make me happy. I enjoyed the Spring Chicken Tour hosted by George and Jana Phariss. The weather was a little bit cool, but some brave souls did have their tops down. The beautiful roads soon made you forget the temperatures, and the food and camaraderie at the Phariss’ made for an excellent start to the driving season. Thanks to George and Jana for a great day.

On another note. I successfully replaced my rear brake shoes thanks to the help of Rich Meservey at the spring tune up. As I have mentioned before I am not Mr. Auto Mechanic, especially when it comes to little British cars. This slight success has given me a new attitude. I actually enjoyed the experience and I hope to do more work on Maggie in the future. Nothing too difficult, but I am now at least willing to try. There are a few things that I learned at the Spring Tune Up that I think I can do. Notice I said think. I will still most likely solicit some assistance just in case. Now, how do I find the time for these minor repairs? If the weather is nice, I will be eager to be driving instead of fixing. If the weather is bad, I will want to stay inside instead of lying on the garage floor. As I said, just can’t make me happy. Since I also have a to-do list longer than the phone book (remember them?) I may only be planning on car repairs instead of actually doing them. There is always some satisfaction in completing a project, but getting started is always my downfall. Susan has a way of getting motivated for most chores (in husband lingo that’s called nagging). Now, if Susan can prioritize the way I would like them prioritized may see some progress. As you know, just can’t make me happy.

~~ Ray Hansen & Maggie     (AKA Little Red)