by Kathy Brasby | Nov 29, 2013 | Seasons
My dad once rescued an angry mama cow by luring her into a runway where she thought she could mash him flat as a Gumby toy. He let her stay close to his heels until he reached the door into the barn.
Then he grabbed a fencepost and vaulted onto the top railing while the cow’s momentum carried her into the stall. Not easy but effective.
My brothers slammed the gate behind her and she was penned in a safe place.
That memory of a lithe and strong man of resource has held firm in my mind as I watched his abilities wither along with his body.
The family woke up to Dad’s challenges when he set his pickup engine on fire. Dad was a master mechanic and, even in his 80s, he wasn’t afraid to crawl under the hood and adjust a carburetor.
Something went wrong. Something that wouldn’t have gone wrong 10 years before.
The fire scorched the pickup engine and underside of the hood.
Dad was nearly in tears for his clumsy mistake.
We were nearly in tears at the thought of a fire stealing him away from us.
We could have grounded him, taking away his vehicles and finding ways to keep him tethered to a recliner and television.
We didn’t.
We became very interested in his projects. We hung out with him as often as we could, turning a wrench when he started a repair. We listened when he discussed maintenance.
Just like Dad had rescued that angry cow even though she didn’t know it, we had to do the same for Dad.
He’d taught us to solve problems creatively. If he could vault the fence to save a cow, we searched for ways to save him from himself. Not easy but effective.
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by Kathy Brasby | Nov 26, 2013 | Hope
Inventory control is not always as boring as it sounds.
I once was in charge of ordering parts and verifying shipments. I ordered an unusual oil filter for a customer. What I got was a little cellophane bag holding a single bolt.
Who sees “oil filter” on the order form and thinks that a bolt is a worthy substitute?
Another order requested six spark plugs. In came six pickup bumpers. Think about the difference in box size for spark plugs and bumpers.
I don’t know; I’d think the shipper would have noticed.
It wasn’t unusual for a part number to have a substitute. For example, a can of grease might originally be S102. Then it would have a substitute number, maybe S112.
The can of worms potential was incredible.
I ordered a case of S102. OK, the order form substituted to the new number: S112 and I got a case of fan belts. No cigar.
But here’s my favorite. Each part’s package, whether box or bag, had the pick ticket attached. That pick ticket was a computer-generated card which included our dealership name and the part number with description.
So one day I got in, pick ticket attached, a 2-foot square of cardboard.
I spent the rest of the day trying to conjure up the scenario that would have allowed a shipper to think a headlight looked like a flat piece of cardboard.
Inventory control is not always boring.
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by Kathy Brasby | Nov 25, 2013 | Hope
I’ve closed out The Bible as Literature series for the moment, although I might throw out a post when the inspiration strikes. In the meantime, the columns are archived in the “The Bible” tab at the top of the page.
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by Kathy Brasby | Nov 22, 2013 | Seasons, Stories
Today begins a new series on my blog, one that will share stories and poignant moments about that special time of life: when our parents reach elderly.
I will continue my short stories on Tuesdays but plan to publish a “Seasons” story each Friday.
Names will be changed and, in some cases, stories may be blended to protect identities.
Don’t expect the aches and pains reports but stories of victory, stories of endurance, stories of humor.
Check back next Friday for the first Seasons story.
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by Kathy Brasby | Nov 19, 2013 | Hope
I admire those people who wrap their gifts with crisp corners and elegant bows. Those Christmas settings with deep red and green boxes under the tree, shimmering in style and beauty, inspire me.
I just can’t wrap like that.
When I get out the roll of wrapping paper, I can’t cut it straight. Plus, I end up with all this extra paper that gets hacked off. Yeah, it looks that way.
The idea is that I can turn the edges under and still have a nice gift wrap.
Huh. Somehow mine come out like they were first tossed under the delivery truck. Extra tape doesn’t help, either. I’ve tried that.
When gift bags came in vogue, I was all over that. Just stuff the tissue paper in there and I look like Martha Stewart, right?
Not right. I can’t stuff the paper elegantly, either.
My family has adjusted. On one of my husband’s birthday, the first gift came to him in a cute red “Happy birthday” gift bag. He fished out his gift, set the bag aside, and thanked the child responsible.
Then came his next gift from child #2 – in the red “Happy birthday” gift bag. Child #2 had snatched it, scurried to the kitchen and re-loaded it.
The birthday guy got four different gifts that evening in the same birthday bag. Talk about creative recycling on the run.
Some Christmas bags have been re-used so many times they’re part of the tradition. “Oh, you’re getting the Nutcracker bag. Who had it last year?” We use a marker to cross out last year’s name and add the current recipient to the list.
I may stop crossing out names because we’ve had so much fun recalling the bag’s history.
But my family has also descended to slap-your-hand kind of gift-wrapping. The operative question every birthday is, “Do you want your gift now or do you want it wrapped?’
We’re an impatient bunch. We accept gifts double-wrapped in Walmart bags. We snatch gifts from under a newspaper umbrella. We are happy to open a brown box – especially if the outside of the box doesn’t match the inside.
We figure the point is to disguise the gift as long as possible.
Just don’t tell Martha Stewart.
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