The Mad, Mad Race to Christmas

That crazy time of year!

by Charlie Leck

The loveliest weekend of the year is gone again. The quiet calmness of Thanksgiving is a wondrous gift that human beings give each other. I found it a restful, pleasant time again. It would have only been improved if my friend, Fred, had been here to prepare and carve the turkey. As good as our bird was, it was far short of the accomplished way Fred both roasts and presents a turkey feast. He is very much a gourmet in his tastes for food. The man knows good food well.

Crazy that Fred has such sensitive tastes for food but doesn't care what wine he guzzles down with it. He swears by the boxes of wine he can pick up at Walmart for 3 or 4 bucks. I played with the idea of making a photograph of a box of wine look alluring and tasty. It would take a genius, I guess. I present my humble results here for you. The photo originated in Fred's kitchen. The loaf of bread was made by his own hands. My improvements make the bread look exciting, but not the wine.

Now we move into that really crazy time of year. The time that I call "the race to Christmas." The gorgeous wife is frantic already, urging me to put lists together and to begin racing from store to store for this gift and that one. We've made out massive checklist of all the folks for whom we wish to buy. It is of the size of a major corporation's end-of-the-fiscal year spreadsheet.

"What about Christmas cards?" She asks with little hope in her voice.

"Too late," I say. "We can't possibly get cards and get them out now. Too much to do."

She's got her eye on a Christmas tree already. It's uncut and she's negotiating it's purchase with an innocent owner who did not intend it to become someone's Christmas tree; however, in this area, as in so many others, money talks.

Four of the six kids will be here and so will the mother of one of our sons-in-law. Maybe my sister-in-law, too. Stockings will be hung for everyone and Santa has been ordered (not requested) to fill them to the gills with lovely this and thats.

Thanksgiving and the days leading up to it seem to be lazy, lovely days of anticipation and all the focus is on the dinner spread -- the feast -- and the table on which it will be laid out. These days leading up to Christmas seem much more like a race -- a mad, mad, frantic race that one can only lose and never win. Yet, here I am entered once more in said race and wildly wrapping gifts and making checklists and preparing boxes to be shipped to various places in the country.

For Fred I'll purchase a couple of good bottles of a nice French wine and send them with some splendid lamb chops and and a small roast. Fred won't let the season get him all riled up. He's in a good mode these days, determined to live out the rest of his days peacefully and he's tuned into the good and important things around him (with the exception of the wine he drinks).

There are lessons to be learned from Fred; and I'm trying to learn to measure the really worthwhile against the completely unnecessary.

So, you think you know your town!

I’ve lived here a long time and I really pay attention, but I missed this one completely!
by Charlie Leck

We’ve got a real live saint living in our town. Her name is Purita and she’s sweet, lovely, attractive and she sings like an angel! Actually she doesn’t live here in our community; though she formerly did – up there on Pagenkopf Road. A few years ago, she and her husband moved to an adjoining village. We still count her as one of ours.

I had no idea what an extraordinary contribution Purita was making to our community until just a few weeks ago when someone quite inadvertently told me about it.

“You’re kidding?” I asked in amazement.

The fellow looked at me and cocked his head a bit as if he were a spaniel or labrador.

“Why would I kid? She’s been doing it for years.”

“How come I didn’t know about this?”

Well, again, the guy looked at me as if I were from outer-space, or something. How was he to know why I was so ignorant about this incredible woman and what she did every Thanksgiving Day?

“She’s a bit of a saint, you know,” he said in a gentle, off-hand manner, “and does her work quietly and she doesn’t want publicity.”

“But, there are plenty of us who’d like to help – to contribute.”

“Oh, she’s got plenty of people involved. Danny Dobozinski – you know, Dobo, from Dobo’s Café – he does all the cooking for her – sends over the turkeys and all the fixin’ and the pies. He even sends enough pies that every family can take one home. Along with all that, he sends cakes and other goodies. It’s a real Thanksgiving feast and the people who’ve been coming for years almost treat it like a family situation. They’re all glad to see each other again and to join together on such an important day.”

