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Back in the late 1960s, I was in our shop (Sarasota Cycle & Key Shop) one day, by myself, when a trucker came in with a shipment for us. After he unloaded his goods he came into the shop to get a check for the shipping charges.

I asked him how much the charges were and he said $54.40 to which I replied: "Or Fight." He said, "No lady I don't want to fight, I just want a check for $54.40," to which I replied, "Don't you remember back in your history lessons in the mid 1800s there was a clash over the border between the US and Canada and the rallying cry was '54/40' or fight?" He looked at me like I had two heads and said: "No lady I just want a check for $54.40." I realized I shouldn't pursue this conversation any longer so I walked up to the front of the shop to get the check book and proceeded to write a check for him.

About that time a man walked into our shop with a wheel in hand for repairs. I looked up at him and told him I'd be right with him as soon as I finished writing a check and I turned to the trucker to verify the amount and when the trucker, who was getting a little perturbed with me by this time, said "It's $54.40" and with that the man with the wheel said: "Or fight."
 
I turned around and said to the man with the wheel: "I'm so glad you said that because I said the same thing to the trucker and he thinks I'm nuts". To which the wheel man replied: "Well I don't know about you but I am." I pointed to the front door and told the wheel man:  "Out, out and never darken my door again." 

The trucker grabbed the check and was scratching his head as he walked out and the wheel man and I stood there and roared. If this little scenario had been scripted it couldn't have been more perfect.  

Life’s good.

Summertime in Sarasota was made even more delightful for us teen-agers with the opening of our gorgeous Lido Beach Municipal Casino. One of its new modern gadgets was a coin operated binocular on the second floor balcony overlooking the snow-white sand being kissed by the Gulf of Mexico.

One July 1940 Sunday afternoon's peace and tranquility was suddenly interrupted by a lady's high pitched screaming voice summoning the nearby lifeguards.

"Hurry", she exclaimed. "There are three people out there about a mile.  I can see three heads but they aren't moving."  Two of the lifeguards ran to the water and swam out as fast as they could.

According to the front page article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune the event transpired over a two-hour time frame. On Monday, the three "rescued" teen-aged boys were charged with disturbing the peace and endangering the lives of public servants.

According to my brother Ray, he and two buddies were out there, just floating and drifting with the tide. Fortunately, they weren't tired out, because the lifeguards had spent their energy and needed help getting back to shore. Life was/is good.

Name that Christmas Carol

1. Bleached Yule
2. Castaneous-colored seed vesicated in a conflagration
3. Singular yearning for the twin anterior incisors
4. Righteous Darkness
5. Arrival time 2400 hours – weather cloudless
6. Loyal followers advance
7. Far off in a feeder
8. Array the corridor
9. Bantam male percussionist
10. Monarchial triad
11. Nocturnal noiselessness
12. Jehovah deactivate blithe Chevaliers
13. Red man en route to borough
14. Frozen precipitation commence
15. Proceed and enlighten on the pinnacle
16. The quadruped with the vermillion proboscis
17. Query regarding identity of descendant
18. Delight for the planet
19. Give attention to the melodious celestial beings
20. The dozen festive 24 hour intervals

And the Answers:

1. White Christmas
2. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
3. All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
4. O Holy Night
5. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
6. O Come, All Ye Faithful
7. Away in a Manger
8. Deck the Halls
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. We Three Kings
11. Silent Night
12. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
13. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
14. Let it Snow.
15. Go Tell it On the Mountain
16. Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer
17. What Child Is This?
18. Joy to the World
19. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
20. The Twelve Days of Christmas

"Son, always pay your bills on time" was a favorite admonishment frequently uttered by my illustrious Father. But while operating a small retail business here in Sarasota my Dad unknowingly, actually taught me the art of "deadline motivation", by example.

Checks sent to suppliers had to be post-marked by the 10th of the month in order to get a 2% discount. The saving grace was the daily 5:17 Seaboard Railroad train to Tampa. Back in the 1930s and 1940s the trains had a mail clerk on board who shared the baggage car. There was even a mail drop slot on the sides of the car clearly labeled U.S. Mail. My job was to carefully carry and make sure those envelopes got on that train!

One day while I was feeding envelopes into that slot, and the train starting to roll, a man ran up to me and said, "At the post office they have a local slot and an outbound slot. Which is this?" I couldn't resist. So, I told him that maybe the local slot was on the other side of the car. With an unrepeatable oath that I was too young to understand, he shoved his local mail into the slot as the train pulled out of the station. But not to worry. As you and I know, the mail must go through, his just had to make a round-trip to Tampa and back. Life was/is good.

Even though it's really Pete's turn to write a blog, since it's Thanksgiving week I wanted to share a favorite family recipe.

On our first Thanksgiving in Sarasota we were invited to Willie & Bonnie Robarts house. They lived next door to their Robarts Funeral Home on Links Avenue. Willie Robarts and my Dad were first cousins.

Bonnie & Willie had a colored maid who was a fabulous cook. The only memory I have of that meal which was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, was her stuffed celery. Fortunately, she graciously gave me the recipe. It has been a favorite of ours through the years and every one in our family just assumes it will be part of our holiday meal. In fact they insist on it. This was brought to mind the other night when our son called to ask for the recipe. Since he is not able to come home this year he's still determined to have stuffed celery at his Thanksgiving dinner. Here's the recipe:
 
STUFFED CELERY

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese
1 small can pears in syrup
Finely chopped pecans
Sugar to taste.                  

Mix some of the pear juice and crush some of the pears into the cream cheese until spreading consistency.  Add sugar to taste and pecans and stuff your celery and sit back and enjoy the compliments.  

Bon Appetite & Happy Thanksgiving from Pete & Diane.  Life was/is good    

(The photograph below was taken just after Willie and Bonnie Robarts' wedding. They are standing on South Pineapple Avenue in front of the Methodist Church.)