A New Year...Some New Surprises

Well pholks,we made it through another holiday season..for better or for worse, but we made it.

There were a few surprises--some firsts in my household.

My wife, not me, has a Chia Pet. Since most of you know, or should know by know, Chia Pets have been the subject of numerous holiday columns I've penned over the years. Chia Pets, the Clapper and Salad Shooters are gifts which generate repeated and obnoxious advertising have driven me crazy. So it only made sense that the tag on the Christmas gift read "For Mom and grand kids, even though Miles won't like it--from Laura."

When the wrappings came off and the thing was revealed, I was forced to hold my tongue. The fact that this Chia was a frog, however, made a big difference in my potential outburst of disapproval.

You see pholks, my wife collects frogs--not real frogs--but decorative frogs. She makes fantastic frog dolls, and dozens of nifty crafts featuring frogs. She has frog earrings, pins, charms, garden pots. figurines, pictures, nick-knacks, and assorted statues, etc. And, the reason she started collecting frogs goes to the comment her daughter made when Kathy and I began dating. Daughter Laura said, "Mom, it looks like you finally found your prince." Thus began the frog thing and the frog-related gift tradition.

Add to this the fact that my wife spends considerable time with her daughters' daughter and her son's four youngsters, watching a Chia Pet--a frog one--grow all fuzzy and green just seems a natural extension of the whole frog thing.

Not that I'm softening my stance on Chia Pets as presents, but since it turns out to be practical gift, that is okay.

Of course my wife knows that I measure gifts on their practical value so when Kathy gave me a six pack this year, I was thrilled.

Yes, a six pack for a guy who hasn't had a beer in nearly six years. But wait, this was not a six-pack of Bud, Sam Adams, Miller Genuine Draft, or even, Coors. No pholks, this was a six-pack of eye glasses 1.50 power reading glasses.

I don't buy expensive glasses which I use only for reading. Generally I pay $7 to $9 per pair. Since I put on and take off my glasses at least a dozen times a day and often just sit them down at random, more often than not the ear pieces are twisted, bent, or broken off completely.

I will use my Christmas six-pack in good health.

VISALIAN PAUL MOISI ALSO FOUND a practical gift in his Christmas stocking, but now doesn't think he will use it again in the near future.

Moisi, who along with his family grows citrus in the Ivanhoe-Woodlake area, loves and collects classic cars, Cushman motor scooters and other unique vehicles.

So when he opened a package of high-tech valve-stem covers for the tires on his late model Chevy pickup, he was pleased. These stem covers gauge the tire pressure (32 lbs) and emit a green color when all is well. If the pressure drops below the standard level, the caps turn red letting the owner know his tire or tires are running low. Paul installed his new stem caps.

An early riser, Paul went to the garage before sunup, fired up his truck, checked his cell phone messages and put the truck in gear. It didn't move. A little more gas didn't work either. Fearing that the transmission was at fault he gave the motor a little more gas and the truck began a bumpy retreat from the garage. Stopping the truck and getting out to check things out, he discovered a flat tire--and the fact that the truck was still level. A quick walk around revealed that not only one, not only two, not only three, but all four tires were flat.

A miniature compressor activated with the trucks ignition system allowed him to inflate the tires until he was able to get the tires to full pressure. He removed the stem covers which now remain in the glove box. But Paul, known for his dry humor and optimism, quipped "well, the good news is that the caps were all turned red just like they were supposed to."

MORE OPTIMISM IS IN STORE FOR Ron Hughart, author of "The Place Beyond the Dust Bowl" which has won acclaim for the story of his family's migration to California.

The first person account of the "Grapes of Wrath"-like hardships of the Dust Bowl era, has generated considerable interest among area educators who are in the process of adding it to their study plans. The College of the Sequoias has ordered a supply of Hughart's book which will be part of the curriculum for English 360. The Tulare County Department of Education is putting the finishing touches on a study guide for the book which will be used in a number of county schools.

Ron will be signing his book Jan 31 at B. Dalton's for 1 to 3 p.m. in Visalia Mall. Expect to see and hear more about Ron in 2004.

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