Learning about the Autism Spectrum will be a process for me, but one thing has struck me as I listen; the variety and beauty of God’s design for humans is about as vivid, and, yes, as challenging as any human can imagine.
The following was sent in for you because I asked for help finding ways to let people know about living with Autism.
A day in the life of caring for a 25-year-old son with Autism
By Cynthia Matlock
Having an adult son with Autism is challenging and entertaining.
From a distance my son looks like a typical 6’, 220 lb young man about to cross your path until you question his sudden laughter, song, or repeating a phrase over and over again.
Each day requires thinking, predicting, and planning for behavior triggers that may cause a scene, especially when you go out in the public.
One day I drove to my local grocery store and told him to get out of the car.
He said he would stay in the car.
That’s good, I thought. If I hurry I will not have to worry about losing him in the store.
He loves to just walk around or put a bag of “hot fries” in my buggy.
So I went in, picked up a few things, checked out, and headed back to the car quickly.
When I got to the car he was gone. Imagine the panic.
My hope was he stayed in his routine, which is pacing the store or going to the restroom in the store.
“Routine” is important for those who live with Autism Spectrum. Changing their routine can be a major alteration or frustration to their day and your day.
Luckily he can read and goes in the correct facility, the men’s.
Being a lady, I asked the manager to check if my son was in the men’s restroom. The manager walked in the restroom briefly, came out, and informed me that he was still in there.
I waited outside the door about three or four minutes.
My son has an obsession of admiring himself in a mirror and smiling again and again. Impatiently, I cracked the door and shouted for him to hurry!
I then started walking toward the front of the store. Out the corner of my eye I saw the man, not my son, come out the bathroom.
Then, straight ahead I saw that my son was already going out the front door ahead of me to the car. Realizing my mix up, I made my escape quickly, hoping my flushed face didn’t show.
Oh boy, another day in the life of an adult with Autism.
Some days you just shake your head and smile.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Red Shoe Philosophy
Valentine’s Day is not really about love at all. It is all about philosophy.
For this reason, I think it is important to note philosophical issues, especially the ones related to Valentine’s Day.
For instance, the Red Shoe Philosophy is one noteworthy theory that seems particularly relevant as Valentine’s Day approaches.
The Red Shoe Philosophy is simple: If you wear red shoes you will have a good day.
This semi-scientifically tested theory seems to hold true regardless of bad hair days, by the way. Or extra weigh gained over the holidays.
There is something so invigorating about a high-healed pair of red pumps.
I especially liked the picture I saw recently of a pair of red tennis shoes under a prom dress.
Or red cowboy boots; yeehaw!
Not only does a gal in red shoes walk with a little extra spring, she puts a smile on the face of anybody who happens to catch a glimpse of her lipstick-colored footwear.
The reason I think the Red Shoe Philosophy is relevant for Valentine’s Day is because a lot of single gals detest this holiday.
There’s something so disappointing for single gals about the heartbreaking combination of a holiday that emphasizes chocolate and having no one to give you any.
Having the right philosophy is self-empowering.
The great news is, you get to choose your own podiatral adornments. And shoes don’t add calories to your diet.
Like a gal in a zippy red sports car, you can leave all those single guys idling in the wake of your glimmering, flashes of self-confidence.
Or for the guy who is the lucky lover of a gal who buys into the whole Red Shoe Philosophy, here’s another philosophical pearl that is sure to come in handy when you rush out at the last minute in a Valentine’s Day buying panic.
Gals love shoes. Especially red ones. Hint, hint.
So, for the guy desperately trying to please his sweetheart, some pertinent philosophical perspectives seem especially relevant this time of year.
Just buy jewelry.
Or check in her closet for her shoe size.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Putting the Profit in Non-profit
All successful organizations are purpose-driven.
Whether it’s a good cause or just having fun, a shared sense of purpose is what unites people.
Unfortunately, with the recession, many non-profits are checking their budget and squirming for lack of funds, even those groups who are united around a worthy purpose.
With so many inexpensive booths available at fairs and festivals this fall, a booth is an excellent way to get the word out about your organization AND pick up some spare change.
But what to sell? Anything that is fun to buy.
