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Friday, December 29, 2023

The Colonel

I served with the Colonel.  There.  I said it.  I don’t know if I’m proud of it or not, but it was a part of my life I can’t deny happened. 

In the mid-1960’s I took a job at a local drive-in fast food restaurant in Fort Worth.  My position was to run a subsidiary business within the store serving a pressure fried chicken.  I didn’t know anything about this chicken from Kentucky except it wasn’t like any fried chicken I’d ever tasted.  But it wasn’t bad.  One of the perks was I could eat all I wanted, and to a growing teenager, this was as good as money.

About six months into the job, my manager (a kid a year younger than me) quit, and someone from an office somewhere showed up to promote me.  Other than that, nothing changed.  I still did all the work, and I still worked both shifts.  About two months into being a manager I was asked why I hadn’t hired someone to help me.  For some reason I replied, “Why hire someone we don’t need?”

The powers that be liked that answer and told me I was just the person they were looking for to run the new free-standing store they were building.  It was located near where I was living, and it included a big raise.  (I was making $1.05 per hour and would be raised up to $1.25, which was minimum wage at the time.)  This was big money to me. 

The new store was a challenge for the company to open and it took longer than expected to get the new equipment to work properly; however, I was right there with the problems and helped to get them solved.  What I didn’t realize was the real challenges would come when hiring new staff to be trained to operate the restaurant.  Wow.  What a learning curve.  Since the store was located just a few blocks away from my high school (yeah, I was still in school at this time) most of the applicants were people I knew.  And I knew I didn’t want THEM working for me.  It took a while, but eventually we were staffed and trained.

Opening day saw a rush of hundreds of customers wanting to try this strange new chicken, and everyone was up for the task of sending them on their way with bags, boxes, and buckets filled with food.  It was hard work, but we were successful, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the area supervisors.

For many months I kept a tight reign on the operation.  Every day I inspected each person’s appearance to make certain the required “uniform” was worn, and all the men were wearing their ribbon bow tie.  I also made certain the building was cleaned every day in every corner and that everything not in use was in its proper place.  It was a lot of extra work to do this, but I figured if I kept it clean from day one, it would be easier to maintain than having to do it all at once every month or so.  This actually paid off.

The store had been open for about ten months and several of my employees were getting very tired of the cleaning routine.  I can’t really blame them.  I hate cleaning as much as the next person, but if they were cleaning, then I was cleaning.  I didn’t exempt myself, and this is what probably prevented a mutiny.  Then I received a phone call.

“The Colonel is on his way over!”  A store manager across town called to let me know he had received a surprise visit from The Colonel, and the results weren’t pretty.  Several employees were fired on the spot, and the manager was taking a pay cut.  I almost panicked.  I had less than thirty minutes to prepare, so I went to each employee, explained the situation, and hoped for the best.

I had never seen the Colonel before other than his likeness on the buckets of chicken, but I would have known him anywhere.  Few persons were ever as distinctive appearing as the Colonel.  White hair, white beard, white suit, black ribbon tie, and a gold handled cane.  His image is forever burned into my brain.

He walked in with an entourage of what I now call “Yes” men.  The Colonel stared a me for a minute until I finally got up the courage to introduce myself and offered to show him around.  He grumped out some words my direction and began his own inspection of the place.

The first thing he did was put on a pair of white gloves and reach above the door to wipe a finger across the sill.  Nothing.  He looked surprised.  He then set one of his men to counting the cash register and comparing it to receipts.  It was to the penny.  He grabbed a chicken drumstick and gave it a tug.  The bone slipped out properly.  He lifted up several of the floor mats in the kitchen and found a clean floor under them.  He examined the food storage facilities and came out of the rooms looking puzzled.  He even watched as one of the staff prepared the chicken for the cooker just to see if it was being done the official way.  Then he motioned me over to one of the booths and asked me to sit down.

“How much warning did you have there, boy?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Tell me the truth, now.  I know it took longer than twenty minutes to get this place clean like this.”

“Yes, sir.  I started cleaning it the day we opened almost a year ago.  All I did today was tell the workers you would be stopping by.

I was dismissed to help with the customers (it wasn’t busy at that time, but there was still some traffic) while he interviewed each of the employees.  Later he had me join him again.

“Well, I believe you told me the truth.  I’ll see to it everyone here gets a 20-cent raise for doing things the right way.”  He then reached over and grabbed one of the ribbons of my bow tie and pinned a likeness of himself onto it.  “I don’t give many of these away.  Don’t lose it.”

That twenty-cent raise kept the employees happy about cleaning the place for about two weeks, but still with Twinkies costing a nickel a package, it was a lot of money.