I was starting to get the picture, but I didn’t think my town had people in it who needed a place to dine on Thanksgiving.

“Oh, it extends beyond our town. People in surrounding communities are invited to come. It’s all absolutely free. If you’re on your own – lonely maybe – or not up to fixin’ your own dinner – or struggling financially – or just plain don’t want to go to all the trouble – they're all invited to come to the city hall to feast together. Some of the guests are local folks – well healed, but at the age where it’s difficult to do the whole Thanksgiving thing. There are Hispanics who don’t know all the traditions. There are some people who aren’t capable of putting together their own big dinner.”

“I want to help,” I said. “How can I help?”

“Don’t think you’re needed,” was the answer that bit pretty hard. “Purita’s got it all figured out. You don’t need to mess in everything you know. This might be one thing you just ought to keep your nose out of and let it run as it always has.”

That was pretty tough talk and it got me burned a little. There seemed to be all kinds of implications in that statement that I couldn't get hold of.

“Well, what if I just donated a little money to help Danny with the costs?”

“His whole family is involved. I think they can handle it okay.”

“Well, I want to talk to Purita, to tell her how pleased I am that she does this. What’s her phone number?”

“I don’t know. Let me call her first and ask her if it’s okay to give it to you.”

Well, I left the conversation feeling like I had some strange disease and had to be isolated away from this event. Was there some fear I’d mess it up?

A couple days later the fellow emailed me Purita’s phone number and said I could call her. So, I did. I told her how moved I was by what she does here in town. I asked if she needed help or whether I could donate some funds. Turns out she might have some need for drivers to get people to and from the dinner; and Danny might appreciate some help with the cost of the thing.

“It’s gotten pretty expensive for him,” she said. “Why don’t you check with him!”

Danny’s a great guy, too. He has a wonderful café in the town just on our northern border. Man, what fabulous home-made baked goods they serve and sell over the counter. His whole family – his parents and siblings – are all very good people who contribute lots to special projects in our town. They’re very involved in stocking our food shelves so people can get food in emergencies. Danny always has a smile on his face and always has time for a long hello even though the café might really be jumping. He welcomed a little bit of help.
A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Purita asked me to stop over at City Hall to peek in on the event and listen in on some of the singing and celebrating that would go on after dinner.

I was pretty overwhelmed by it all. The hall was big enough, but there was a good size crowd of diners there. The food looked splendid and the volunteers were efficient and good humored and having a ball.

Purita gave me permission to take a few photos. I chatted with lots of people and found every story amazingly different. One local, long time resident of our community lost her husband a few years ago. The dinner is perfect for her. She loves getting out and meeting new people and enjoying the time with them. Another lady lives in one of our up-scale communities, but is alone and doesn’t find it much fun to do a Turkey dinner by herself. There were new residents to the area who were struggling to find work and settle in. What a great opportunity to meet new people and “network” as we call it. Then, there were some folks who couldn’t manage to do a dinner on their own.

Purita reaches out to all of them and wraps her love around them and makes sure they are invited to join in the big Thanksgiving feast. She urges all the volunteers to look out for folks who need a place to dine on this big, wonderful holiday.

At the end of the feast, Purita leads them in song. Her voice is so sweetly strong and brilliant that it brings tears to my eyes thinking about it.

“Oh, I could listen to her all day,” one fellow leaned over and said to me. “She’s a saint, you know.”

“Yeh!” I got the idea that he was correct. We have a saint right here in our town, pouring her love out on so many people. She brings them happiness and love.

“Let’ sing this one,” Purita said into the microphone. “It’s a perfect song for today.”

Her voice sends chills through me and, when I close my eyes, it is as if an angel hovers overhead with her gentle, protective wings spread above and around us.

“I see trees of green, red roses too,
I see them bloom, for me and you.
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

“I see skies of blue, and clouds of white,
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

“The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky,
Also the faces of people going by.
I see friends shaking hands, say how do you do?
They're really saying, I love you.

