Terry and the Pirates (Bob & Friends)

I understand our neighbor Terry went to see Bob in the hospital last night. Terry is about the only person that treats Bob with respect. Terry appears to show respect for everyone he has dealings with. That is not a bad trait.

But, with people like Bob, Terry, with his respectful attitude, leaves himself opened. I learned with Bob you have to be half-way rude to him so he will think twice before asking you for a favor again.

Back to Terry: Terry is from Pennsylvania, in or near Lancaster County – the Quakers may have had an influence on him. He met his wife-to-be, a local, when he was in the Air Force, and they have been our neighbors for 30 years. Our sons and his son and daughter grew up together, but have went their different directions.

Terry is a electronic technician of some kind. He works long hours and on weekends he loves to piddle in his yard. At Christmas time he puts up some tremendous Christmas decorations.

Terry puts his decorations on the trees after dark. The lights are turned on as he puts them up. It is a strange sight to see in the dark a row of brightly colored lights climb out of a pile of brightly colored lights and began to climb up, loop down, and climb again, then loop, then up again.

Almost facing our yard, next to Bob’s yard is Terry and Glenda’s hedge, which goes the length of his back yard. Every Christmas he arranges white lights to spell out MERRY CHRISTMAS. Then, a day or two before the new year he rearranges the lights to spell HAPPY NEW YEAR.

There was a small New Years Eve party in the neighborhood that we attended. Terry was there and I complemented him on his lights. He thanked me and told me some of the details. He said when it came to take down MERRY CHRISTMAS and put up HAPPY NEW YEAR he formed a perfect S with lights and thought he was eager to build a word with it, then it occurred to him there is no S in HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Somebody brought up the new Mcmansions built down the street that are selling for 700 grand each. Those houses are a sore subject and until that night I haven’t heard one person in our neighborhood say anything nice about them.
Terry said, “Some of them are really beautiful – they did a great job.”
“What?” Which ones?
The ones with the beautiful Christmas lights out front. Terry wasn’t talking about the houses, he was appreciating some of the Christmas decorations in front. He is a Christmas light connoisseur.