Don Eldredge

BY DON ELDREDGE

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Every year I promise myself I'm going to shop early and not get near a retail store the last week before Christmas. It's an idle promise.

I spent more than 30 minutes Tuesday around noon driving from downtown Sherman to the Town Center area by way of Loy Lake Road and, at the last minute, the U.S. Highway 75 access. I never expected traffic to be backed up quite so far.

Someone at work asked me, "Why didn't you just go the back way?" I guess the reasoning would relate to the way I drive on the open highway -- usually on busy U.S. Highway 75 between Sherman and Denison. Invariably I get caught behind a slow car and must wait for what seems like miles of traffic to clear before moving into the left lane. "You never plan ahead," my wife tells me.

I argue that I'm just trying to obey traffic laws and stay out of the left lane until I actually need to pass someone. It's a pretty lame argument, I know.

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I learned (or did I?) another lesson this week. My wife often has to do bank business in the afternoon, but I rarely do so. Most often I'm there before noon, facing, at most, one or two cars in line. She's always talking about the long lines late in the afternoon. I've heard her, but I guess it really didn't register.

This week I was forced into learning the hard way that the lines really can be long and exasperating. Maybe Christmas week had something to do with it, but I can't help but believe there was only one person handling six lanes at my drive-in bank on Wednesday. There's no other explanation.

Meanwhile, I'm writing it down: Be finished with all transactions, banking and retail, at least a week before Christmas in 2010.

Can an old dog learn new tricks?

Happy birthday Thursday to Bobbie Arnold, Betty Neasbitt, Jordyn McFail, Pat Jones and twins, Leo McKee and Cleo Morrow, all of Denison; Rojeena McNeal, Rene Morales, Andy Weeks and Larry T. Adams, all of Sherman; David Blackerby of Leonard; Gail Hipple Bates of West Friendship, Md.; Stephanie Burnette Chambers of Lafayette, Ind.; Jory Bell of Colorado; Jim Roy Rinerd of Coahoma; Julie Davis of Dorchester; Lena Christopher of Collinsville and her daughter, Doris Ann King of Dorchester.

Happy anniversary Thursday to John and Betty Weimer of Southmayd, 65 years; Kenneth and Frances Neely of Dorchester, 46 years; Joe and Leslie Earnhart of Denison, 20 years; Dale and Pat Jones of Denison.