Tis the Season

Thanksgiving has come and gone. The Barrett's came up from Naples and my Uncle Hunter came down from Perry. So good to have Hunter here in particular. He's in his 80's now and I just never know when my last time with him will be my last time with him. He's the only Gutshall left not living in my household. I had some really, really great photos to post here from our gathering of family and friends....but the Tilena Monster struck. Do you know anyone who just HAS to push buttons? Whether on a camera "or on me" no one is more inclined to push buttons than my wife. She picked up the camera last week and just had to find out "what all those little gadgets do". Well she found out and all my photos are gone. Oh well, on to Christmas...I'll take the photos and hide the camera afterward.

Emma Grace enjoyed her 3rd birthday Saturday the 6th of December. I was able to talk with her briefly...no one talks with Gracie any longer than briefly. She has an attention span like Pappy's. Sure hope I get to go visit with her soon. Christy is now at the end of her 7th month of carrying Gracie's brother. Should have that boy by mid February.

We're all decorated and enjoying the season around here. As the boys have aged, it has become a more relaxing time for us. These days it is easier to focus more on the miracle of our Savior's birth and less on packages and gifts. Most every day is like Christmas to me anyway. The more I contemplate my life and circumstances, the more convinced I become that I'm the richest and most blessed man on the face of God's earth.

This season "as most" has me thinking a lot about my own childhood. I've mentioned a couple of my friends here before. Both happen to be lifelong friends. Winter time always brings to mind the many camping trips the three of us shared during Christmas Vacations. Now mind you, North Florida can be a chilly place in late December. I recall once in particular when we all camped up near the bank of Cow Creek. Donnie had fallen asleep early "as was his custom" curled up tightly in his sleeping bag. He "Donnie" had been pushing us all evening to go skinny dipping in the creek. Now I'm no prude mind you, but it's 35 degrees and windy. No way I'ma gonna git myself in that crik water. So anyway, Donnie's asleep and Roy and I slip down the trail about 20 yards where its good and dark. There was no moon out that night and it was black as the inside of a cow. Then we started shouting out loud and screaming at each other. Roy had a tree limb and was smacking the water splashing around just making a general racket. I rolled a large half rotten tree trunk down the bank into the creek and yelled out "how's the water?" Roy yelled back "It's freezing!, come on in". So I threw a limerock in that was about the size of my head. Of course that made quite a splash too. Well, by now, ole Water Head "Donnie" is wide awake and realizes me and Roy are down there swimming without him. We heard him call out to us and we both then ducked in the bushes. Here he comes running down the trail on that cold dark Winter night and he's a tearing clothes off as he runs. Now he wasn't hard to spot cause he's as lilly white as I am. When he pulled off all those clothes he just glowed in the dark. That silly clown sprinted right on by us without a stitch of clothes on yelling his fool head off "wait on me!, wait on me!".. SPLOOOSH! right into the creek he goes....SCREECH, HOWL, AAARRRGH!...then....HELP! HELP! HELP! I'M DYING, I'm FREEZING! HELLLLLLLP! That boy went from glowing white to electric blue in five seconds flat. He was cold as a frogs belly. I think I laughed till I threw up the scrambled eggs we had for supper. That's the night we started calling Donnie "waterhead".

Well, childhood is a special time. I just grin to myself thinking about some of those days...I laugh out loud thinking of Donnie's naked butt tearing down the trail that night. Boy oh boy...those were the days.

Well troops, that's it for today. Call your friends, hug your kids, kiss your spouse. But most important of all. Talk to God. Thank him for the greatest gift of all.

Merry Christmas.

Don and Company