Goodnight and Sweet Dreams Aunt Helen

I come from a very large family. We have family scattered all over the place. If you were to throw a rock anywhere, you would hit one of my cousins.....and I wouldn't appreciate that so don't be throwing any rocks. Over the past few years I've been losing relatives way too fast. An entire generation is slowly going away leaving me and my generation feeling a little bit alone....and old! Two days ago my last surviving aunt, Aunt Helen, passed away. She was 93 and had every right to pass on but doggone it, that leaves me with no surviving aunts. Yes, I know that sounds selfish and it is. I loved every one of my aunts. My aunts helped shape me into what I am today. They can either take the credit or take the blame depending on your own perspective. I could write for hours about all my aunts but I won't because right now my thoughts are on only one. Helen lived a long way off from us so I didn't get to see her very often. The times I was around her though are memorable and heartwarming. Helen was more full of life than a lot of people in this family. Some of us are just plain old dull. Aunt Helen was not dull. When we were convinced dancing would send us to eternal damnation, Helen loved to dance. When we were all sitting around quietly talking, Helen bellowed and got the blood flowing. She brought light and life to all she was around. I'm sorry to say I won't miss Aunt Helen for being around because she was rarely around. I will miss having her as my aunt. She was a good aunt and I loved her dearly. Sleep well Aunt Helen. I'll see you again when we all gather at Heaven's door.

A random act of kindness....

Once upon a time a vocal minority decided to boycott Chick-Fil-A for not supporting their views. Since that time its been nearly impossible for me to get lunch at Chick-Fil-A. It seems the silent majority thought it would be good to show their support by eating there every day. Since I had limited time for lunch today I opted out of a chicken sandwich at the crowded spot for a Mcburger next door. I pulled through the drive with my burger, parked under a tree, and watched the traffic flow at the boycotted Chick-Fil-A. Eventually a young mother came out with a set of twin toddlers and a younger sib in her arms....patting her in the face over and over and over. She couldn't get across the crowded parking lot because the twins had obviously had straight sugar for lunch and were bouncing all over the sidewalk. The mom couldn't keep them close to her. She stood on the sidewalk for several minutes taking the pats to the face with a smile. As I watched, an older man in the McDonald's drive through pulled over, parked his pickup, and walked over to the stranded mom. He introduced himself then gently grabbed one of the twins mid-bounce. He walked over and lifted the second twin into his arms. He walked back to the mom to assure her and then escorted the four safely across the parking lot, helping the mom strap the twins into their car seats before turning back to his pickup. He then drove around McDonalds to get back in line for his own lunch. First of all, yes, I should have helped the poor lady but I was in a kind of stupor and didn't realize her problem in time. Secondly, yep, the man ran the considerable risk of getting mace in the face or possibly handcuffs on his wrists. It's a shame we live in a world where a random act of kindness is newsworthy....where a person has to really dare to be nice to a stranger....where a minority of the population decides for us what is okay and what will happen if we don't agree....a world where the silent majority continues to take it...silently. It's also a shame the Chick-Fil-A is so crowded I can't get lunch there anymore.

Key Words

Somewhere along my path of life I took a detour or two and now find myself the sole buyer for a large locksmith business located here in Colleyville, Texas. I buy for the main facility in Colleyville, three remote shops located throughout the Metroplex, 25 independent locksmiths driving company vans, and one large warehouse. All I wanted was a stress free little job to keep me occupied while I patiently wait for my "official retirement" on September 1, 2016. I went to work here as a temporary consultant helping to establish and install an inventory control system. The buyer for the company was an older guy....yes, even older than me. This guy got sick not long after I showed up. They asked if I would fill in until he returned. That was five years ago. I'm beginning to think he's not coming back. My days are so fast-paced I don't have time to buy in the industry approved methods. I have to get out there and find it fast...all day long....every day. This is why I have become a self-declared expert on Google. Anything I need to find can be found on the internet. Just type in those critical key words and everything you ever wanted to know comes barreling onto your screen with lightning speed. Those key words are cool. However, most companies have figured out if they use more and more key words the odds are you are going to see their site too...even if they have nothing at all to do with the item you're looking for. Several really big name stores practice this. I can Google "2-3/8" backset dead latch, early version Yale lock" and I know without a doubt that both Sears and Grainger stock that very part....unfortunately if you aren't a brilliant Googler like me you might spend an hour searching that site while seeing sales on anything from lingerie to lawnmowers. I understand. This is actually good marketing. The sites that really get to me are those that only demented dirty old men and teenage boys would search out. My advice is to never ever venture beyond the first page of listings. Seriously, does "See our HOT COLLEGE GIRLS playfully install a double cylinder Schlage deadbolt....NAKED" really need to be included in a professional search for locksmith parts?!


