Annual Plant Sale Planned.

The Ozark Master Gardeners have been busy preparing for this years Plant sale scheduled for May 1. Plants, herbs, trees, a wide variety of perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, patio-ready plantings, and even yard art will be among the offerings at the gardeners’ 13th annual plant sale, set for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Powers Museum, 617 Oak St. Carthage, Missouri.

The event is the only fund-raiser held by Ozark Gateway Master Gardeners. The money raised is used in volunteer services offered by members.

Group projects include plantings at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center in Joplin, a vegetable garden at Joplin Crosslines, Habitat for Humanity, and a flower garden at the Carthage and Joplin Public Library.

The group also helps educate people at the Joplin Recycling Center, and at events such as Joplin Earth Day and Webb City Environmental Day, and at celebrations at George Washington Carver National Monument.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Conservative Strategy Pays Off for Menard

Hey, wait a minute! Paul Menard?

Menard, 29, is ninth in the point standings. In fact, he’s occupied that slot for two races now. He finished fifth in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7. In the season’s other four races to date, Menard’s finishes were 13th, 17th and 18th twice. He’s 160 points out of the points lead.

"It’s been a good start," said Menard, who drives the No. 98 Petty Motorsports Ford. "The guys improved the cars a lot in the off-season. We’ve got a good working relationship with ‘Slugger’ (Labbe, his crew chief) and the merger between Yates (Racing) and RPM (Richard Petty Motorsports) went pretty seamlessly.

"We haven’t had any real bad luck so far, so -- knock on wood -- hopefully we can keep that going and keep having solid finishes."

By the way, Menard, a native of Eau Claire, Wis., also happens to be ninth in the Nationwide Series. Like Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, he is running both series full-time.

"Our last off weekend for the year was last week," he said, referring to March 13-14. "We’re every weekend until November, which is what we love doing. We love racing every weekend. I’ll probably miss out on a few things, but I’ll still have Sunday afternoons off when we run the Nationwide car (and Cup is idle)."

Menard’s formula hasn’t changed. The results have.

"Last year we had the same goal of starting off running conservatively, but trying to finish in the top 20. ... This year, we’ve kind of had the same focus and just haven’t had anything go wrong. We’re a lot better off in points and we’ll just try to keep that ball rolling," he said.

For now, Menard will remain cautious.

"You’ve got to be aware of who is around you and whom you’re racing, and when people get mad at each other, stay out of their way," he said at Bristol. "When we go to a place like Texas, you can probably do a little bit more, strategy-wise, to try and gain some track position.

"We’re not going to change our outlook."

I’m tempted each year to try and make a summer without air conditioning. It’s a hard habit to break.

It’s not just the fact that the temperature is prob’ly ten degrees lower than it should be most of the time, it’s the fact ya get used ta not hearin’ noise from the neighborhood. I’m not talkin’ ‘bout the boomboxes, I mean the sounds of kids playin’ and neighbor’s talkin’ over the fence. The squirrels rustlin’ the tree branches, those kind of noises. The presence of a personal mechanical environment control is a significant contribution to the isolation of individuals from the community.

Right now it’s easy to be philosophical, I doubt if there’s much decision when the temperature raises above the 80 degree mark.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

My 24-year-old daughter is moving to Los Angeles from New York City and will need a car. She is in love with the Jaguar XJS Coupe. Her budget will allow an early-1990s model with 100,000-plus miles. My questions are many, but I really need to know how much trouble she is in if she purchases one of these cars. Is the maintenance affordable? Do they run, or only look good on the curb? Should Dad stay out of the decision-making process? Thanks - David

Ray: You cannot protect your children from everything, David. Nor should you.

Tom: Right. My parents let my brother fall out the window of the car several times when he was a kid. And it wasn’t until it happened while we were crossing the George Washington Bridge that it caused him any long-term damage.

Ray: I think kids have to make their own mistakes, David. Otherwise, how are they ever going to learn anything?

Tom: Your daughter is about to embark on a wonderful learning experience!

Ray: Yeah. My vote is that Dad butts out. You have a legitimate interest in her safety. But this is a big, relatively save car. And if she has a cell phone, and a credit card--

Tom: --and a can of Mace--

Ray: --she ought to be able to handle any breakdown along the way. It’ll be an adventure for her. A learning experience.

Tom: It IS a beautiful car, David. The convertible XJS is one of my all-time favorites. But not, it’s not terribly reliable. Repairs and maintenance are expensive. And parts may be hard to find out in rural areas -- like that thin strip between California and N.Y.

Ray: But your daughter is 24. Let her have her own adventures.