Driving Miss Oopsy Daisy
For some time now, I have felt we needed a “statement vehicle” for Oopsy Daisy. In my mind, I visualized an old pickup truck would fit the need (and the budget!) just perfectly. Something that, just like the Daisy herself, was mid-century, full of charm with a few knicks and bruises, but completely worth loving back to life. Given my passion for old things and making sure the past is not forgotten, I just knew the right truck was out there. In the universe. Somewhere. Or at least on Craigslist.
I made it my hobby - or maybe more of a reward/diversion if I felt somewhat caught up with everything else - to sit down, enter “old truck”, hit search, and see what came up. And Old Truck they did. I found everything from a frame on four flat tires sitting in knee-high weeds at a car graveyard to some so refurbished and shiny, I swore they could double as a mirror in our Market! (My heart stillll pines for that teal green Studebaker with the serapé seat cover in Louisiana! One day, baby girl…. one day)
Of course, finding anything reasonably priced, within a day’s driving distance still left me gun shy every time. Old trucks I love, but mechanic I am not. The romantic idea kept getting smooshed by the (somewhat) logical side of my brain worried that I was gonna pay for a jalopy that I hated and ended up mad at any time it left me stranded.
Sometimes weeks would go by and I would forget I even had the idea of finding a vintage cruiser. Other times, I would wake up at night thinking about all the fun possibilities and ways we could use something like a cute old truck at our store. Then. Suddenly. As if they had just been invented, it dawned on me. “Hey self!”, I said. “Why don’t you just eliminate the whole mechanical issue and look for an old TRAILER???” (kinda felt like I had just cured cancer for a minute)
Back to the ol’ CL app I went. Again, I think any time your search includes the word ‘old’, some crazy shiz is bound to come up. But somehow, this quest only lasted a couple weeks! Lo and behold, in August, on the same day it was posted, a cute little trailer made from a 1963 Chevy C-10 truck bed was just sitting there, on my screen, quietly waiting for me. Even though I had been willing to look as far south as Houston or north as OKC, this listing was in Sanger, Texas, only 57 miles away! I made arrangements to go look at it early the next morning. Thee sweetest couple had used it for hauling hay around their beautiful horse ranch. We chatted about way more than the trailer and I learned they had actually moved here from California, too - my home state!! Everything just seemed to be having that feel-right ness to it. Nearby. Nicest people. Cutest trailer (born the same year I was!!) with just enough patina and character. Even though it had spent its recent days on the ranch, it was road worthy, Good tires, lights all worked, price was right……. what was not to love? I told them my intentions for it (I think they chuckled at the time), we settled up, I hitched her up, and tootled on down the road, Jack!
They recently came to visit their former hay hauler! And, of course, a little Daisy shopping!!
So far, we’ve been having way too much fun dressing her up and using her for various displays out in our Daisy Garden, but we’ve got bigger plans! She’s made her social media debut and already she has been invited to participate in her first pop up event at The Dallas Cowboys (yes, that’s right) World Headquarters in Frisco, Texas. You can find her at Fleastyle’s Market at the Star on Saturday, December 1st! We also have a few photo shoot sessions already on the books for her and my mind is swirling with all the other cute ways people can use her at their wedding receptions, for family Christmas photos, as a mobile bar, in parades, tailgate parties …….. ……… ……………
Moral of the story: patience + perseverance pays off. Even BETTER than a truck, this little spinoff (yeah, I meant that) of Oopsy Daisy can have a life of her very own without disrupting our regular hours or transportation. She’s flashy, she’s classy, and she’s a while lotta sassy! If you haven’t met her yet, stop in and say hello. Follow her adventures on social! Or if you’re out and about, keep your eyes peeled ~ you never know where you might be seeing Driving Miss Oopsy Daisy!