Today’s column is for gals only. Just in case you haven’t already figured out how guys think.
Essentially, God created Eve by cloning Adam who contributed his DNA from a rib bone while under general anesthesia.
Supernatural, but not too complicated when you think about it.
If only He had stopped there.
For some delightful and usually entertaining reason, God decided to go one step further and change a chromosome.
One little Y to X. One small step backwards in the alphabet.
Thus, we are doomed to spend our whole life trying to figure out the opposite sex.
When he woke up and saw the outcome of God’s imaginative creation, Adam’s immediate response was the equivalent of “Yee-hah!!!” If Adam had been from Texas, you understand.
Probably because Adam thought he was still dreaming.
Later on his life got a little bit more complicated. Face it gals, we tend to have that affect in our guy’s life.
Take, for instance the difference between the fantasies women have and the ones their male counterparts have.
“Sex and body parts,” was what one guy told me when I asked what men fantasize about for Valentines Day. Simple enough.
I verified that he meant still-attached body parts. Then, I changed the subject. Quickly.
One gentleman told me his fantasies were “not appropriate for publication.” His wife was standing next to him, grinning. I’m guessing that he’s going to have a Happy Valentines Day.
So, gals, if you need a little help thinking creatively, here’s my almost entirely uncensored research.
-Garters are good.
-Anything that combines sex and golf, not necessarily at the same time and not if you beat him on the golf course.
-Horses, especially stallions. Don’t ask me, I can’t explain it.
-Motorcycles, with or without sex. Guys just like motorcycles.
Apparently, men are not complicated. This came as a shock to me because I have all sorts of trouble figuring them out. But they tell me that they are pretty straight forward.
“Shallow, men are shallow,” says one male friend.
I am starting to believe him, although, for a shallow person, that guy is a credit to his gender.
It turns out that men pretty much fantasize about sex a lot and that has nothing to do with Valentines Day.
Unless they are on the golf course, in which case they fantasize about hole-in-ones.
Hmm….Never mind, I can’t go there.
To all the golfers out there, notice how I try to work your favorite game into every column.
To all those who shared their fantasies and trusted me when I promised not to include their names, thanks.
To all those who are without a sweetheart this year, ahhh, the perfection of simplicity.
To all the gals out there, trying to plan something exciting for Valentines Day, look at it this way. Your job is easy.
On the other hand, he is probably struggling to find the right Valentine for you. Or he will be on Wednesday the 13th at 5:00 in the afternoon.
Make that February the 14th at 5:00pm when he remembers he is having dinner with you for Valentine’s Day.
It is just that he honestly can’t figure you out because you are a gal and he is not.
For Valentines Day, my research indicates we gals should give our guys a break and keep it simple. Just this once.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in beautiful East Texas with her true love and their offspring. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.co or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Valentines Fantasies for Female
Heads up, guys, Valentine’s Day is next week.
Today’s column is for guys only. If you are female, do NOT read any further.
Unless, of course, you want to clip it and stick it under his nose for some not-so- subtle hinting.
“This is how the day would start,” began one lady in a conspiratorial undertone when I approached a table of women about their fantasies.
Already her friends were laughing.
“A whole day; she has a whole day planned!” She is single, but her friends are married women which probably explains a lot. She ignored their teasing and continued with a dreamy look on her face.
“Flowers would arrive in the morning. Then, he would call and tell me to show up at a certain time at a hotel. When I arrive, there would be candles, soft music, and a bath drawn,” she continued.
At this point her friends were hysterically joking about hand cuffs.
“Bubbles. Us in the bathtub together. He would wash my hair because I think that’s really sexy.”
We put our heads in closer over the table as she whispered the rest because we were starting to draw stares from around the restaurant.
“Chocolate-covered strawberries.”
“What about jewelry,” asks one of her practical married friends.
“Oh yeah, jewelry would be good.”
She called the next part of her fantasy “Wild Thing.” It involved cowboy boots, ropes, and spurs.
I was afraid to ask who would wear the spurs.
There are themes in female fantasies that usually include seemingly opposite components; spontaneity AND forethought. In fact, forethought and foreplay might be synonyms, guys. If that seems contradictory, it is because we are women and, well, we don’t think like men. Sorry.
Here are some other thoughts that might make female fantasies more clear. No, on second thought, probably not, but maybe it will inspire you guys.
-Wow! Finish our kitchen!
-Just the fact that he remembered is romantic.
