Teamwork, Teamwork, Teamwork!

For those that faithfully read this blog,thank you.  Sorry no post yesterday, I do try to write everyday.  Occasionally, my schedule is a bit loaded, allowing just enough time to breathe.  Yesterday was such a day.  I arrived home at 4:30am, a tad bit later than my usual arrival.  I knew it had been a long night for a few reasons: 1) The security guard at my community said "Good Morning and 'bout time you came home."  sounds like my long deceased Dad.;  2) the daily newspaper was in my driveway already.  That's a late night!  Due to an unforeseen emergency at my job and the need to have the location ready and open for business by 6:00am, my team and I worked through the long night, insuring that the location would be open,  ready for our first Guest in the morning.  This was accomplished by teamwork. 

What made Fred's News function well and without a hitch was also teamwork.  Whether a team of two or twenty, teamwork is a necessity.  Fred's News was lucky enough that our numerous employees throughout the years, were outstanding team mates.  First our children and sisters, then as business grew, employees were added.  We've talked about a few, but there are many that stood out.  Son Matthew and friends, Darren, Eric, Timmy and Heather were the first team of teenagers, making up the crew, along with full timers, Missy, my sister Patty and Sister Harriet, Mr. Bill's younger sibling.  Mixed in with this crew, the floor kids and stockers.  As Matthew out grew Fred's News, friends moving on to college, others were hired.  Younger son Mark and "adopted" son Dave held the night and weekend shifts for a number of years,  Dave's younger brother Jeff joined the ranks, staying with us through a few years of college. As Mark moved on to college, joining Kappa Sigma fraternity,  we never lacked employees.  For those that didn't go on Spring break trips, they worked Fred's News, allowing Mom and Dad a chance to get away.  We always returned, thinking, what would we find, nothing ever seemed amiss.  We joked, we knew how we were at that age, they must of done something.  Years later the stories unfolded.  We still haven"t a clue of the scope of their antics, but all survived, great team work and mountains of "dirt" on each other,  kept them all very closed lipped about any suspicious activity that occurred during our absence.  Fred's News survived.

Every year, at holiday time one of our customers, Max, always gave us a bottle of whiskey.  Although Mr. Bill and I do not drink, we were touched my Max's generosity.  Located in the rear of the restaurant, were newspaper slot boxes, much like a post office.  This is where we put the bottles of whiskey.  Thinking they were still full after all those years, Mr. Bill took them down, only to find most had been opened, some emptied and returned neatly to their place on the shelves.  No wonder we always had volunteers to paint or clean the restaurant after hours.  Nice!  Kappa Sigma fraternity was also the recipient of a few bottles. 

Perhaps, one of the cutest stories that surfaced:  We had a large cactus in our living room.  Bill and I left on a brief vacation, the three boys alone, had strict rules to follow.  Evidently, some sort of pillow fight ensued, using the throw cushions from the living room.  Someone hit the cactus, knocking it to the floor.  After re-potting the cactus, cleaning up the mess, they realized, the cushions had thousands of prickly little spines stuck to them.  In other words, what was once on the cactus, was now stuck in the cushion.  Knowing  they couldn't be pulled out, they stuck the cushion in the washer.  Not wanting to waste water, they filled the washer with dirty clothes, basically a few towels, underwear and one cushion filled with prickly spines from the cactus.  Yes, the spines released themselves from the cushion but found a new home in seams of everyones' underwear.  We returned home, thrilled the house looked wonderful, they had even done the laundry.  Great kids!  However, lurking in the darkness of everyones' underwear drawer,were clean garments concealing the evidence.  A week later, as every complained of a rash, I'm thinking the soap wasn't rinsed out completely, it was like torture.  The guilty came forward and confessed.  We can now laugh, back then  continually scratching one's ass or crotch in public was embarrassing!  Sometimes team work does go awry.