A Friend I Took 50 Years to Make . . .

I have had a lot of fun on my trip to Grapevine this weekend, even without the usual warmth of Texas in January. The show on Saturday was great, and I got to go to the first playoff game at the new Cowboys' Stadium on Saturday night. More on those later. There is one story from the weekend that I will carry with me much longer.



Becki Begley and I grew up in the same sandbox (these are our pictures from the Waynesville High School Class of 1976 composite). Our mothers had been friends since they were kids, and we went all the way from Kindergarten through the 12th grade together.

And we hated each other . . .

There is no better word for it -- we hated each other. We were very much alike, and very competitive. Everything we did was a competition -- who could read the most books in the summer reading program at the library, who could go all the way around the room during the math flash cards without losing, who could make the best grades, and on and on and on. We were both outspoken and we never backed down. At high school graduation, there weren't enough chairs in our row and we had to share the same seat. I'm surprised we both didn't stand there until another chair was found.

Then we went our separate ways, which was probably better for both of us. I knew Becki was a teacher and had a couple of kids, but that was about it. We have probably seen each other no more than half a dozen times in the past 34 years, most recently at the visitation when her dad died five years ago.

I saw Becki's sister Amy at my grandma's visitation three months ago, and found out that Becki and her husband Bill had moved to Fort Worth. I didn't think about it again until a couple of weeks ago. I signed up for Facebook (only because I wanted to see a video that a friend had posted of her son playing his trombone) and Becki "friended" me. We traded a couple of e-mails and promised that we would get together the next time I came to Texas. I have made those promises before -- they rarely come to pass.

But this time it did. I e-mailed Becki early last week and made arrangements to meet her and Bill after setup on Friday. They took me to a barbeque joint called Riscky's in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth (Sundance Square is very cool). I brought along two gifts for them -- a copy of the Dayton Daily News for Bill (he used to be a newspaper reporter and I wanted to show him what he wasn't missing -- the DDN is dying), and a DVD I had burned of an academic quiz show called "As Schools Match Wits" that Becki and I were on when we were seniors. I had taped it on an old reel-to-reel video tape machine, so it was in black and white with a lot of snow in the picture. But it showed what we already knew -- Becki and I competed, even when we were competing against another school at the same time.

We spent the next three hours laughing and catching up -- of course, we spent the first hour explaining to Bill how much we hated each other growing up. But those magnets that drive young people apart (remember, like poles repel) definitely reverse in adulthood. All of those similarities that used to drive us nuts made it that much easier to get along now. I had so much fun. I need to repeat that -- I had so much fun. And I can't wait to come back and visit them again in July.



So please let me introduce you to my good friend Becki. My only regret is it took me 51 years to realize it . . .

Catching Up from the Holidays . . .

No, I didn't disappear. But it seems like it, at least to me. The last couple of weeks have been a little hectic -- "good hectic," but hectic nonetheless. Let's catch up a little . . .

Patti and Debbie were on vacation through the holidays. They are the ladies you talk with most often when you call the mail center. Calling them "ladies" makes them sound old -- makes ME sound old. We went to school together -- Patti and Debbie have been permanently joined at the hip since seventh grade. When they started working here, I called a friend we went to school with and said "What would you say if I told you Debbie started working with us?" He didn't miss a beat -- "Tell Patti I said hi . . ."

In their absence, Zoe and I answered the phones, greeted the occasional customer, and filled orders. She came to work with me every day for two weeks, and went through withdrawal when she finally had to stay home this week.



This was her highlight of the working holiday -- my brother Blake and his two boys came by. Three scratches at the same time -- that's as good as it gets.

We have one major Christmas tradition in my family. When Blake and I were young, we had so many family gatherings on Christmas Eve and Christmas that we made our holiday the day before and called it "Christmas Eve Eve". We decorated Christmas cookies and each of us opened one gift. We always looked forward to it. Years have passed, but Christmas Eve Eve lives on -- we still get together at my parents' place to make cookies.



We thought the boys would get tired of it, but they look forward to it more than we do. Left to right: Blake's sons Tyler and Conner, and my son Ryan.



If you liked the Chocolate Mint Cookies, Tyler gets the credit -- I got the recipe from him.



Then it's time to decorate them. Some of us like to actually decorate -- Ryan likes to dump a lot of icing on them . . .



This is mine. Another family tradition is the wreath I make every year. Usually, someone uses a biscuit cutter to make me a small circle. This year, Tyler made a huge circle (it almost filled a plate) and gave me a new challenge.



This is one of the things Zoe likes most about winter in Ohio. Our house faces south, so she likes to nap in the sunshine by the front door. When the sunlight moves, Zoe moves . . .



And you can probably guess what I think of this -- I took these when I was loading the truck for the show in Grapevine, Texas this weekend. Then we drove 1,000 miles -- and gained eight degrees in temperature. This morning, it's 10 degrees at home, and 18 here with zero windchills. I'm not sure who is more disappointed -- me or the locals.

The show this weekend is 10 to 5 Saturday and 11 to 4 Sunday at the Grapevine Convention Center. Come out and see us if you're in the area!

Merry Christmas to All . . .