-Bring it home, no eating out, with flowers, candy, and a gleam in his eye.
-Picnics with friends.
-Poetry or letters telling her how much you value her.
-Time together.
-A surprise romantic get away to a bed and breakfast.
-A new wedding ring; a huge one.
-Dinner that he prepares.
-Time without the children.
-Shoes are a great gift because they are easy to fit and girls always like them.
-Jewelry, jewelry, and more jewelry.
So, here’s the big hint guys: Give some thought to an attentive surprise for your sweetheart and your fantasies will probably come true too.
I am thinking the cowboy boots might come in handy.
Next week’s column is about what guys want for Valentines Day and it’s a doozy. Stay tuned.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in beautiful East Texas with her sweetheart and their kiddoes. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Today’s column is for guys only. If you are female, do NOT read any further.
Unless, of course, you want to clip it and stick it under his nose for some not-so- subtle hinting.
“This is how the day would start,” began one lady in a conspiratorial undertone when I approached a table of women about their fantasies.
Already her friends were laughing.
“A whole day; she has a whole day planned!” She is single, but her friends are married women which probably explains a lot. She ignored their teasing and continued with a dreamy look on her face.
“Flowers would arrive in the morning. Then, he would call and tell me to show up at a certain time at a hotel. When I arrive, there would be candles, soft music, and a bath drawn,” she continued.
At this point her friends were hysterically joking about hand cuffs.
“Bubbles. Us in the bathtub together. He would wash my hair because I think that’s really sexy.”
We put our heads in closer over the table as she whispered the rest because we were starting to draw stares from around the restaurant.
“Chocolate-covered strawberries.”
“What about jewelry,” asks one of her practical married friends.
“Oh yeah, jewelry would be good.”
She called the next part of her fantasy “Wild Thing.” It involved cowboy boots, ropes, and spurs.
I was afraid to ask who would wear the spurs.
There are themes in female fantasies that usually include seemingly opposite components; spontaneity AND forethought. In fact, forethought and foreplay might be synonyms, guys. If that seems contradictory, it is because we are women and, well, we don’t think like men. Sorry.
Here are some other thoughts that might make female fantasies more clear. No, on second thought, probably not, but maybe it will inspire you guys.
-Wow! Finish our kitchen!
-Just the fact that he remembered is romantic.
-Bring it home, no eating out, with flowers, candy, and a gleam in his eye.
-Picnics with friends.
-Poetry or letters telling her how much you value her.
-Time together.
-A surprise romantic get away to a bed and breakfast.
-A new wedding ring; a huge one.
-Dinner that he prepares.
-Time without the children.
-Shoes are a great gift because they are easy to fit and girls always like them.
-Jewelry, jewelry, and more jewelry.
So, here’s the big hint guys: Give some thought to an attentive surprise for your sweetheart and your fantasies will probably come true too.
I am thinking the cowboy boots might come in handy.
Next week’s column is about what guys want for Valentines Day and it’s a doozy. Stay tuned.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in beautiful East Texas with her sweetheart and their kiddoes. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Father's Day: The Muddy Holiday
I asked around to get the scoop on Father’s Day.
“Father’s Day? When is it?”
You have to give them credit; they are unbiased forgetters. It is not only Mother’s Day that they forget.
When guys think of good times with their kids, it usually involves water or mud or both, have you noticed?
I don’t know, maybe the little boy in their heart still wants to come out and play. Or maybe God invented fathers so the kids could get away with tracking mud through the kitchen at least one day a year. Don’t ask me.
I can assure you, mud and water are not synonymous with yard work. Although, mowing the grass and watering the lawn would seem to qualify from a female point of view.
Gals are already making plans for Father’s Day, so here are some ideas that your guy might like, as best as I can figure.
-Hire someone else to do the lawn for Father’s Day. If you hire a neighborhood teenager, be sure and mention that the money could be used to do something nice for his dad. His mother will thank you and us moms need to stick together.
-Take him bowling. Or set up empty 2 liter bottles on the back porch and bowl ‘em down with a Nerf ball.
-Take dad to a water park. This will preserve the pristine floor in your kitchen.
-Drag out the Slip and Slide. Forget about the kitchen floor.
-Challenge another family to a whiffle ball tournament, followed by a picnic.
-Schedule a surprise tee time.