“I hear babies crying, I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know.
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

“Yes I think to myself... what a wonderful world.”

She loves Purita and loves her Thanksgiving Days with her!

Happy to be with friends and enjoying a fine dinner!


Happy to be surrounded by friends and an angel!


Happy, kind volunteers who make it a great day!

Lining up for left-overs to take home!

The community room at City Hall is nearly full -- and certainly filled
with happiness and good feelings.

The songs weren't real familiar, but they still sounded pretty!

There were volunteers who did all the work with smiles on their faces.

By word of mouth and with simple, little signs like this one, people find out
about the Happy Thanksgiving celebration at City Hall. All it requires is
making a reservation ahead of time.

Keeping Grandpa Busy

This is grandaughter, Caroline, who, except when she bathes, never
removes her beloved stocking cap and no one tries to force her to.

Sometimes the blog comes in in second place! Like now, for instance!
by Charlie Leck

The grandkids are here – two of them anyway – the Chicago contingent – and grandpa has been kept very busy trying to juggle the demands of two vibrant, energetic little girls and his dog and wife. We’re handling it all, however, and we’ll be back on the air on Sunday morning with some more comments about my town and an extraordinary Thanksgiving experience I had here.

Grandpa's traditional job on Thanksgiving is to prepare a
giant platter of wonderful fresh lox. Voila!

Lovely Lisa, Anne's delightful daugher, prepared the spectacular green
salad for our Thanksgiving feast.


Grandaughter Anna relaxed and had a good time watching
everyone work to prepare dinner.

Mark's beloved, Kelly, brought the Thanksgiving pies
and her wonderous smile.


A volunteer from my town helps to serve up a spectacular
free feast for people who come together to share in a
special event.

Thanksgiving

This is such a wonderful day for special, clear thinking!
by Charllie Leck

This has always been the most wonderful day of the year for me. I adore Thanksgiving Day. Almost all of my closest friends and also my family count it as the best holiday of the year.

I hope y'all have a very nice, comfortable and peaceful day today and I hope that you are surrounded by happiness and love.

In 1918, in the small mining town of Bovey, Minnesota, Charles Wilden paid a visit on Eric Enstrom's photographic studio. He certainly did not stop to have his photograph taken. Wilden was a peddler, selling foot-scrapers; however, Enstrom saw something special in the man and implored him to pose for a photograph.

Today, the Enstrom family continues to sell the famous image. One can visit their home on the world-wide web by going to the following site:
http://www.gracebyenstrom.com/index.html

The original of the photograph hangs today in the office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Home-Town Kid Makes Good

He makes his community proud that he’s a part of us, but what looms in his future?
by Charlie Leck

In America, almost every little kid’s dream is to make it to the big leagues. I can attest to that. Yup, it’s a part of the American trilogy – “baseball, apple pie and the American flag!” The dream culminates in being named the MVP – the Most Valuable Player!

A hometown kid from our metropolitan community made it! Joe Mauer, of Saint Paul, was yesterday named the American League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2009 season.

Today, the entire state is busting its buttons with pride and happiness. Three cheers for the kid. He deserved it and it would have been “highway robbery” if it hadn’t been given to him. The great fear around here, of course, was that the award would have to go to a Yankee just because of their dominance in the news arena.

But Joe had just too good a season and distanced himself so far out ahead of all the other players in the league that there were just no other options.

So, what happens when a small-town, regular, good guy is announced as the winner of this grand award? On Monday, in Minneapolis, Joe showed up at the ball park to meet the press and hear the official word. Gathered there to greet him was his mom and dad and two full rows of his family, including grandparents, brothers and sisters-in-law and nieces (one of them wearing a blue Joe Mauer (#7) t-shirt. Also present were a number of his team-mates and local friends.