The rush of the holiday season is mostly past. With a 21-year-old still asleep upstairs at 11:00 in the morning, the mad dash downstairs on Christmas morning is a faint memory. These days, I enjoy the quiet. I have read the whole paper, baked a sausage and egg casserole that I prepared last night, and a cheesecake that will go to my parents' in the evening is in the oven. Ryan and I may catch Sherlock Holmes this afternoon -- if so, it will be the first time I have been to the movies since we got the big screen hi-def TV back in May (better picture, better sound, and a pause button -- can't beat it).



This was what I intended for Zoe when we went to the store to see Barry Claus last Saturday (and missed him). The antlers belonged to my grandpa (yes, I gave them to him), but usually on Christmas morning you'd just find him with the bows from all of the packages stuck to his head.

If you could use a story to warm your heart, may I suggest this one from this morning's Dayton Daily News -- http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/beloved-dog-helps-hiker-recover-aneurysm-stroke-464343.html It's about Joanie Leach (we used to go to church together -- she lives a couple of blocks down the street) and how her dog has helped her recover from an aneurysm and stroke that nearly killed her 2 1/2 years ago. If you love dogs, you'll love her Emma.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope you have (and have had) a joyous holiday season.

Thank You Note

Yesterday was one of those "WOW!" occasions you get from time to time. Something really good happens, and all you can do is take it all in and say "Wow!"



This is what the "Wow!" was all about -- Pat Hobson treated us to lunch. All by herself. Gary told me Monday that I needed to be at the store at noon Tuesday because Pat was bringing lunch.

So I strolled in yesterday and this was the spread I saw -- and Pat made most of it. I asked her if this was how she spent her winnings from drag racing (if you don't understand why this is funny, you need to go back to a post from the end of last week).



And we dug in -- all of the employees, most of the teachers, and a few of the regulars.



This is the only way I can ever get a picture of Gary -- have to put him close to food . . .



This man has more outfits than anyone I know. For the uninitiated, this is Barry Payne. Last Saturday, he was Barry Claus. A month or two ago, he was Elvis. Rumor has it that by Spring, he may be the Easter Bunny.



Even Zoe got some attention and a nibble or two.



A simple "thanks" seems insufficient -- this was a special act of kindness by a very special friend. And we truly enjoyed it. Merry Christmas, Pat!

Barry Claus Is Coming to Town . . .

It's amazing how the "celebrities" seem to enjoy making appearances in our store. You may recall that a couple of months ago, we had "The King" for a morning in our classroom. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when Karen called me last week and said there would be a Jolly Old Elf in our store on Saturday . . .



Sure enough, on Saturday morning "Barry Claus" came strolling in our front door (we don't have a chimney) with a pack slung over his shoulder and a jolly "Ho Ho Ho!"



Kris Kringle was accompanied by "Holly", one of his elves. She bears a striking resemblance to Dawn Cutter -- must be a distant relative . . .



Karen was dressed for the occasion. She has been asking Santa for the same thing for more than ten years (a grandchild), and this year it seems that a stork will be packed aboard his sleigh.



Donna Sheetz was really excited -- for days, we heard about how she wanted to sit on Santa's lap. And of course, when dealing with adults, the Jolly Old Elf gets better payoffs . . .



Finally, the little ones were allowed to make their Christmas wishes. I had planned to get to the store with Zoe and see if she could jump up on his lap, but I spent most of Friday night ferrying my mother-in-law halfway to Maryland so my brother-in-law could get her to his house for the holidays ahead of the snowstorm. By the time we got there, Santa and his sleigh were already on their way back to the North Pole.

Put the Pedal to the Metal . . .

Anyone who frequents our store knows Pat Hobson. She is here a lot -- lends a hand when we need it, answers questions for customers, works on her own projects, and more.



This is Pat -- I took this shot at one of our Make It and Take Its at the store today. I'm learning that there are many layers to Pat -- and that she has more guts than I do. Because last weekend, Pat went drag racing at a local track. No, she didn't go to watch -- she DROVE. Apparently there is a program where you can get on the track and drive your own car.

I heard it, but I still wasn't sure if I believed it. Then I saw this . . .

Pat is in the Pontiac Grand Prix. This is my first attempt at posting a video -- so if it doesn't work, you can click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKIT7ZLa0f4&feature=channel

Family Matters . . .

I got an excited call from Karen just after I got home last night. You may recall from last month that her birthday card from Scott and Alexis announced that Karen and David will become grandparents for the first time in the spring. Well, Scott called last night to announce the results from the ultrasound -- it's a boy.

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Zoe is here at the mail center with me today -- she usually comes along to keep me company if I'm the only one here. Actually, she spends most of her time staring out the front window -- and today it paid off. Yvonne Holtvogt is our UPS driver -- I have known her for years, as we used to go to the same church. Yvonne usually brings Zoe a treat on Fridays if she has a package to drop off in the morning and when she picks up our shipments in the afternoon. This morning, she didn't have any deliveries for us, but she saw Zoe looking out the window and stopped to run a treat in for her, anyway. I was so busy saying thank you that I didn't think to shoot a picture until after Yvonne (and the treat) were already gone.

As I type this, Zoe is back sitting at attention at the front window. Gotta be more treats out there somewhere . . .