That especially includes any paraphernalia pertaining to hobbies and sports, like:
-Hunting (pocketknives, camo hunting vests, ammo belts),
-Fishing (lures; antique lures, rods, or tackle boxes),
-Auto, Boat, and Motorcycle accessories (special cleansers or chamois, flashlights, gadgets, gizmos, and guy stuff),
-Grilling (small recipe books created by your organization, tools like tongs or spatulas, spice packages),
-Golf (golf balls or towels with funny sayings, emergency medical kits with sunscreen and band aids and funny “remedies” for bad golf days).
If you still need ideas for what people want to buy, here are a few more suggestions:
-Spend the day at Canton with some club members and search for ideas.
-Walmart has a whole aisles of ideas of stuff that people want to buy, especially the “impulse” displays that always catch me right before the cash register.
-Don’t miss a chance for members to clean out their attics and re-purpose gently used stuff to raise funds for your group.
-Why not plan a special fundraiser dinner for a few days later and sell tickets at your booth?
Finally, most importantly, new members mean new income in dues and donations, so don’t forget to recruit. Come prepared with brochures that clearly state the purpose of your organization.
Having enthusiastic volunteers ready to answer questions will make recruitment more successful. Have clipboards with membership applications ready that include contact info like email, phone, and address.
If you offer a discount to anyone joining that day, you may find that new members are eager to write a check for membership dues on the spot. Be sure to have a lock box available and a member assigned to be responsible for it.
In fact, if you plan your booth strategy well, you may find your next big project is training new members and figuring out what to do with all that extra cash.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Reasons Women Love Hunting Season
As I write, it’s Saturday morning; I’m still in my PJ’s enjoying my second cup of coffee in the peaceful stillness that can’t possibly be my house. There’s a chill in the air…..
And that, my friends, is the #1 reason why women love hunting season.
A momentarily quiet house.
I am so okay with the men taking off to hunt without me. But that’s not the only thing that’s great about hunting:
#2 Meeting girlfriends at restaurants and shopping with no time restraints.
#3 Feeling totally un-guilty about buying a new outfit because the guys stocked up on all kinds of expensive new gear in the name of camo and amo right before they left.
#4 The men come in after each hunt with new stories to tell, like notches on a gun belt.
Sorting fact from fiction is all part of the fun. Like the top-secret rituals of a men’s fraternity,
only the initiated will ever know what really scared away the big buck.
#5 Women love what spending time with the men in their life does for our sons’ self-confidence.
#6 We love the way our sons swagger when they comes home after a hunt.
#7 And what about the awe mixed with regret that every little boy experiences the first time he shoots a squirrel with a BB gun? Then, strange as it sounds, each and every hunt after that reminds him again that “Life is Sacred.”
#8 It’s so reassuring when they come home and only the game was killed. Yeah, women tend to worry or pray the whole weekend.
#9 Not to mention the fact that sons go to bed early for two nights afterwards because they are so exhausted from the crazy hours and the fresh air.
#10 And yes, women like the way hunting puts us in control of the remote for a change, not to mention getting to watch chick flicks all weekend.
Seriously, there must be something sobering and thought-provoking about wandering about in God’s creation - the beautiful fields and forests of Texas - and beholding the way a mighty and good Maker rules His domain. The men always return refreshed and ready to recommit to leading and serving others.
Last, but not least, I think it is oh-so-cool when they cook what they kill which means I get a kitchen pass.
Oh, the glories of the hunt!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Orphaned Front Door
It was love at first sight. A relationship of convenience.
I wanted a new front door and I could afford the aged pine Louisiana beauty with no glass that came with two cypress sidelights included at no extra charge.
This particular door is a survivor. I could tell right away, leaning against the wall with all the other abandoned doors; it had a lot of inner beauty that could easily be overlooked. It looked forlorn. With moldy water-lines, I wondered if it had survived Katrina.
When we set the sidelights next to it, all three pieces looked happier; almost giddy. As giddy as doors can be when missing their window panes. Missing panes must be something like missing teeth for humans.
I took my orphan door family home and began the work of restoring them to their original glory. Or something like that.
In the process of reinventing my door, I learned some important life lessons.
- After trying to sand the fuzz off of cypress for a few hours, I re-visited my strict “no power tools” policy and invested in the cheapest electric sander at Noonday Hardware. Do other women hate power tools only because their husbands’ are way too heavy?
-By the time my builder saw my door family, I was too emotionally invested to re-consider because during all the hours of sanding I developed a respect for each line of the grain. Is this how all wood-workers feel?
-“I will not let my insecurities define who I am” is my motto, but I discovered that I get paralyzed when projects cost more than $100 dollars. Does everyone have a fear factor about messing up a project with a three digit price tag?
On the other hand, in this case, a little DIY doubled the value of the original investment.
-Having to custom fit the recycled door meant dollars went to local craftsmen. My builder kept his carpenters busy an extra half-day doing the custom trim.
-Adopting someone else’s cast-offs, meant I met a bunch of new folks, including Mona and Ferdinand at Antique Woods, 184 Pershing Hwy in Sunset, Louisiana where they had a fabulous selection at great prices.
Also, I met Chris, Toby, and Karen at Columbus Art Glass, 2625 University Blvd, in Tyler who spent more time talking colors with me than it took them to actually cut the glass when I finally decided. We narrowed it down to a mere eight different colors, all based on the symbolism in Russian Greek Orthodox iconography which is, okay, rather customer-specific, right?
Hopefully, the new front door with the colorful panes will serve to remind family and friends that our home is a sanctuary from the trials of a cold, cruel world where not only doors, but also humans, can sometimes feel orphaned.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
I wanted a new front door and I could afford the aged pine Louisiana beauty with no glass that came with two cypress sidelights included at no extra charge.
This particular door is a survivor. I could tell right away, leaning against the wall with all the other abandoned doors; it had a lot of inner beauty that could easily be overlooked. It looked forlorn. With moldy water-lines, I wondered if it had survived Katrina.
When we set the sidelights next to it, all three pieces looked happier; almost giddy. As giddy as doors can be when missing their window panes. Missing panes must be something like missing teeth for humans.
I took my orphan door family home and began the work of restoring them to their original glory. Or something like that.
In the process of reinventing my door, I learned some important life lessons.
- After trying to sand the fuzz off of cypress for a few hours, I re-visited my strict “no power tools” policy and invested in the cheapest electric sander at Noonday Hardware. Do other women hate power tools only because their husbands’ are way too heavy?
-By the time my builder saw my door family, I was too emotionally invested to re-consider because during all the hours of sanding I developed a respect for each line of the grain. Is this how all wood-workers feel?
-“I will not let my insecurities define who I am” is my motto, but I discovered that I get paralyzed when projects cost more than $100 dollars. Does everyone have a fear factor about messing up a project with a three digit price tag?
On the other hand, in this case, a little DIY doubled the value of the original investment.
-Having to custom fit the recycled door meant dollars went to local craftsmen. My builder kept his carpenters busy an extra half-day doing the custom trim.
-Adopting someone else’s cast-offs, meant I met a bunch of new folks, including Mona and Ferdinand at Antique Woods, 184 Pershing Hwy in Sunset, Louisiana where they had a fabulous selection at great prices.
Also, I met Chris, Toby, and Karen at Columbus Art Glass, 2625 University Blvd, in Tyler who spent more time talking colors with me than it took them to actually cut the glass when I finally decided. We narrowed it down to a mere eight different colors, all based on the symbolism in Russian Greek Orthodox iconography which is, okay, rather customer-specific, right?
Hopefully, the new front door with the colorful panes will serve to remind family and friends that our home is a sanctuary from the trials of a cold, cruel world where not only doors, but also humans, can sometimes feel orphaned.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Teenage Mythology, Part 2
I have to confess that I don’t even believe in teenagers.
Personally, I think the concept is a figment of the imagination, a purely American invention.
My perspective is simple really.
Take, for example, the way folks are made. You have people who are too young to reproduce, i.e. children. And you have people who have reached the age of reproduction, i.e. adults. So straightforward.
Of course, I have friends who think my theory is crazy; that teenagers do, in fact, exist.
One such friend is a physician who has explained to me on more than one occasion the complicated physiological experiences unique to those years, especially at puberty.
Okay, but I remain unconvinced.
So what if puberty is the first stage of adulthood and it is a transition? Don’t we all know children who are mature and adults who are immature?
To me, calling one set of the adult population teenagers, just perpetuates the myth that they are excused to be immature until they are twenty.
Is that really what we want?
The following is the other half of a list my daughter began brainstorming as she entered the teenage years herself. We’ve added to the list along the way as a family. The rest of this list is posted on my blog as Teenage Mythology, Part 1.
Here are a few more of the myths about teenagers folks tend to believe are true in American culture.
-Teenagers are subject to hormones.
-Teenagers need to spend time with their peers to develop social skills.
-Dating is necessary to find a spouse.
-If you make kissing a “no-no,” they’ll do it more; the implication being that your child will then progress to more serious sexual activities.
-Homeschoolers are more mature than other teenagers. Or, the corresponding myth, homeschoolers are socially backward.
-It is good for teenagers to be in the youth group at church.
-Those clothes, haircut, tattoo, piercing, are a little on the edge, but you have to pick your battles.
-If you keep teenagers busy enough, they won’t have time for trouble. Or, if they are in enough sports, they will be too tired for trouble.
Sometimes, when I share this list with grown-ups, they have a hard time believing that the myths are not true. All, I can say is that the best lies always have a little truth mixed in.
So, if you find yourself puzzled by something on this list, and you are one of those people who can’t stand an unsolved riddle, feel free to contact me. I never cared much for riddles.
On the other hand, for those of us faced with the responsibility of parenting teenage people, it is worth puzzling it out.
To me, the concept of teenagers is an idea that has done enough damage.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
Personally, I think the concept is a figment of the imagination, a purely American invention.
My perspective is simple really.
Take, for example, the way folks are made. You have people who are too young to reproduce, i.e. children. And you have people who have reached the age of reproduction, i.e. adults. So straightforward.
Of course, I have friends who think my theory is crazy; that teenagers do, in fact, exist.
One such friend is a physician who has explained to me on more than one occasion the complicated physiological experiences unique to those years, especially at puberty.
Okay, but I remain unconvinced.
So what if puberty is the first stage of adulthood and it is a transition? Don’t we all know children who are mature and adults who are immature?
To me, calling one set of the adult population teenagers, just perpetuates the myth that they are excused to be immature until they are twenty.
Is that really what we want?
The following is the other half of a list my daughter began brainstorming as she entered the teenage years herself. We’ve added to the list along the way as a family. The rest of this list is posted on my blog as Teenage Mythology, Part 1.
Here are a few more of the myths about teenagers folks tend to believe are true in American culture.
-Teenagers are subject to hormones.
-Teenagers need to spend time with their peers to develop social skills.
-Dating is necessary to find a spouse.
-If you make kissing a “no-no,” they’ll do it more; the implication being that your child will then progress to more serious sexual activities.
-Homeschoolers are more mature than other teenagers. Or, the corresponding myth, homeschoolers are socially backward.
-It is good for teenagers to be in the youth group at church.
-Those clothes, haircut, tattoo, piercing, are a little on the edge, but you have to pick your battles.
-If you keep teenagers busy enough, they won’t have time for trouble. Or, if they are in enough sports, they will be too tired for trouble.
Sometimes, when I share this list with grown-ups, they have a hard time believing that the myths are not true. All, I can say is that the best lies always have a little truth mixed in.
So, if you find yourself puzzled by something on this list, and you are one of those people who can’t stand an unsolved riddle, feel free to contact me. I never cared much for riddles.
On the other hand, for those of us faced with the responsibility of parenting teenage people, it is worth puzzling it out.
To me, the concept of teenagers is an idea that has done enough damage.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Winning the Wardrobe Wars
“She is sensible.”
At our house, that is the highest form of praise a girl can get.
As opposed to the biggest insult which is “She is silly!” Translated: boy-crazy.
As the mom of a boy, I can’t help but notice some of the girls’ wardrobe tendencies. I have a few ideas for moms out there who will be gearing up to take their daughters Christmas shopping for clothes.
First, please, let little girls stay little as long as you can. Please.
Especially in elementary school, little girls do not need to show up dressed like rock stars.
Those outfits are fun costumes for home and for pretend, but please come to school dressed for success.
Secondly, dressing for success is a good idea for Junior High and older, too.
Moms, here is some ammunition to share at the mall with your daughters when you need reinforcements to win the wardrobe wars.
-Boys’ moms are busy pointing out the girls who are not behaving sensibly.
-We are training our sons to be kind, but recognize girls who are needy.
-We identify needy girls not only by how they behave, but also by how they dress.
-We are teaching our sons to avoid girls who dress vavoom-ishly. So, that cute, tight top she wants might become the very reason a boy avoids her.
-A consistent smile and kindness are the things most boys finds interesting in a girl.
-If a girl is a good listener, a good tutor, and a good athlete, she will earn the respect of her peers, including the boys. Unless, of course, her clothes are distracting.
-All the boys’ moms talk. We know who the girls are that are respected by our sons.
-We try not to say anything unkind about anyone, but we can’t help but know who is getting the wrong kind of attention. Please tell your daughters that while they will attract some attention with vavoom-y outfits, it probably won’t be attention they want.
-Boys don’t like it when the girl asks out the boy, my son added.
“Don’t date ‘til college,” was his comment when I asked his opinion about this column.
Not bad advice if a kid’s goal is to be successful.
Waiting to date, as opposed to being boy-crazy, for example, takes all the pressure off of a girl’s wardrobe, too. It gives a girl plenty of time to acquire skills and to study.
Not to mention, time to play team sports or learn a musical instrument. Or both.
Waiting to date gives a girl time to have some fun, to hang out, and to build friendships. Sensibly. All without getting her heart broken every few months.
Keeping your daughter’s heart whole is a good reason to pay attention to the wardrobe wars.
At our house, that is the highest form of praise a girl can get.
As opposed to the biggest insult which is “She is silly!” Translated: boy-crazy.
As the mom of a boy, I can’t help but notice some of the girls’ wardrobe tendencies. I have a few ideas for moms out there who will be gearing up to take their daughters Christmas shopping for clothes.
First, please, let little girls stay little as long as you can. Please.
Especially in elementary school, little girls do not need to show up dressed like rock stars.
Those outfits are fun costumes for home and for pretend, but please come to school dressed for success.
Secondly, dressing for success is a good idea for Junior High and older, too.
Moms, here is some ammunition to share at the mall with your daughters when you need reinforcements to win the wardrobe wars.
-Boys’ moms are busy pointing out the girls who are not behaving sensibly.
-We are training our sons to be kind, but recognize girls who are needy.
-We identify needy girls not only by how they behave, but also by how they dress.
-We are teaching our sons to avoid girls who dress vavoom-ishly. So, that cute, tight top she wants might become the very reason a boy avoids her.
-A consistent smile and kindness are the things most boys finds interesting in a girl.
-If a girl is a good listener, a good tutor, and a good athlete, she will earn the respect of her peers, including the boys. Unless, of course, her clothes are distracting.
-All the boys’ moms talk. We know who the girls are that are respected by our sons.
-We try not to say anything unkind about anyone, but we can’t help but know who is getting the wrong kind of attention. Please tell your daughters that while they will attract some attention with vavoom-y outfits, it probably won’t be attention they want.
-Boys don’t like it when the girl asks out the boy, my son added.
“Don’t date ‘til college,” was his comment when I asked his opinion about this column.
Not bad advice if a kid’s goal is to be successful.
Waiting to date, as opposed to being boy-crazy, for example, takes all the pressure off of a girl’s wardrobe, too. It gives a girl plenty of time to acquire skills and to study.
Not to mention, time to play team sports or learn a musical instrument. Or both.
Waiting to date gives a girl time to have some fun, to hang out, and to build friendships. Sensibly. All without getting her heart broken every few months.
Keeping your daughter’s heart whole is a good reason to pay attention to the wardrobe wars.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Favorite Antique Stores in East Texas
Ah…a cool breeze stirs East Texas.
Reminding me that Thanksgiving will be here soon; Thanksgiving being my favorite of all the holidays, in part because no gift-buying is required.
Thanksgiving is also my deadline for Christmas shopping because I refuse to stand in lines or ruin a perfectly delightful Thanksgiving holiday with stress over unfinished shopping.
And since it is still early enough to feel no pressure, now is the perfect time to grab a couple of friends and make a day of shopping.
In Bullard, Darlene McKay offers an ever-changing collection of grandmotherly-type furniture that she finds herself and prices to sell at her store, Remember When, at 202 Main Street. Walking into the old red-brick building in downtown is an experience to stimulate your creativity, mixing china tea-sets and antique collectibles with hand-crafted gifts, like beaded purses or pillows. If you start early you can “Wake up at Jake’s,” the coffee shop across the highway.