-Take him to play putt-putt. Or better yet, give the kids 18 tin cans and set them to work building a putt-putt course in your back yard. Dad can supervise so he doesn’t mow over stray tin cans later. That is, if the lawn-mowing teenager doesn’t work out.
-Set up a BB gun firing range in the back yard.
-Put a target on an old box and shoot arrows.
-Have water balloon wars.
-Pamper him with a kid-delivered foot rub or a whole collection of coupons for his kids to do his chores.
“Children that can’t wait to hear my next word of godly instruction,” answered one dad with a chuckle, when we asked him what he wanted for Father’s Day.
Now that I think of it, why not do everything on the list?
Celebrate all week end. Those men in our life that fill the role of dad deserve credit.
Or, if you are overwhelmed at the thought of so much mud coming through the house, you could just buy him a boat, a convertible, or a motorcycle.
Just kidding. Sort of.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and plays in beautiful East Texas. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
“Father’s Day? When is it?”
You have to give them credit; they are unbiased forgetters. It is not only Mother’s Day that they forget.
When guys think of good times with their kids, it usually involves water or mud or both, have you noticed?
I don’t know, maybe the little boy in their heart still wants to come out and play. Or maybe God invented fathers so the kids could get away with tracking mud through the kitchen at least one day a year. Don’t ask me.
I can assure you, mud and water are not synonymous with yard work. Although, mowing the grass and watering the lawn would seem to qualify from a female point of view.
Gals are already making plans for Father’s Day, so here are some ideas that your guy might like, as best as I can figure.
-Hire someone else to do the lawn for Father’s Day. If you hire a neighborhood teenager, be sure and mention that the money could be used to do something nice for his dad. His mother will thank you and us moms need to stick together.
-Take him bowling. Or set up empty 2 liter bottles on the back porch and bowl ‘em down with a Nerf ball.
-Take dad to a water park. This will preserve the pristine floor in your kitchen.
-Drag out the Slip and Slide. Forget about the kitchen floor.
-Challenge another family to a whiffle ball tournament, followed by a picnic.
-Schedule a surprise tee time.
-Take him to play putt-putt. Or better yet, give the kids 18 tin cans and set them to work building a putt-putt course in your back yard. Dad can supervise so he doesn’t mow over stray tin cans later. That is, if the lawn-mowing teenager doesn’t work out.
-Set up a BB gun firing range in the back yard.
-Put a target on an old box and shoot arrows.
-Have water balloon wars.
-Pamper him with a kid-delivered foot rub or a whole collection of coupons for his kids to do his chores.
“Children that can’t wait to hear my next word of godly instruction,” answered one dad with a chuckle, when we asked him what he wanted for Father’s Day.
Now that I think of it, why not do everything on the list?
Celebrate all week end. Those men in our life that fill the role of dad deserve credit.
Or, if you are overwhelmed at the thought of so much mud coming through the house, you could just buy him a boat, a convertible, or a motorcycle.
Just kidding. Sort of.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and plays in beautiful East Texas. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
College Decision Time
With entrance letters arriving in the mail, this is the time of year when high school seniors quit biting their fingernails and commit.
So, how do you know which school is right for you?
Here are some of the questions we asked as we visited colleges when it came time for our daughters to choose their school:
How does this college help students establish themselves in the professional world?
What kind of internships do you offer? Do they pay money? Courtesy internships are okay, but the better internships are when the business sees the college student as a valuable asset and a potential future employee. Those pay money, usually minimum wage.
What international experience do you offer? How well do US students interface with international students on this campus? Experiencing other cultures allows the young person the opportunity to appreciate the foresight our founding fathers demonstrated and to recognize the vast cultural nuances that exist.
Which departments in your school get the most attention (usually translated biggest budget or most students)? Sometimes, however, the most overlooked program offers the most flexibility and personal fit because they are recruiting, for example some of the liberal arts programs at A&M.
What Master’s Degrees do you offer? Can I overlap my senior year with the first year of my Master’s?
Can you tell me the names of who to contact in the administration about financial aid or housing? Always get information, particularly names.
Your school has great resources on campus, for example television stations, newspapers, and stage productions, but do students have to be at the postgraduate level before they really get to participate? This is a huge issue when you get to big state schools like UT Austin, who dazzle incoming freshmen with their resources, but fail to mention that undergraduates rarely get responsibilities.
If you really want hands-on education and the biggest bang for your buck, it is hard to beat the junior colleges in our area.
