Name one thing only that can simply make your day ,,,,

I saw that somewhere the other day and it was followed by some very nice and interesting posts from others. I tried but couldn't come up with just one. So, knowing me as i do I will mention two ,,,,, well maybe three ,,,,,,,, ok, ok, ok, maybe a couple more. LOL

Considering the time of year let me first say to all my friends and those that I love and all those "others",
MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!! and let us remember that this time of year we are celebrating a birth and NO it is not Santa Claus. Though he has become the commercial icon of this time the day December 25th is to celebrate the birth of Christ thus the name.

Thinking of Christmas I am always reminded of a guy I knew when I lived at the Grand Canyon. His name was Spyder Hartley. He passed out Christmas cards one year that were simply handwritten on lined paper and said " Money's tight, times are hard, here's your F*in Christmas card".

The greatest memory of Spyder was during deer season one year. For a week or two prior to opening day all he did was brag about having a salt lick out and he would be in before work with the largest buck in the area. Now Spyder drove an old beater truck with a homemade plywood camper shell on it. So opening day came and we are sitting in the shop when in comes Spyder with a huge smile on his face. We all followed him out to his truck where he proudly showed us a really NICE and BIG buck with quite an impressive rack. That rack spread all the way across the camper and the deer filled the bed of the truck. We all congratulated him on quite a buck and of course he had to mention the time and the fact that he had made it before work. A couple hours later we were all in the shop again for morning break around 9'ish. just sitting around shooting the breeze when we heard quite a racket of something being torn apart and destroyed outside. We all ran to the door and busted up laughing as we watched one big buck trotting down the parking lot with a 2x4 and piece of plywood hanging from an antler. Seems Spyder merely knocked him out. LOL

I digress, back to what makes my day stuff. Well when I get up at 11pm to get ready for work the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen is this cabinet door. The bottom sign was made by my Grandaughter Samantha. She made it when they were moving to Montana and hung it right there so I would rememebr her. It is signed Sam P. She was 7 at the time. The other is from Ashleigh, she is a handmade crafts person and made this for me last year for Pops Day. It reminds me of a favorite card I have somewhere made for me years ago while still living at the Canyon by the girls Mom. It was a birthday card also handmade. She cut out each candle and flame and each letter. it had white candles and yellow/orange flames on blue stock. It's a card I cherish for some reason. I dont need to have it out to see because I can visualize it, even the third candle from the left where the flame was lifting off the page. 8) Eevn the signature in blue ink with Love Judy and that flower she draws.

At 5: 15 every morning I either call or am called by these two and thier Mom Amanda. I enjoy hearing Hi/Bye from Taylor (thats the complete conversation with her) and the continous 'Guess what' 's from Sammie. Every sentence or thought begins this way it's fun to listen to.

After work at 8 am I always look forward to stopping and getting a Tropical Green Tea from my yougest (and 8 months pregnant daughter Ashleigh) This picture was taken this morning, not real sure what she was looking at but looks like she liked it. LOL I'm not sure how the tea is made and whats in it she makes it (the funny part is I can go to any Heretidge Coffee stand in town and they know just what I want and how to do it. They also know the payment arrangements LOL) I get my $1.12 tea for free because I'm cute, well because I'm Ashleighs Dad. Of course it costs me a $5 tip so ,,,, 8) But giving her, her mail, (I pay for the box and her, Dan, Jessica, and even Amanda gets all the mail. I do have one friend that writes me every month though no matter what. But like so many friendships it is always a request for money I dont want to embarrass him by mentioning his name here but his intials are AEL&P)  getting the tea and saying good morning is something I look forward to.

Other things that can make my day;

The song Misty, but only played by Boots Randolph on the Tenor Sax.

The song Last Date by Floyd Cramer on the piano.

These two songs can mellow me out regardless of my mood, they are easily my number 1 and 2 favorite songs in the order as listed.

I like Root Beer but especially THIS Root Beer. I dont drink it near enough because my daughters say I shouldn't but Ashleigh's husband Dan likes it so I try to keep some in the fridge at all times in case he comes to visit. 8)  Sometimes it gets old (two days or maybe one) and needs to be gotten rid of and replaced So ,,,,,,,,,,

I enjoy getting on Facebook and being updated by Tammy, Carri, and Judy on what is going on in thier lives.