In Frankston, stop by Pandora’s Box, at 302 N. Hwy 155. This fabulous store is a maze of decades and styles including a collection of Texas-themed horse décor and another room showcasing china with antique linens. Always unexpected, last time I stopped by, for instance, there were more than a dozen framed Christmas tree mosaics made of buttons and sequins from the 50s. My favorite part is outside, where the owner, Patty Lookabaugh, stocks antique and hard-to-find plants with all variety of garden decor.
Next stop is Ethel’s in Tyler. Just north of downtown at 513 Bois D’Arc Ave, it is worth the drive if you are looking for furniture of any variety because Ethel keeps an extensive collection and she is always ready to sell in order to make room for her next find. She also tends to find great lamps and amateur art, including an impressive collection of amateur portraits of African-american faces. If you need something in particular, it is worth visiting with her.
While you are downtown, don’t wait until the last minute, pick up your tamales now at the Tyler Tortilla Factory at 513 N Border Ave. Call ahead, 903-595-0873 and order my favorite, the chicken ones. Remember to bring a cooler and ice packs for the drive home.
Last stop, Edom, Texas. Allow yourself plenty of time to wander the Blue Moon nursery, where organic gardening meets a very practical philosophy. Here you will find a gift shop to regale any gardener on your list, plus a thousand simple, inexpensive ways to add zest to your own yard, especially perennials.
If you time it right, you can still peek in at The Potters Brown because someone on your list surely deserves a gift of this beautiful art form, hand-crafted locally by the husband and wife team who are nationally-recognized potters.
By now, it is dinner which can mean only one thing: comfort food at The Shed, in Edom. Top of your day and your dinner with a slice of their home-made, meringue-topped delights.
After such a successful day of shopping, you can look forward to a relaxing Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plus, you already have tamales in your freezer.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
Reminding me that Thanksgiving will be here soon; Thanksgiving being my favorite of all the holidays, in part because no gift-buying is required.
Thanksgiving is also my deadline for Christmas shopping because I refuse to stand in lines or ruin a perfectly delightful Thanksgiving holiday with stress over unfinished shopping.
And since it is still early enough to feel no pressure, now is the perfect time to grab a couple of friends and make a day of shopping.
In Bullard, Darlene McKay offers an ever-changing collection of grandmotherly-type furniture that she finds herself and prices to sell at her store, Remember When, at 202 Main Street. Walking into the old red-brick building in downtown is an experience to stimulate your creativity, mixing china tea-sets and antique collectibles with hand-crafted gifts, like beaded purses or pillows. If you start early you can “Wake up at Jake’s,” the coffee shop across the highway.
In Frankston, stop by Pandora’s Box, at 302 N. Hwy 155. This fabulous store is a maze of decades and styles including a collection of Texas-themed horse décor and another room showcasing china with antique linens. Always unexpected, last time I stopped by, for instance, there were more than a dozen framed Christmas tree mosaics made of buttons and sequins from the 50s. My favorite part is outside, where the owner, Patty Lookabaugh, stocks antique and hard-to-find plants with all variety of garden decor.
Next stop is Ethel’s in Tyler. Just north of downtown at 513 Bois D’Arc Ave, it is worth the drive if you are looking for furniture of any variety because Ethel keeps an extensive collection and she is always ready to sell in order to make room for her next find. She also tends to find great lamps and amateur art, including an impressive collection of amateur portraits of African-american faces. If you need something in particular, it is worth visiting with her.
While you are downtown, don’t wait until the last minute, pick up your tamales now at the Tyler Tortilla Factory at 513 N Border Ave. Call ahead, 903-595-0873 and order my favorite, the chicken ones. Remember to bring a cooler and ice packs for the drive home.
Last stop, Edom, Texas. Allow yourself plenty of time to wander the Blue Moon nursery, where organic gardening meets a very practical philosophy. Here you will find a gift shop to regale any gardener on your list, plus a thousand simple, inexpensive ways to add zest to your own yard, especially perennials.
If you time it right, you can still peek in at The Potters Brown because someone on your list surely deserves a gift of this beautiful art form, hand-crafted locally by the husband and wife team who are nationally-recognized potters.
By now, it is dinner which can mean only one thing: comfort food at The Shed, in Edom. Top of your day and your dinner with a slice of their home-made, meringue-topped delights.
After such a successful day of shopping, you can look forward to a relaxing Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plus, you already have tamales in your freezer.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com or cathykrafve@gmail.com.
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