Comments about this column
John E. Peterson
Thursday, May 17, 2007
AS I HAVE written several times before, these columns precipitate comments and responses from some of you readers. That always pleases me. It is good for my ego and it does tell me that you do read my trivial ramblings. And some of the comments are amusing. Consequently, I am periodically stimulated to share them with you. I now have before me a shareable collection of my notes on such comments. Therefore, it is sharing time, if I have my way.
I had been to Graves Drugs to pick up a prescription. As I came out to get into my car, I put my hand on the fender of the red truck parked beside my car. This was to help me step down the curb.
Though I had not noticed them earlier, a man and a woman were sitting in the truck. So I told the lady that I much appreciated their letting me use their truck for stability. She said that was fine, but that I probably got my hand dirty because their truck was quite muddy.
The man, on the other side at the steering wheel, smiled at me and said, “If I had my way, you would lean on our truck often.” We all laughed.
At another time, I went into Graves to pick up one of my routine prescriptions. There were several people at the prescription counter, so I had to wait a bit for service.
There are two red chairs for those waiting. Two older ladies were sitting on them. After I stood there for just a minute or so, one of the ladies got up and said something like, “If I had my way, you would have a place to sit.”
I thanked her and declined her offer. I told her that I had called in my prescription, so I would be served right away. I was. How nice of an older lady to offer me her chair, though I suppose it was because she thought I was older than she was. My age must be showing. Darn!
Back to the basketball season. I still have some notes about comments made to me at basketball games. The basketball season is well past, so let us get past these comments, too.
As I was walking to my seat before a game, Carl Hoffmans stopped me and said, “If I had my way, we would win this game.” I agreed. Emporia did win the game, so we both got our way.
In earlier columns about comments at the games, things had been said about the extremely loud music. At that same game I mentioned above, a lady said to me that it did not seem that I had gotten y way about turning down the loudspeaker. She went on to say that it was just as loud as it has always been. I quite agreed. I certainly did not get my way on that one.
At another game, a two-game evening, as it often is, I was at the refreshment counter before the first game, getting myself my favorite Polish Dog. The gentleman beside me told me that he much enjoyed my columns. Then he said that he should write me some things about Toledo and Saffordville back in their early days. I much appreciated his comments, but as he said often happens, he did not get around to sending me anything about those towns.
Now, to another place. We were at the March book club discussion meeting at the Emporia Public Library. This happens on the first Wednesday of each month and we are almost always there. This session was a discussion of the book “Sod and Stubble” by John Ise.
The setting of the book was in Kansas, in the Downs and Osborne County area. The John Athertons were at the session. They had recently visited the Downs area and seen some of the places referred to in the book. They told the group about their trip up there.
As the meeting was breaking up, John looked over at me and said, “John, if I had y way, you would go visit the Downs area.” I had been up there long ago, but I agreed with John that I should go again.
It was a Sunday afternoon. We were sitting in Braum’s enjoying ice cream cones. Sharon Karr and two friends had just finished their refreshments and stopped at our booth as they were leaving.
Sharon told me that I had written about the Breckinridge Center monument some long time ago. It was, she said, on their land. They had never really understood why it was put so far off the road. Probably because that was where Breckinridge Center really was located, we decided. These trivial columns sometimes even bring marvelous conversations and questions.
So! You see what interesting and fun responses I get from these columns? My thanks to all of you whom I have mentioned for your responses. And thanks to all of you who read these things and do not respond. You are all wonderful people out there. You will keep reading my ramblings and sometimes say “If I had my way” to me, if I have my way.
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
WE LOVE YOU. WHAT A GREAT JOB.
May 17, 2007 at 2:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )