Dear Groups, I'm forwarding this message to two lists because both lists have been so supportive of me recently. My family roots are in the area of southeastern PA-Dutch country but my growing up years have been here in Niagara County, NY. I feel close to both lists because between Pennsylvania and New York, the two states encompass the greater part of my life and I have shared with both lists some of my memories and also the history and genealogy that I have managed to dig up in both areas. I just had to share with you this evening the delight I felt when I was handed a big bouquet of balloons today! vee ----- Original Message ----- From: Vee L. Housman <housman@adelphia.net> To: Debi Gregory <Debi@n4nw.org> Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2000 8:59 PM Subject: A Big Bouquet of Balloons!! > Dear Debi, > > Let me tell you what happened this afternoon. I had enjoyed your messages > today and your get well wishes and then I saw a strange truck pull into my > driveway. Actually, I had been watching it as I had noticed that it had > driven by the house, then stopped by the side of the road and then started > to back up. Well when I saw it outside my office window all I could think > of when the strange man got out was that he was going to ask for directions > and so I went to my door to see what he wanted. > > That's when I caught sight of what was painted on the front of the truck, > "Clayton's Floral Designs." Oh my goodness, somebody was sending me > flowers!! But who?? When the strange man approached my door I could see > what he was carrying--a big bouquet of balloons!! I had to laugh out loud! > A bouquet of balloons??? And when I opened the door to him, I had a great > big smile on my face. I told him happily, "I don't know who these are from > but I know why they sent them." And then I looked at the strange man and > immediately recognized him. I just said to him, "You're one of the twins, > aren't you?" He smiled back at me and said, "Yes." > > To clear up that point, about 15 years ago when I was trying to make a > meager living in the business of word processing and trying to think up > personalized advertising gimicks that local business would pay me to make up > for them, I approached the family-run Clayton's Nursery nearby. They bought > some of my creative calendars with their name on it or some little cookbooks > of local recipes (written down by some of our oldtimers) to resell or > whatever, and I met both of the Clayton boys, identical twins. It was > obvious at the time that they were the muscles behind the operation of the > nursery way out in the country on Dickersonville Road. I would guess that > they were in their early 20s at the time. And today there was one of them > on my doorstep, 15 years later delivering a bouquet of balloons to me! I > guess the boys have kept the business going all these years and I guess in > the meantime I managed to survive until my Navy pension kicked in and Social > Security took up the slack. > > But back to the bouquet of balloons. I was totally delighted with them and > immediately decided which room I would take them to so that I could enjoy > them as much as I could all day long--my office. However, they almost met > with instant death! When I walked into the office with them they were > greeted by my whirling ceiling fan! I snatched them away from the fan in > time and tied them to the back of a ladder-back chair I have here. And then > I ripped open the envelope to see who had sent them to me. The card said, > "Thinking of you, Debbie & Don." Debbie & DON?? Well, of course my niece > is Debbie, but DON?? Well, maybe it was supposed to read Debbie & Dawn, her > daughter. But that didn't make much sense. Why weren't the rest of Deb's > kids included in the card? > > And then it dawned on me. It was from you and your father! Oh, Debi, you > have no idea how much that bouquet brightened up my day and my life! I > giggle at them every time I look at them! NO bouquet of flowers could have > come even close! Fancy flowers don't come with Smiley Faces and hearts and > "Thinking of You" printed on them! Not only that, but fancy flowers don't > come in such an outrageous commical bouquet as they are!! Thank you from > the bottom of my heart. > > And thank your dad, too. Please forward my message to him when his computer > is back up and running. > > luvya both, > vee > > >