Jack’s Winning Words 12/16/13
“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.”  (A.A. Milne)  I cleaned my messy desk yesterday and found some ideas for making Christmas happy and holy.  One was to keep a candle on the table and light it before dinner and spend a moment thinking about “the reason for the season.”  I also found a spike, saved from the track when the railroad ran though our town.    ;-)  Jack

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  My Dad's Feed Store was right next to the RR tracks.   He had a side track that left RR cars with stuff in them.    I loved it out there.   Used to walk along the tracks and find Stuff.".   Built some neat things out of that stuff.====JACK:  Kids that I know don't play around railroad tracks anymore.  I used to walk to work with a friend, and we'd use the RR tracks as a short cut.  We'd see who could walk the furthest on the rails without falling off.  BTW, he went on to become a noted economics professor at Michigan State Univ.

 FROM TARMART REV:  I remember now, that you have mentioned cleaning out your desk . . . Some years ago I did that to a large drawer in my church office, and discovered a large bundle of mail I was to go through and had forgotten that I placed there after retuning from a vacation . . . a few overdue bills were awaiting my attention . . . 0;-/====JACK:  Don't you just hate it when you have to pay a late fee for an overdue bill?  Which reminds me that there's a bill in the "pile" for $1.88.  The postage and a late fee would be more than the bill.

 FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  I found some writing I had begun years ago, related to my current interests.  Maybe I'll dig a little deeper today. I like to think I am actually not messy; but just a temporarily overwhelmed neat and orderly person. The truth is, I have been temporarily overwhelmed for about 30 years.====JACK:  Sheryl Crow has a song for you..."God Bless This Mess."

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  Every so often there's an item in the newspaper or TV programming under the title, "Where are they now?"  That can include stuff we save.  Your mention of the railroad spike you saved reminded me that I once had a railroad spike as a keepsake too.  I found it while walking the tracks not far from home, and I thought such an odd-size "nail" was unusual enough to save.  Now that you brought up your find, I'm thinking about mine, and wondering "where is it now?"  Having brought it up, I don't know what it has to do with today's WW, so I think I'll switch to some ideas for making Christmas happy and holy. ====JACK:  You and your wife probably have a spike similar to mine. Mel and Barb Rycus gave a plated and etched spike, recovered from the West Bloomfield railroad right-of-way, as a "Thank You" to all who worked on the ARTRAIN project in 1976.

FROM TRIHARDER:  or, buy that third pair of olive pants.====JACK:  Counsellor....I'm having trouble following your line of thought.====TH:  Disorganization (messiness) sometimes causes me to buy something more than once.====JACK:  so, you've done that, too?====TH:  Funny if you did it on purpose. Add "Ironic" if you didn't -- You sent me the message x 2.  ====JACK:  Ironic!  I liked reading O. Henry stories. ====TH:  There are a couple that stand out in my mind:  Ransom of Red Chief, and another from which I learned the word "surreptitious" about a man who was "surreptitiously listening to the conversation of two others on a bus -- the conversation between the two was about someone who got away with a serious crime -- but, NO! at the last minute, there was a reversal, as the two men got off the bus and continued their conversation outside of the hearing of the transfixed listener.  I don't remember the name.====JACK:  One that is popular at this time of the year is The Gift of the Magi.

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  That sounds like a mini version of an advent wreath.  You have kept things for a long time.  The garage is my challenge for messiness.====JACK:  No wreath this year, but we do have an Advent calendar.  Long ago, the church gave out dime folders, and members were encouraged to put a dime into a slot for each day of Advent and turn them in on Christmas Eve.  Yes, the garage is another messy project for most people.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Oh, boy,do I hear you on this!  In getting out extra bedding in my lower level closet at Thanksgiving, I discovered a box of  Christmas vests and sweaters that I couldn't find last year, and KNEW they were  SOMEWHERE!! Any drawer, closet, or even my car trunk, not to mention garage shelves, I'm sure would  offer up countless "treasures", if given a thorough clean-up!  Maybe in 2014...! Hmmmm!====JACK:  Now, there's an idea for a New Year's resolution.

 FROM BM IN MICHIGAN:  Margie would hope that this a good reason for my messy desk at home. ====JACK:  Don't you encourage clients to be organized, so that when they come to you, all of the receipts and other data are neatly in order?

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Every once in awhile I will decide to clean out a drawer.  The house is always squeaky clean (except when the grandkids are here) but the drawers?  I am sure bad about the drawers.  I would like to think the kitchen drawers were messy because there are too many "needed utensils".  However, we all know we have those utensils we never use but don't get rid of.  The bedroom drawers are the same way....well, not all of them but in my night stand I have some sorting to do. ====JACK:  Since you're an expert on privies....Did any of them have drawers or shelves?  How about kerosene heaters?  I know that they had basements.====JUDY:  Some of the Alaskan privies have shelves, lights, heater and even bear bars....that is bars to bar the bear from entering.  I am on different medicine now and I can use my fingers and hands again!  I have read the emails but have been unable to "type" back to anyone.  It's nice to be able to be in touch again!

 FROM FM IN WISCONSIN:  Neat idea for the candle, but what about the spike – maybe you could stick it in a drawer and get it out for Holy Week!====JACK:  You don't come across people named, Spike, anymore.  The only one I remember is Spike Jones.

 FROM LP IN PLYMOUTH:  > keep a candle on the table and light it before dinner and spend a moment thinking about “the reason for the season.”  nice idea. :)  also nice to see the positive side of my 'lack of order'... I'm hoping to spend some of my break time to make some 'discoveries.' Ha!====JACK:  Don't be surprised if you find something during your search.  God has a way of playing "games" sometimes. ====LP:  My daughter is Hoping to find my old Girl Scout vest :)

 FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  I like finding money in my coat pockets from the previous season , or finding money in the washing machine...money laundering!====JACK:  Now, that's funny....and clever, too.

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Two of the trunks that my Swedish grandparents brought to this country in the early 1800's are still in one of my rooms here. One of my daughters went through one of them the other day and found many treasures including a manger scene that I had bought for my parents when I was in the fifth grade.  It is still in great shape.  She took it home with her.   I remember buying it at Woolworths in Moline with my money from The Daily Blah which was about the news of our neighborhood and which I delivered at the end of the week. Mother had kept copies of the handwritten newspaper, too.  By the way, are you going to have lute fisk and potato sausage Christmas Eve?====JACK:  My mother threw my stuff out.  But that was after she had warned me, "If you don't clean up your mess, I'm ditching it."  Woolworths in Moline...I remember it so well.  No lute fisk for me, but I'd like to have some potatis korv.

 FROM CP IN WISCONSIN:  I like your idea of lighting a candle to think about "the reasons for the season".====JACK:  I like the candle idea, too, but unless you find a candle, put it on the table and light it, it's just an idea.  An idea is only good when it's put to use.

 FROM BC IN MICHIGAN:  I like this one!====JACK:  I think that almost everyone has a messy place somewhere...which means that almost everyone has undiscovered treasures.