Of the 28 writers with votes, Joe was the top choice on 27 ballots. The one member of the baseball writers association who didn’t vote for Joe must have been out late drinking the night before the vote – and probably with the guy, Miguel Cabrera, for whom he voted. Cabrera had less than stellar public relations success this past season that saw him involved in a drunken spat with his wife and a trip to the county jail. Well, I guess that doesn’t make him a bad ball player, but it puts extra emphasis on the “aw, shucks,” down-home, kid-next-door nature of our entire state’s favorite ball player, Joe Mauer.

What kind of year did Joe Mauer have? Well, it started out disastrously. Joe missed all of spring training and a month at the beginning of the regular season with a serious back or kidney problem. When he returned to the team on May 1st and stepped up to the plate, he knocked one out of the park on his first swing and he was off and running for the rest of the year. He finished with a batting average of 365 (that’s a major league record for a catcher) and it won him his third batting title in his four years of playing. He also led the league in slugging and on-base percentage (28 home runs, 96 runs batted in, and 191 hits). These are unheard of numbers for a catcher and they carve out a place for Joe in the annals of baseball history and propel him ever closer to a guaranteed spot in Cooperstown (the Major League Baseball Hal of Fame). Oh, yes, Joe also won the year's Gold Glove Award as the best defensive catcher in the American League.

In the entire history of baseball, no catcher ever won a league batting title. Now, Joes has done it three times. If you're a baseball fanatic, think of the great catchers in the history of the game with whom Joe Mauer now stands: Yoggi Berra, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Bill Dickey, Thurman Munson, Roy Campanella and Walker Cooper. Oh, my goodness!

Joe is only under contract to the Twins for one more year. He’s due to make 12 million dollars this coming season. (I guess that blurs a little of that “aw-shucks” kind of feeling about him.) In 2011, he’ll be a free agent and it is frightening to think of what that might mean when New York (both teams) and Boston start bidding for his services.

Would Joe really leave his home-town to go to the Big Apple?
“Say it ain’t so, Joe!” Well, we began this blog talking about every little boy’s dream of playing in the big leagues and there is nothing bigger, and no dream sweeter, than pulling on the pin stripes of the Bronx Bombers. However, the New York City mentality doesn’t seem to fit Joe as sweetly as the Yankee uniform might. He’ll need to give the Twins a discount for his services and there aren’t many ball players who would even think about doing that. Joe Mauer just happens to be one of those few. It’s our only hope folks.

It’s going to be a wonderful 2010 season in the Twins new ball park, Target Field. An opportunity to watch Joe Mauer play this little kids' game.

Comments:
Already this morning a reader has sent in a link to Joe Christiansen's commentary in the StarTribune about whether the Twins can figure out how to keep Joe Mauer in one of their uniforms. You can also watch a video there with Joe's comments at the award ceremony.

Another tells me that the Mayor of Saint Paul has declared today (Wed, 25 November) Joe Mauer Day over in that city. Joe will be honored today in a special ceremony and he'll get a key to the city. [See a short story about that in MinnPost]

Still another tells me that only 10 players have won 3 batting titles as Joe has and among those 10 names 3 played for the Minnesota Twins -- Joe, Tony Oliva and Rod Carew. The others are Wade Boggs, George Brett, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Harry Heilman, Nap Lajoie and Ty Cobb. That, of course, is not correct unless he amends it to American League players. Right off the top I see that Stan Musial is not on the list and he won 7 batting titles.

A Proud Papa

Thanks to our friends and family for being so kind -- again!
by Charlie Leck

I’ve got a kid (our youngest) who is in her third year teaching in New York City as a volunteer for TEACH FOR AMERICA.

What can I say? My buttons are bursting with pride. She was an honors graduate from Colgate University in 2007 and she could be out in the world making the big and bountiful bucks.

Instead, she got turned on to TEACH FOR AMERICA and ended up being sent to Harlem to teach in an under resourced school up around 135th Street in Manhattan (Harlem).

But, this is not a blog about her; this is about the rest of our family and many of our friends. A couple of times now, when we’ve put out the distress call, they responded big time and came to her aid and I’m as proud and thankful as a guy could be about that.