I like the song Shiloh by Neal Diamond, when that song is played i can actually taste the salt in the air, feel the briskness of the morning, and see the fog on the windshield as I drive my '57 T-bird from Santa Fe Springs California south to Camp Pendleton early in the morning to make first formation at 7. Funny how memories are attached to "things' so strongly that at times you can visualize, taste, feel, even smell the memory.

A song like Shiloh can bring back such strong impressions from a time I enjoyed and a car I really liked, the song "The wonder of you" by Elvis Presley can bring back all the positive memories of Skip (Tammy and Carri's Mom). We were married at and while i was stationed at camp Pendleton in the Marines. Tammy was born there and Carri was born after i got out in Douglas Arizona. I use to drive up to "The Springs" (Santa Fe Springs where she lived) and stay late then drive back along the coast to get to base for formation. I had an 8-track tape player (ok, you youngsters look it up LOL) and my favorite tape of the day was Neil Diamond and his song Shiloh which i played on that drive, nice and loud since the top was always off the car. I remember one time driving up there and blowing the head gasket about halfway. I nursed it to her house and spent all day Saturday under the tree in front of her house parked by the curb with the hood up. I pulled that engine completely down and replaced the gaskets right there. Those were the days, I remember Skip would stand there talking to me and getting me cold drinks, thats when I knew she was to be mine. Not sure what convinced her but i know my side of that story.

Even though it was after Judy and I was together there was a funny car mechanical story with her. I had a van I loved and of course she hated. It was a '64 chevy flatnosed one that was lifted about 6 inches. It looked good and mean and had a cool graphic on the side that she DID NOT like. Which, of course, meant I did LOL One summer while in Mesa (summers in Mesa Arizona are HOT) I was wroking on the van. Nice thing about it being so high is you could get quite comfortable working under it. Jessica was 4 or 5 and loved to help me (just like Sammy much later) and could walk under the van getting grease in the top of her hair which of course Judy hated and of course I thought was pretty cool. LOL One day Jessica and i were working on the van and it was hot, and under the van it was shady and cool. So we fell asleep laying flat on our backs under the van. Well for some reason preggo (with Amanda) Judy got concerned because she hadnt seen us and hadnt had Jessica running in for her constant drink/bathroom/hey mom guess what/hungry issues so she came outside, saw us lying under the van and thought we were ,,,,,,,,, anyway she got very unhappy and concerned and etc. and when we jerked awake in repsonse to that she was less happy and more angry with us. Jessica and I thought it was funny but she was worried/scared/ etc so she didnt see the humor in it til these days.

One more car story this one involves Sammy a few years ago when she was the same age as Jessica (4 or 5'ish) I had my 1971 Duster which I had found in the woods the year before and worked on often. This one summer day I had the left front wheel off and the car jacked up rewiring the started circuit. Sammy leaned into the fender well and over the brake drum saying what cha doin Grandpa. I replied that I was running new wires for the starter and she asked pointing this red one? I said yes, then she got up and crawled up my body getting up to my chest (under the car) then turned over where she was laying on my chest on her back and pointing said this one? I, while trying not to laugh because it was a really tight fit both of us under that car and the way she had crawled in, to point at the wire, said yep Samster that one. She then turned her head looking at me and said you need to move Grandpa there's no room under here. LOL

Well seems i once again wondered off my subject. So, to make it short there are alot of things that make my day every minute throughout it. Family, food, music, family, cars, friends, family, basically just life.

So, during this time of year from September where we think of the working man who made this country what it is , through the veteran who sacrificed to allow us to be able to live as we do with the freedoms that we have to Thankgiving when we simply say THANKS for all we have and sometimes even for what we dont have. To Christmas when we celebate the birth of Jesus Christ who through his sacrifice provided us a way to seek forgivenss and then New Year where we start all over again.

I will be celebratng my 61st New Year and remember more pluses than negatives. In fact many of the negatives are actually pluses now that I am older and look back on how trivial they were in the grand scheme of things. Even that 48 hr marriage to Rowena Lynn Hush in 1975 was a plus though I have to think really, really hard to remember why. LOL

Merry Christmas (Feliz Navidad, Mele Kalikimaka, Sigóowu Kíswas)