The Emporia Gazette

January 9, 2009

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THREE COLUMNS back, I wrote about some of the responses I had gotten from you fine people about my columns. The responses to that column were so many and so marvelous for my ego that I must write about responses again. Some of them are new and some go back in time.

That last column I wrote about responses appeared on a Thursday evening when there was a basketball game. Several people at the game had already read their GAZETTE and my column. Wow! I must have gotten a dozen responses about it at that game.

Two nights later, on Saturday, there was both a women’s and men’s game. That meant there were even more walking and talking opportunities at halftimes and between the games. I would guess I had 20 comments that night about the Thursday column. Many of them on both nights, were about the loudness of the music, since I had mentioned that several times in the Thursday column.

People said “Did you get your way about the loud music?” And, “Would you still make it less loud, if you had your way?” All sorts of things like that. Those two nights at the basketball games were wonderful for me because of your responses. You would keep on doing that, if I had my way.

Speaking of responses at basketball games, here is one which came before Christmas. In my columns about luncheon trips, I have often mentioned George Downing. That, of course, was because many of the trips were made by the Downings and the Petersons.

At the halftime of that basketball game, George and I just happened to be in the restroom at the same time. We were chatting as we were washing and drying our hands. A gentleman came in, saw us, and said, “I suppose you two are talking about going off for lunch somewhere.”

At an even earlier basketball game, I had this response. I had written a column about Ray Baird, my former neighbor. That was about six columns ago. While wandering about at halftime, Russ Jones came down the hallway. He stopped and told me how much he had enjoyed the column about Ray. He had known Ray well and told me a good bit about him.

In that same column about Ray Baird, I had told how he had been on the committee that developed Lake Kahola and how proud he was of what they had accomplished. That reminded me that, many columns ago, I had written a bit about Lake Kahola and had said that Emporia got water from it. Wow! Did that bring responses! People told me that Emporia no longer got water from it. Great responses! And I learned from them.

I have had lots of great responses at basketball games, but at other places, also. Permit me to tell you about some of the others.

Back in a column last summer, I had mentioned looking for Hilltop — and not finding it — as we drove through that country. Helen Ericson wrote me a letter and told me exactly where it was. I, then, wrote about her comments in a later column.

Just recently, I was at Brodie’s full service station getting the car gassed and checked, as I always do. Helen Ericson drove in while I was there. As I was walking back to my car, she came dashing over and said, “Are you getting your car ready to find Hilltop today?”

Recently, I drove up to the service window at Spic-n-Span dry cleaners, as I regularly do. One of the lovely ladies who is always there took my shirts and slacks. Then, I noticed the other lady standing some six or seven feet back in the room She was smiling, as she watched me doing my things. So I asked the first lady why she was standing back there doing nothing but smiling. She responded with, “If I had my way, she would be up here taking care of you.”

We were going into the Village Inn for breakfast one Sunday morning. As we were walking to our table, a lady in a booth we passed reached out, took my arm, and told me how she always looked forward to reading my columns. Of course, that helped me enjoy my breakfast because it made me feel so good.

I went into the exercise room at the Recreation Center to get my regular daily workout. A lady on one of the machines said hello as I passed. After my workout, I went by her again and she asked me what my next column would be about. I told her and we chatted a bit. She said she always enjoyed reading my columns and that I would keep writing them, if she had her way. I went on to my walk around the track feeling very elated.

There, then, you have some more of the wonderful responses I get from you people. Many of you just ask me if I am getting my way these days or say “If I had my way” about something. That is great for me! You will certainly keep on making such responses, if I have my way. Thank you much!

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