I asked Debbie what I could do to get more readers on this site. Other than the obvious, "write something once in a while you idiot", she suggested I start using a few strong key words. So I wrote "Last night D...........


This portion has been CENSORED by the Department of Ethical Behavior Bossy In Excess (DEBBIE).


...whew, that was funny and used nearly every key word imaginable. The readership should grow like crazy now!"

The Ladies of LaDora

Evidently Papa didn't have a whole lot to say...I opened the blog to see it has been well over a year since my last posting. Life has been complicated...complicated but not bad. Each day brings its own surprises and blessings from the Lord. Don't get me started on my new granddaughter, Charlee. What a joy she is to me. My dad is gone now. His last year was hard on him and his family. He was so tired of sitting without activity, tired of struggling for each breath. Now he is resting in Paradise waiting for the day we will all join together in that awesome walk through the gates of Heaven. .....wow, that was heavy stuff from a blog intended for humor.


Speaking of humor, that last sentence originally read ".....blog intended for humo". I don't know what humo is but I will try to find out before my next posting a year or two from now. My little personal notebook computer is beginning to show its age. I have to really concentrate to include "r" in my writing. This key has taken early retirement and has to be coaxed to participate. The computer also has a tendency to wander on its own while I'm working. One minute I will be on a spreadsheet creating very important data, such as how many steps I have to take to burn off the double dip sundae I ate at Braum's earlier today....the next minute the screen flashes to obscure stuff I don't recognize or understand. Basically the computer has begun to act just like my brain in my "golden" years.


I guess I should get around to what I was originally going to write when I opened this page. I stopped by LaDora to see my mom after I got off work yesterday. She and the girls had already gathered at the popular table to laugh at the old men, drink coffee, and wait for dinner to be served. After my dad died it took my mom nearly two weeks before she ventured down to the cafeteria alone. When she did she sat down at their table and felt so totally alone. A precious soul named Sue came over to her and suggested she not sit at that table anymore. Sue invited her to come with her and they would create a new table for the two of them. It didn't take long before another resident joined them and they began to tell old tales and create new bonds of friendship. The table has become "the cool table". It has grown to a group of six with several more waiting for an opening. I love these old ladies and I have to admit, they are crazy about me. I make them laugh. One of them even asked me to come more often and stay for dinner once in a while. Well, last night's visit was a little different. When I arrived and pulled up a chair there was no talk. No smiling faces. There was a cold iciness the likes of which I experienced often during my career when meeting with contractors who were unhappy with me for some reason....what did I do? How did I make these sweet ladies mad at me? As I looked around the table I noticed a new face...and not a friendly one! Someone had taken it on herself to commandeer one of the sought after six seats at the cool table. The other ladies were upset because one of the golden girls had been pushed out and this rebel was taking over. I tried to get a conversation going...told some of my best, enduring lies about growing up with my mom playing the role of "mom". I didn't get so much as a smile. Before I could address the problem, some poor old guy rolled into the room and asked the rebel to please move her wheelchair forward an inch or two so he could get past. The rebel's head swiveled 180 degrees as she stared the poor old guy down. She told him loudly, and with words seldom heard publicly, to get away from her and leave her alone. The spell was broken. The golden girls had had enough. They tore into the rebel with a vengeance I did not know existed in a nursing home. My mom and I sat slack-jawed and silent as this verbal abuse accelerated. In a stupid, STUPID reaction I asked the ladies to calm down. I was told in several ways and decibels  to mind my own business. After a few minutes I decided it best to do what any rational person would do.....I patted my mom on the shoulder and whispered, "see ya tomorrow"....then I took off as fast as my bum leg and cane would go. I admit, I did feel a little guilty about leaving my mom in the middle of a brawl so I turned around to get her and take her to her room. When I turned I saw she had backed her wheelchair away from the table and was watching with a big grin on her face. She was enjoying the show. It may be a few days before I visit the ladies at LaDora again.