Sending your child to junior college for two years slices the cost almost exactly in half, if your child lives at home. There are other advantages.
I understand that the junior college option is not for everyone.
However, I have noticed that some folks tend to overlook junior college in the planning and deciding process, at least until their kid goes off to college and then returns home because something didn’t work out. Coming home to figure it out, is just another reason to be thankful for all the good options we have in our area.
Whatever you decide about college, best wishes on your continued success. If you feel like passing along any helpful hints to next year’s class, I’d love to hear from you.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, was educated in Longhorn territory, but finds herself outnumbered now by Apaches and Eagles. Comments are welcome at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.
So, how do you know which school is right for you?
Here are some of the questions we asked as we visited colleges when it came time for our daughters to choose their school:
How does this college help students establish themselves in the professional world?
What kind of internships do you offer? Do they pay money? Courtesy internships are okay, but the better internships are when the business sees the college student as a valuable asset and a potential future employee. Those pay money, usually minimum wage.
What international experience do you offer? How well do US students interface with international students on this campus? Experiencing other cultures allows the young person the opportunity to appreciate the foresight our founding fathers demonstrated and to recognize the vast cultural nuances that exist.
Which departments in your school get the most attention (usually translated biggest budget or most students)? Sometimes, however, the most overlooked program offers the most flexibility and personal fit because they are recruiting, for example some of the liberal arts programs at A&M.
What Master’s Degrees do you offer? Can I overlap my senior year with the first year of my Master’s?
Can you tell me the names of who to contact in the administration about financial aid or housing? Always get information, particularly names.
Your school has great resources on campus, for example television stations, newspapers, and stage productions, but do students have to be at the postgraduate level before they really get to participate? This is a huge issue when you get to big state schools like UT Austin, who dazzle incoming freshmen with their resources, but fail to mention that undergraduates rarely get responsibilities.
If you really want hands-on education and the biggest bang for your buck, it is hard to beat the junior colleges in our area.
Sending your child to junior college for two years slices the cost almost exactly in half, if your child lives at home. There are other advantages.
I understand that the junior college option is not for everyone.
However, I have noticed that some folks tend to overlook junior college in the planning and deciding process, at least until their kid goes off to college and then returns home because something didn’t work out. Coming home to figure it out, is just another reason to be thankful for all the good options we have in our area.
Whatever you decide about college, best wishes on your continued success. If you feel like passing along any helpful hints to next year’s class, I’d love to hear from you.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, was educated in Longhorn territory, but finds herself outnumbered now by Apaches and Eagles. Comments are welcome at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.
Golf: It's All About the Shoes
“It’s all about the shoes,” declared a friend when I asked about her love of golf.
Really? I thought it was all about the cart.
I shared this info with a guy and he responded, “Really? But golf shoes are so ugly!”
Well, you would think so, but there’s no explaining fashion, especially when it comes to shoes.
For example, who would ever have thought that Sketchers would catch on? Sketchers, in case you don’t check the sale ads in your local paper, are a tennis shoe popular with fashionista-types that would be perfectly at home in a bowling alley.
I actually have a pair of Coach tennis shoes that are similar to bowling shoes. I wear them all the time, not that I myself would ever pay for anything Coach brand.
They were a gift from my husband who had the impartial and knowledgeable help of our daughter while shopping.
The shoes are gold and that explains everything.
You see, I have noted over the years that grandmothers always have gold shoes. And usually a gold pocketbook to match. A pocketbook is what we used to call purses back in the day before they became hand bags. My grandmother would not have carried anything but a pocketbook.
I don’t have grandchildren yet; a circumstance that I take every opportunity to mention in front of my married daughter.
However, my philosophy is that it is never too early to go ahead and get gold shoes just in case you get surprised with grandchildren. It could happen.
Personally, I think any writer that can work golf, shoes, and grandparenting into the same column deserves a Pulitzer. Not that I’m hinting or anything.
Golf is on my mind because a very kind lady blessed me by taking me for a ride in her golf cart today.
She doesn’t actually play golf, she just owns the cart. Very sensible of her, if you ask me.
I had no desire to drive, I just went along for the ride. I find it so much more relaxing to let someone else take the responsibility of not crashing.
She and her mother, that would be the grandmother of her children (notice how I worked that grandmother thing in again), had recently painted her cart in green and tan camo. Really. It was very cool; in a golf cart fashion kind of way.
Okay, I think a camo golf cart is the height of snazzy golfing equipment.
