by Joe Baxter
It would be hard to pick you out of a crowd if it wasn’t for that funny hat. Remember, there’s a time to stand out, and a time to blend in. How’s things going out on The Route? I had a VERY pleasant day yesterday working at the Arcadia Round Barn. Our volunteers have worked up a Spring Break Scavenger Hunt for the kids, and they love it! They have to go around and answer ten questions about the Barn, and they all get a prize bag!
We have lots of visitors during Spring Break, and it’s wonderful! Me & a couple of The Ramblers played some music up in the loft during the afternoon. Great day! The Round Barn has an awesome season planned.
- Steve Spurgin concert on March 27th
- Arcadia Round Barn’s 30th anniversary celebration on April 10th
- Nellie Marie Clay on April 16th.
- Sunday Elm Tree Concerts begin Sunday May 1st (through September).
The Round Barn Ramblers play every Saturday morning. Please drop by! Visit the Round Barn in Arcadia and support Oklahoma Route 66 history! Tell ’em Joe sent ya.
You gardeners should be chomping at the bit to get going, and most of you are already in motion! It’s that time. My gardening spies tell me that all early planting and garden prep should already be done. Some of my wonderfully motivated and enthusiastic (and physically capable) friends have built new gardens and plots and are looking forward to a productive growing season. Jean and I have had one or two nice gardens, but we always felt guilty about not keeping up with the gardening chores over the space of Oklahoma’s long growing season. In our working lives, we stayed WAY too busy to do the type of work necessary to maintain even a small garden, so we decided to go with just a few tomato & pepper plants, etc. Jean began raising a lot more flowers and outdoor plants and doing some herb gardening, and It’s been a happy and aesthetically pleasant balance ever since.
A good buddy has promised us some seedlings, so we should have a few plants, but nothing like you over-achievers. Having said all that, if anybody has new potatoes, give me a holler. Hey! Ya listening?
Time for that Spring vehicle checkup. Been a long winter. Get your buggy ready for hot weather NOW. No sense waiting till it’s 100 degrees out and your car’s engine is melting in traffic. Oil, coolant, tires, trans, power steering and brake fluid, belts; you get the picture.
Oil prices shot up, then they went back down again. Don’t get me started about THAT. In any case, expensive gas or not, we’re all going to be driving, so we should take care of our vehicles and they will take care of us. Folks are definitely getting out and around after being scrupulously cautious for over two years. You can tell by the traffic. BUT – Covid has not gone away. Y’all get vaccinated and continue to protect yourselves. Maybe someday this nightmare will disappear from the rearview and we can once again start watching the road ahead.
In case you can’t tell, I don’t really have all that much to yack about today. As I said, we are taking a deep breath and getting ready for the outdoor season. I’m playing music, working at the Barn, planning on a bit of fishing, everything but gardening. Ha! Hope everybody is staying healthy and happy!
Love ya – Joe
RESIST – The thought that every day is the same. Our days might seem similar, but each day brings a brand new world.
EDITOR’S NOTE. Joe Baxter is one of my favorite people. He loves music, the Arcadia Round Barn, his wife Jean, a club sandwich from Farmstead Cafe, Route 66, and America (not in that order). A songwriter and musician, he has a way with words and can turn a phrase such that you want to listen, or in this case, read for a while. If you are one of his “face friends” on social media, you know he can get you thinking with his posts and musings. He’s letting us post them here on The Luther Register! Let’s insert here that Joe’s comments might not “reflect the views of staff and management,” or they might. All views, musings and submissions are welcome here on these digital pages where we don’t kill trees or buy ink by the barrel! Find Joe at the Arcadia Round Barn where he is the head conversation aficionado catching stories from Route 66 travelers from all over the world, and getting the band together eight days a week! Thanks Ramblin’ Joe! Y’all ENJOY! – dawn
