Please note that I have revised the ‘Links’ section in the left column. All of the blogs and other sites listed there are fascinating, well-written, and thought-provoking. Or they belong to people to whom I owe money. In any event, they are listed for your edification, so go get edified. Instant editing is available at cheap-papers.com.


Tonight I am accompanying my son to his Tiger Cub den meeting. This is the last meeting before the Pinewood Derby this weekend. His car is slowly coming together. Last night I glued the jet engines in place. Yes, I should have screwed them down, and I have nightmares of them popping off right before the race. Nevertheless, I couldn’t think of a foolproof way to do it, and when I told my son I should screw them down he said “then they will look funny”. So, we will just see how well ‘Gorilla Glue’ lives up to its name.

Tonight, if we have time, we should apply ‘Sanding Sealer’, and do a final sanding with fine sandpaper. Then I can finally turn the boy loose with paints. While he’s painting I can smooth the ‘axles’ a bit. Although I have done almost all the woodworking, the design is 100% his. He knew exactly what he wanted, after we viewed some Derby cars online.

And he wanted Big Jet Engines. He’s such a boy. I love him to death.

If I have one concern, it is that he will take this too seriously. If you do a search for “Pinewood Derby Car” online, you will in short order discover that some folks take this race way too seriously. There’s a winning at all costs mentality, with tips for increasing the aerodynamics, decreasing the rolling resistance, and lead weights for sale to get up to the legal weight limit. Honestly, I would hope that winning wouldn’t be the primary reason to participate. I think the boy and I are having a good time just building the car. I’m hoping it will roll unassisted down the ramp, but other than that I’m trying not to have any expectations at all. I just hope nothing happens to make him feel bad about how the race goes.

We’ve had sunshine two days in a row. I feel like a reptile that has crawled up out of a dark, dank cave and into the sun. I keep marvelling at the sky. “Look at that! It’s blue! Have you ever seen anything like it?” If this keeps up, the ground might actually dry out.