I'm always blogging in my head--interesting or annoying or challenging things happen, then I make up my blog about the event. Funny thing is, it does not end up on this site. It just rattles around in my head, composing words, different ways to say things so people don't get hurt, how can I write it so I look intelligent...on and on. One good aspect of this non=blogging is I realize how much happens around me. Current events, government decisions, family conflicts all give rise to my personal editorial--I am thinking critically about my world--I am NOT stuck in myself! This is good.

Now another story. This comes from Doug's oldest brother, John--Beer Sales in Saltcoats.

This goes back a lot of years, this memory, to about 1956 or 1957. John was about 10 years old, Gordon (brother #2) was about 8, and Doug was about 4 years old.

" Gordon and I (John) , being the terrific and kind role models that we were as Doug's older brothers, let Doug tag along with us often as we played. Now, this particular afternoon, Gordon, Doug and I were paying in and climbing up on some "swather-like" farm equipment in the lot of a Farm Equipment dealer. Just as we jumped into the swather box, we discovered a box. A box that we weren't familiar with, so we rattled it a bit and there was a clinking of glass-so we opened the box. Lo and behold, it was beer! Someone had stashed a case of beer. Now, we weren't the most street-smart trio in town, but we did know that this was a treasure that our dad would not appreciated--so we decided to sell it.

It was pretty heavy for 3 little kids so we went home and got our wagon. By this time Doug was getting tired so he rode and Gordon and I pulled the wagon back. We loaded up the beer and Doug has to make sure he held it so we didn't lose our precious cargo-away we went.

We went door to door selling beer. How adorable, a little guy n the wagon latching onto a case of beer. Bear in mind, this was a little town where everyone knew everyone and here were the children of Art Shanks ( upstanding citizen, respected teacher, dedicated Superintendent of the Sunday School) peddling beer. They must have been so impressed with how he was bringing up his children! To end the story, Doug sold the beer to an old bachelor on the edge of town. He wanted to by Doug, too, but we knew we were already in trouble, so we decided we shouldn't sell Doug, too."

Thanks, John.