Unless, of course, they make golf shoes in gold.
Now is your chance, golfers, let me know what you like about golf, golf shoes, or golf equipment and I’ll fashion your ideas into a column.
Better yet, invite me to ride around in a golf cart and I’ll show up at your next fundraiser. It will make a great excuse to buy a new pair of shoes!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in beautiful East Texas, golf paradise. Comments are welcome at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.
Really? I thought it was all about the cart.
I shared this info with a guy and he responded, “Really? But golf shoes are so ugly!”
Well, you would think so, but there’s no explaining fashion, especially when it comes to shoes.
For example, who would ever have thought that Sketchers would catch on? Sketchers, in case you don’t check the sale ads in your local paper, are a tennis shoe popular with fashionista-types that would be perfectly at home in a bowling alley.
I actually have a pair of Coach tennis shoes that are similar to bowling shoes. I wear them all the time, not that I myself would ever pay for anything Coach brand.
They were a gift from my husband who had the impartial and knowledgeable help of our daughter while shopping.
The shoes are gold and that explains everything.
You see, I have noted over the years that grandmothers always have gold shoes. And usually a gold pocketbook to match. A pocketbook is what we used to call purses back in the day before they became hand bags. My grandmother would not have carried anything but a pocketbook.
I don’t have grandchildren yet; a circumstance that I take every opportunity to mention in front of my married daughter.
However, my philosophy is that it is never too early to go ahead and get gold shoes just in case you get surprised with grandchildren. It could happen.
Personally, I think any writer that can work golf, shoes, and grandparenting into the same column deserves a Pulitzer. Not that I’m hinting or anything.
Golf is on my mind because a very kind lady blessed me by taking me for a ride in her golf cart today.
She doesn’t actually play golf, she just owns the cart. Very sensible of her, if you ask me.
I had no desire to drive, I just went along for the ride. I find it so much more relaxing to let someone else take the responsibility of not crashing.
She and her mother, that would be the grandmother of her children (notice how I worked that grandmother thing in again), had recently painted her cart in green and tan camo. Really. It was very cool; in a golf cart fashion kind of way.
Okay, I think a camo golf cart is the height of snazzy golfing equipment.
Unless, of course, they make golf shoes in gold.
Now is your chance, golfers, let me know what you like about golf, golf shoes, or golf equipment and I’ll fashion your ideas into a column.
Better yet, invite me to ride around in a golf cart and I’ll show up at your next fundraiser. It will make a great excuse to buy a new pair of shoes!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in beautiful East Texas, golf paradise. Comments are welcome at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
List of Reasons We Love Lists
Checklists are fabulous things. We all know a Checklist Charlie, someone who just can’t navigate life without a list for every occasion.
Lists are often full of good ideas. In a matter of minutes, a reader can run down a list of ten ideas, discarding nine, but keeping the one idea that might answer a nagging question, meet a need, solve a problem, restructure a business, rejuvenate a relationship, change a life
Everyone loves a checklist, as long as it is not a to-do list; to-do lists can be a little overwhelming. All other lists qualify as lots of fun.
As we get older, we learn that a list can even replace essential functions like our memory, for example. That is, if you can find someone to remind you where you left your list.
With a list you can actually leave the grocery store with the thing you went shopping for in the first place.
A list can give you the ABC’s of any subject. This season, “A” stands for affordable, as in “39 Hot Tips for Affordable Trips” (Caribbean Travel & Life, May 2007), “B” stands for bars, as in “The Best Bars in America” (Esquire, June 2007), and “C” stands for cars, as in “The Best and Worst 2007 Cars (Consumer Reports, April 2007).
The Wall Street Journal offers a list of the day’s news on their front page under the heading “What’s News-”, but of course, we prefer our news local and in-depth.
For the outdoorsman, there is a list for every interest, including “150 Best Fishing Spots” (Field and Stream, June 2007) and “Top 50 New Products for Deer Hunting” (Deer & Deer Hunting, June 2007). Isn’t deer season still three months away?
For those who think outdoors means sunshine and sand, this month’s cover of Texas Monthly offers “The Best Beaches in Texas.” There are “100+ Swimsuits” in Seventeen (June 2007). Fortunately, Good Housekeeping offers “5 Ways to Reduce Stress and Fatigue” which you will probably need if you decide to go swimsuit shopping.
