Seems like

he was born only yesterday, and I know I was there then.

But yesterday was his birthday, and I didn't even get to

speak to him.

He works at the new Lowe's

store in Fayetteville and has been very busy in recent

months. And loves it.

I never knew what went into

opening a store like that until I heard him talking about

it. I suppose I thought some kind of crew came in to

define aisles and set up racks and stock the place, then

the employees came in to sell the goods. Not so. The

employees do it all. They walk in to bare walls, bare

floors, bare everything, and make it happen. It's

impressive.

My retail experience is

limited to the candy counter at the dime store in

Camilla, then a shoe store in Sylvester during my teen

years. Luckily, nursing pulled me away from such

attractions. Now, writing keeps me occupied and feeling

reasonably productive.

No woman should have to

subject herself to chocolate and/or shoes every day. If

you are a woman, you know what I'm talking about. If you

are a man who ever went shoe shopping with a woman, you

know what I'm talking about. If you're lost at this

point, I'm not sure I can explain.

Back to the birthday I

missed yesterday. His dad stopped by Lowe's Wednesday

afternoon at 5 as Dean was getting off work and asked if

he'd like to have a pair of boots for his birthday

Thursday. No male in this family would ever turn down a

pair of boots.

So, they made what was

supposed to be a quick trip out to Smith & Davis.

When Daniel needs boots, he goes there or to The Trading

Post, picks out a pair, tries on his size, pays, and is

on his way. The effort never lasts more than ten minutes.

Can you believe it?

So, I'm at home preparing

dinner while these two make the quick trip Daniel had in

mind. Derrick, my other son, is sitting at Dean's house

waiting to take him out to dinner for his birthday. And

nobody knows where the Jr. and Sr. are.

Finally, Daniel comes home

around 8 p.m. His first words, "I started to tell

Dean this evening that he needed to drop his pants and

let me verify his gender!"

What!? (Not, I'm sorry I'm

late. I should have called. Nothing. He just comes in

questioning the sex of our older son.) What are you

talking about?

You heard me.

What do you mean by such a

remark? I changed his diapers. I know. Besides, we have

two grandchildren. And, he's you all over again, in so

many areas!

Have you ever been shoe

shopping with him?

No.

Well, he's your son, too!

Tonight proved it.

Explain.

I shouldn't have asked. I

was reminded yet again of the first and only time Daniel

ever went shoe shopping with me. It was before we

married. He and I both figure since we survived that day

(that's right - day - not morning, afternoon or evening,

but day) that we can survive just about anything.

Daniel is not a shopper. He

always knows what he wants. He always knows where to go

and get it. He always does it in record breaking time.

Assuredly, there is no blood kin between him and me. We

just married one another! And we try not to shop

together. I don't even like to go with him when he makes

his purchases. It is so frustrating. No fun at all.

Of course, I have learned a

trick. If we must go to a store together, I frequently

will leave him standing in line at the checkout counter

with the cart. I will say I forgot something and have to

go back and get it. Then, while he stands tapping his

foot, I go exploring. My timing is always perfect. I

finish my brief browsing trek right on time and appear

just as he is pulling out his checkbook and looking over

his shoulder for that one last item I had to go find.

Of course there is no item.

Shopping does not necesarily mean buying.

Daniel had watched while

Dean examined every boot at Smith & Davis. When he

finally made his choice, they didn't have his size, so

they still had to go The Trading Post.

I asked his wife what she

thought about his new boots. "What's there to think

about? It's the same boot he's worn for years. He never

buys anything different."

There's a lot to be said

for a comfortable pair of shoes or boots, especially if

you have taken the time to know you are getting the

"right" pair. Ah, yes, he is my son, and I hope

his day was happy. I'm sure it was. His wife took him out

to dinner last night. He did keep his date with his

brother the night before. His dad made a humdinger of a

memory. And I, well, I got to write about one of my

favorite people in the world, my oldest son.