A couple of weeks ago, through an on-line program called DonorsChoose.org, Cynthia put out this call.

"Reading, writing and history, oh my!

"Schools across the country faced dramatic budget cuts this year and for my 7th grade students this meant combining two classes into one in order to free up some much needed funds. As a result, for the 2009-2010 school year English and Social Studies have been combined to form Humanities. With only 4.5 hours a weeks in my classroom students are struggling to learn all there is to know about reading, writing and the history of the United States from the first civilizations through the Civil War.

"In an effort to increase student learning and help students make connections between everything they are learning we will be reading four historical fiction novels. Unfortunately, the school only owns two of these! With no money left for books I'm reaching out to you all for help purchasing the book 'Before We Were Free,' by Julia Alvarez. A story of a young girl growing up in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, this book will give my students a better understanding of the central role democracy and freedom play in the U.S. and what life can be like without these things. In addition with a large number of Dominican students in my classroom it will give them a chance to learn about an often forgotten time of pain and terror in their own homelands.

"My students need 96 copies of the novel 'Before We Were Free' by Julia Alzarez in order to learn about government and freedom. The cost of this proposal is $668, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment."

Yesterday, she put out this message for all (many of our friends and family) who had responded and given.

“I can’t fully express how thankful I am about this project being fully funded. It was remarkable how quickly action was taken to ensure my students are able to grow as readers and thinkers, even in times of need. It has been a challenging year, but the speed at which this project was funded reminds me that people are there to help. I’m sure that my students will as thankful as I am when they first crack open their personal copies of ‘Before We Were Free!'

"In closing, I would like to give thanks a bit early this year to each of you who took an active step toward raising the level of education my 96 students will receive this year.

"With gratitude,
Ms. L”

DonorsChoose.org is a wonderful enabling tool for raising money for small and worthy projects. Get to know it! For now, though, know how much I appreciate what so many of you did.

Hitch Your Wagon to a Star

This is a fake, by the way, 'cause Sarah never appeared on a
Vogue cover. This phony photo made the rounds early in 2008.
And, oh yes, by the way, Vogue rhymes with Rogue.

Hollywood… er, I mean Washington seems ready to hitch its future to Sarah Palin!
by Charlie Leck

Did any of you know the first thing in the world about Sarah Palin before 2008? Come on, answer honestly now! I sure didn’t!

And now, there she is, tempting the Republican Party to latch on to her for a superstar ride to the top of the political galaxy! Wow!

I can’t imagine that the Republican Party will go for it, but who knows? You can bet they’re going to watch her carefully to see just how fully she catches on. Her book promotion trip is more like a rock star tour, attracting thousands of adoring fans. I can only hope that most of them will eventually read her book and see just what kind of loony character she is.

I think she proved her lack of substance when she chose the book sales circuit over fulfilling her term as Governor of her state. Is a run for the Presidency still a possibility for her? I just can’t imagine it!

There are an awful lot of people gushing over her right now, but I can believe that these folks have really examined her intellectual capacity or abilities to organize and lead a complicated election campaign – no less serve as President.

In another 15 or 16 months we’ll see the real potential candidates for the top job start to emerge. Will Palin be one of them? Someone book mark this blog so you can throw it back in my face, because I’m saying there is no way Sarah Palin becomes a serious candidate for endorsement by the Republican Party. That party has it weaknesses, but utter stupidity is not one of them.

Ross Douthat concludes a recent opinion column in the NY Times with this remarkably insightful comment about just this subject:

"This means that there are substantial political rewards awaiting the politician who becomes the voice of an intellectually vigorous conservatism. It probably won’t be Mike Huckabee or Sarah Palin. If Republicans are lucky, though, it will be somebody who shares their charisma — but who prefers the responsibilities of leadership to the pleasures of celebrity."

The title of Palin's book, by the way, is ROGUE, a term that was applied to her during the last Presidential campaign. Merriam-Webster's definition: "A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel!"