Then there is the list that they printed in Cosmopolitan, June 2007, “75 Sex Tricks” with the cutline, “Warning: They’re so Hot, This Magazine May Burst Into Flames.” Obviously, that is a list that is way too racy to print in a small town newspaper, for heaven’s sake.
There are tips for businesses, brides and even bum steers.
Yes, lists are good things. In fact, as much as we hate them, even to-do lists have their place, since there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of marking off the last item of a to-do list.
So, if you find that you are also a “Checklist Charlie,” you’ll want to check here again soon for the upcoming “Father’s Day List.”
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in Flint, Texas with her family. She refuses to admit she is forgetful, but prefers to think of herself as list-prepared.
Lists are often full of good ideas. In a matter of minutes, a reader can run down a list of ten ideas, discarding nine, but keeping the one idea that might answer a nagging question, meet a need, solve a problem, restructure a business, rejuvenate a relationship, change a life
Everyone loves a checklist, as long as it is not a to-do list; to-do lists can be a little overwhelming. All other lists qualify as lots of fun.
As we get older, we learn that a list can even replace essential functions like our memory, for example. That is, if you can find someone to remind you where you left your list.
With a list you can actually leave the grocery store with the thing you went shopping for in the first place.
A list can give you the ABC’s of any subject. This season, “A” stands for affordable, as in “39 Hot Tips for Affordable Trips” (Caribbean Travel & Life, May 2007), “B” stands for bars, as in “The Best Bars in America” (Esquire, June 2007), and “C” stands for cars, as in “The Best and Worst 2007 Cars (Consumer Reports, April 2007).
The Wall Street Journal offers a list of the day’s news on their front page under the heading “What’s News-”, but of course, we prefer our news local and in-depth.
For the outdoorsman, there is a list for every interest, including “150 Best Fishing Spots” (Field and Stream, June 2007) and “Top 50 New Products for Deer Hunting” (Deer & Deer Hunting, June 2007). Isn’t deer season still three months away?
For those who think outdoors means sunshine and sand, this month’s cover of Texas Monthly offers “The Best Beaches in Texas.” There are “100+ Swimsuits” in Seventeen (June 2007). Fortunately, Good Housekeeping offers “5 Ways to Reduce Stress and Fatigue” which you will probably need if you decide to go swimsuit shopping.
Then there is the list that they printed in Cosmopolitan, June 2007, “75 Sex Tricks” with the cutline, “Warning: They’re so Hot, This Magazine May Burst Into Flames.” Obviously, that is a list that is way too racy to print in a small town newspaper, for heaven’s sake.
There are tips for businesses, brides and even bum steers.
Yes, lists are good things. In fact, as much as we hate them, even to-do lists have their place, since there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of marking off the last item of a to-do list.
So, if you find that you are also a “Checklist Charlie,” you’ll want to check here again soon for the upcoming “Father’s Day List.”
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in Flint, Texas with her family. She refuses to admit she is forgetful, but prefers to think of herself as list-prepared.
Big Dreams: New Writer at the Banner
If I could tell young moms one thing it would be that when you finish raising your kids, you get to do something else. And that something can be something Big, with a capital B.
No one told me that there is an afterlife for stay-at-home moms.
When I began the project of raising my own children twenty-one years ago, it looked like such a long-term commitment that I never for a minute even considered what I would do once they no longer needed me.
‘Mom, you need to follow your dreams. Dream big,” my middle daughter recently told me. One of the beautiful things about raising kiddoes is at some point they start to fire your own advice back at you.
Okay, so here’s my big dream. I want to be a syndicated columnist.
I have always been a patriot about the fourth estate. You know, the balance to the three branches of our democratic government, that is, the free press.
I’m big on local papers reporting local news. I like knowing who the folks are, who the local heroes are, the civic leaders, the volunteers that really get the job done, the local kid who makes good. I also like knowing my representatives and telling them what I think when they’re home between sessions. I vote every election even when the race is uncontested. While I don’t particularly like either political party, I am thankful for both of them and for the third party candidates who hold them accountable.
So what if the syndicates never pick me up? I’ll settle for seeing my words in print in a small, local newspaper.
With that in mind, I dropped in to meet Lori Mellinger, editor of my favorite small town rag. Can you believe she gave me a shot at my dream?
I figure with Lori’s experience and editing, I might have a shot at the big leagues. Well, anyway, even if I miss, it is tremendous fun taking a small shot at the big target.
