I finally made it to Mother’s Day……

Yesterday was the first time in 6 years that I was around for Mother’s Day. All the others, I was in Belgium on the other end of a telephone.

I got my mom two white climbing rose bushes and planted them in the backyard for her. She took pictures of me digging the holes because it was the first time in just as many years that I did manual labor in the yard without kicking and screaming……

I must be growing up or something?

You see, I never really liked yardwork growing up and it was pretty much known by the family. Since I didn’t like it, I always managed to strategize ways to get out of it. My brother on the other hand never quite adopted the concept and always got hosed into doing the labor. Which was benficial for me because the yard just didn’t rake itself………Hunter did. Growing up, yardwork just wasn’t my thing, but I had other things. I saw myself as more of a collector/wheeler-dealer/entrepreneur/business man kind of guy. Or in this case, eight year old.

The first thing I sold in elementary school was Blow Pops. You know, the suckers with gum in the middle? At a quarter a piece, it was a nice place to start. Soon I realized there was only a marginal mark up, so I moved on. Next, I soaked toothpicks in cinnamon extract to flavor them and sell to the other kids. Hey, the Ice Cream Man sold them, so why couldn’t I? Now, looking back, the thought of a group of 4th graders hanging around with toothpicks in their mouth is priceless. As for collecting I put together a fine collection of arrow heads, cool pocket knives and old U.S. flags. I also had a bike cleaning business for awhile. You dropped it off and for a handful of greenbacks I made it sparkle like new. Another beauty was my baseball card trading operation. I set it up on the weekends and everyone would gather and trade their sports cards. I knew all my cards future potential and value to the exact cent and therefore wipped the floor with the other young lads. After that, I made jewelry. Yeah, I said jewelry. Don’t laugh, the profit was much better and the girls loved it. Or was it my handsome bowl cut that forced them to spend their hard earned allowance on my hand made beaded earrings, bacelets and necklaces? I guess we’ll never know.

My mom tells me that I come from a long line of King men who enjoy working in the yard. Maybe someday I will too? I’m open to the idea of it. I mean, I could probably start some sort of a landscaping business……..

Categories: Daily Jibber Jabber.