I never saw the Colonel in person again, but I still remember his words to me, “Don’t lose it.”  I didn’t.




Monday, August 28, 2023

Ready or Not, Here It Comes

Less than three weeks to wait.  I hope you are ready for the 55th Annual Wild Game Feed at Irvine Lake.  As always the Feed is on the third Friday in September, and this year it falls on September 15, 2023.  Oh boy!  Even though I started preparing last September, somehow I know I’m not completely ready..  Okay, I am ready enough for it to happen right now, the problem seems to be my OCD.  I have reached the point where, no matter how many times I have checked my checklist, I just know I am forgetting something. 

 Regardless, Are You ready?  The Feed will be here very soon, and it’s gonna be great! 

 See you at the Feed!

 Meat and Beer!

Monday, August 14, 2023

Like Watching Paint Dry

I guess I don't understand time.  On one hand time moves so fast I can't get anything done before I need to move on to the next project.  On the other hand when I am waiting for something to be delivered, time almost moves in reverse.  Right now I am waiting for the Annual Wild Game Feed to arrive on September 15, 2023.  And, even though it is less than 5 weeks away, I am beginning to believe it will never get here.  Lately I’ve been doing upgrades around my home, and I find that watching paint dry helps move time along a little faster.

The reality is time keeps on ticking, and if I don’t get my act together early in the year, I will not have enough time to get ready for the Feed when it actually arrives.  The most important thing I do each year is update and actually use my checklist of what to bring to the Feed.  Even then I find I usually forget something.  So do not be lulled into complacency by the seemingly slow passage of time.  The Feed is almost upon us.  Get ready.  The time is nigh.

See You at the Feed!

 Meat and Beer!

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Catching Up

From time to time I get a little behind on my writings and postings, and, needless to say, right now I am Waaaayyyyyyy behind.  However, this time I do not apologize.  This past year has been a beast.  Those of you who know me personally know I have been battling a number of illnesses for many years, and for anyone who didn’t know this, well, now you do.  Today I feel as well as I have felt in the last fifteen years, which is rare anymore.  This is not offered as an apology for not posting, nor am I looking for any sympathy.  Simply put, I somehow got old, ill, and forgetful.  This post is to catch up on a few things some of my readers have asked me about. 

Biggie – Year Twelve and a Half

Biggie is now seventeen years old and his strength and stamina is still strong.  In my previous post about him, I wrote about how he had slowed down some and needed help with a couple of things, but he remains a very active doggie.

Stanley -- Year Three Quarters

Stanley is also a part time dog.  Does two part time dogs make one full time dog?  No, it adds up to a full time job, but I love it.  Stanley is part Great Pyrenees, part Bernese Mountain Dog, part labradoodle, and a sprinkling of fence jumper.  Although he is still a puppy, at ten months old, he has become a sixty pound lap dog.  More about Stanley in a few months.

Annual Wild Game Feed 2023

The Annual Wild Game Feed at Irvine Lake is just a little less than nine weeks away.  September 15, 2023 is coming up quickly, and I am hoping to see everyone again this year, along with some new faces.  I hope to continue attending this event many years into the future; however, as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I am not well, so every year I am able to attend may well be my last one.  I realize that sounds as though I am about to be planted in the ground. Sorry. I have had Parkinson’s for about 18 years now, and I am finding my energy levels are not what they used to be.   I tire easily, and I may not have the ability to attend, but that will not stop me from promoting the best and biggest Wild Game Feed anywhere.  Unless something improves in my health condition, I must prepare for the year that will be my last Feed.  So for now…

(I hope to) See You At The Feed!!

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Six Months To 55

That’s Right!!  The 55th Annual Wild Game Feed is just a little less than six months away.  This year it will be held on Friday, September 15, 2023. at Oak Canyon Park at Irvine Lake.  Once again I expect it to be bigger and better than ever.  So start saving your dollars, because the ticket order forms are going to here before you know it (expected about the end of May or the first of June this year).  As usual, don’t hesitate to order you tickets as soon as you get your hands on the order form.  It will sell out quickly.

There are parties, shindigs, hullabaloos, hootenannies, bashes, jamborees, get-togethers, gatherings, revelries, celebrations, and festivities, but there are no words to describe this event we simply know as the Annual Wild Game Feed, or just the Feed.  I’ve been trying for years to describe it in writing, but to understand what it is I am trying to describe requires first hand knowledge.  And to get that first hand knowledge, one must attend; so start preparing for the best man gathering around.

See you at the Feed!

Meat and Beer!