I come from a long line of really smart, well-educated people, who are not afraid to follow their dreams. Since I managed to go to kindergarten twice; I suspect I was a disappointment from the start.
My mother, who is truly a visionary, repeated her mantra throughout my childhood: “You are a genius, Cathy.” This is the one and only thing I’ve ever known my mother to lie about. Of course, since I was her first born child that could explain why mom was confused about the genius thing.
I grew up in Tyler, graduated from Robert E. Lee in 1977.
I went off to the University of Texas where I managed to flunk French, but graduate with a Bachelors in Journalism anyway.
Consequently, my other Big Dream is to be bilingual.
Three years ago, that daughter who encouraged me to write, talked me into taking Spanish with her.
My Spanish is functional rather than fluent, unless you are bilingual, in which case I have to admit I’m barely functional.
About 10 year’s ago, my husband and I moved to Flint from Tyler after a short detour to Louisiana.
There are those who will think that when we get really smart we’ll make it all the way to Bullard. They may be right, but for now we couldn’t be happier surrounded by the loving neighbors and friends on our street.
I will be fifty soon. I have two grown daughters who turned out all right in spite of their parents and a son who is an inspiration to his mom, the would-be writer. William, our ten-year-old and youngest, is the editor of his own little neighborhood newspaper and, I have to say, he makes it look easy.
So that’s the scoop on the new writer at the Banner and her big dreams. Now all I have to do is write a good enough article to get past Lori. Wish me luck!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, writes a weekly column for small town newspapers around East Texas. Those interested in reading her column in their paper can contact her at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.
No one told me that there is an afterlife for stay-at-home moms.
When I began the project of raising my own children twenty-one years ago, it looked like such a long-term commitment that I never for a minute even considered what I would do once they no longer needed me.
‘Mom, you need to follow your dreams. Dream big,” my middle daughter recently told me. One of the beautiful things about raising kiddoes is at some point they start to fire your own advice back at you.
Okay, so here’s my big dream. I want to be a syndicated columnist.
I have always been a patriot about the fourth estate. You know, the balance to the three branches of our democratic government, that is, the free press.
I’m big on local papers reporting local news. I like knowing who the folks are, who the local heroes are, the civic leaders, the volunteers that really get the job done, the local kid who makes good. I also like knowing my representatives and telling them what I think when they’re home between sessions. I vote every election even when the race is uncontested. While I don’t particularly like either political party, I am thankful for both of them and for the third party candidates who hold them accountable.
So what if the syndicates never pick me up? I’ll settle for seeing my words in print in a small, local newspaper.
With that in mind, I dropped in to meet Lori Mellinger, editor of my favorite small town rag. Can you believe she gave me a shot at my dream?
I figure with Lori’s experience and editing, I might have a shot at the big leagues. Well, anyway, even if I miss, it is tremendous fun taking a small shot at the big target.
I come from a long line of really smart, well-educated people, who are not afraid to follow their dreams. Since I managed to go to kindergarten twice; I suspect I was a disappointment from the start.
My mother, who is truly a visionary, repeated her mantra throughout my childhood: “You are a genius, Cathy.” This is the one and only thing I’ve ever known my mother to lie about. Of course, since I was her first born child that could explain why mom was confused about the genius thing.
I grew up in Tyler, graduated from Robert E. Lee in 1977.
I went off to the University of Texas where I managed to flunk French, but graduate with a Bachelors in Journalism anyway.
Consequently, my other Big Dream is to be bilingual.
Three years ago, that daughter who encouraged me to write, talked me into taking Spanish with her.
My Spanish is functional rather than fluent, unless you are bilingual, in which case I have to admit I’m barely functional.
About 10 year’s ago, my husband and I moved to Flint from Tyler after a short detour to Louisiana.
There are those who will think that when we get really smart we’ll make it all the way to Bullard. They may be right, but for now we couldn’t be happier surrounded by the loving neighbors and friends on our street.
I will be fifty soon. I have two grown daughters who turned out all right in spite of their parents and a son who is an inspiration to his mom, the would-be writer. William, our ten-year-old and youngest, is the editor of his own little neighborhood newspaper and, I have to say, he makes it look easy.
So that’s the scoop on the new writer at the Banner and her big dreams. Now all I have to do is write a good enough article to get past Lori. Wish me luck!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, writes a weekly column for small town newspapers around East Texas. Those interested in reading her column in their paper can contact her at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.
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