Published: 30 Apr 2026

Chapter 27 – Multiple Tasks to Complete

By the time we arrived back to the house on New Year’s Day, we’d missed out on watching the Rose Parade on TV. However, the first of the football bowl games had just started, which made Dad happy, and since Devin and I had managed to get a little more sleep on the ride home, we decided to watch the game with him. Before we did that, though, I asked Mom what she was going to do.

“I’ll just watch something on the TV in the kitchen. I’ll also prepare something for your lunch and you can guys eat it during halftime.”

“Wait a minute? When did you get a TV for the kitchen?”

“Your father gave it to me as a Christmas present.”

“I don’t remember you opening a package with a TV in it at Christmas.”

“I didn’t. Your father gave it to me on Christmas Eve day, because I happened to notice what looked like wrapping paper under the bed and pulled it out to see what it was. Since I knew that I hadn’t placed it there, I asked your father where it came from. That’s when he told me it was a Christmas present from him and encouraged me to unwrap it. We didn’t bother to bring it downstairs when we opened the other presents on Christmas day.”

“Did you tell him you wanted a TV for the kitchen?”

“Not specifically. I guess he just got tired of me complaining about how much time he spent watching sports on TV and that I never got to watch anything that I was interested in. I suppose he figured this would distract me so I wouldn’t bother him while he was watching sports. He hung it on the wall when you boys were out doing something else.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice it there before. Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Roku until the last time we were at the Fitzpatrick’s house. I was chatting with Brenda in the kitchen, and as we were talking I noticed there was a TV sitting on the counter. Since I’d never seen it there before, I asked when she got it and she said she’d had it for a couple of years. She told me that she usually took it up to her bedroom whenever she was throwing a party or having a cookout, because she needed the extra counterspace. That’s when I realized there was no cable hooked up to the TV, so I asked her how she used it when it wasn’t connected to anything. That’s when she told me about Roku, and I mentioned it to your father later and asked him if he know about Roku and told him about the TV that Brenda had in her kitchen.”

“I’m glad that Dad bought it for you and it makes you happy,” I said, and then I went into the living room to watch the game with Devin and Dad.

Mom called us out to eat lunch during halftime, and then Devin and I washed the dishes quickly before rejoining Dad so we could watch the rest of the game. We watched the next game with him as well, and Mom called us out to eat supper after that game ended.

“Have you all been enjoying the games?” Mom asked as we were eating.

“The first game was exciting, but the second game was a total rout.”

“Are you going to watch the next game.”

“There aren’t any more games until tomorrow.”

“Ok, then maybe we can watch something together.”

After we finished eating, Devin and I headed out to the kitchen to do the dishes, but Mom stopped us.

“Go in and find something on TV that I’ll enjoy watching with you and I’ll take care of the dishes while you’re doing that.”

We were about to argue with her and suggest that she find something on TV while we did the dishes, but she held up her hand to stop us from speaking. Then, she merely pointed toward the living room, which let us know that she wasn’t about to change her mind. Since she seemed determined to do the dishes by herself, we went in to join Dad and told him what Mom had said. Then, the three of us found something we agreed that we’d enjoy, and Mom would like as well.

The movie we chose was “Finding Dory,” which is an animated-comedy adventure film that focuses on a girl fish that gets separated from her parents. Over time, she gradually forgets them, because she is also dealing with a short-term memory problem. It was cute and Mom enjoyed it, so we were all in a good mood as we headed up to bed.

Devin and I knew my parents would go right to sleep, since they had to work the following day, but we planned to rectify the fact that we were unable to have our personal New Year’s Eve celebration the night before. That was because Clint was sharing the room with us, so we’ve definitely got to find Clint a boyfriend his age.

Anyway, we took our time and made the most of it, since we wanted to bring the new year in with a bang. We took turns making love to each other and made sure that we were each completely satisfied, and then we went to the bathroom to go through our nightly ablutions. When we finished up, we returned the bedroom and I spooned up behind Devin and cuddled with him as we fell asleep.

My parents had left for work before we woke up in the morning, so we fixed a quick breakfast before we started working on the baseball cards. We definitely wanted to ship them off to be professionally rated before we returned to CSU for our final semester.

“We’ll split up the tasks and you can take photos of the baseball cards I haven’t gotten to yet,” I told Devin, “while I’m adding the information about them on the spread sheet.”

After we’d been doing that for a couple of hours, I made a suggestion. “Let’s take a break and make a quick trip to the grocery store. I want to get a cardboard box so we can send the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator after we’ve documented all of the cards. We can also pick up something for lunch, as well as a few other items that I’ll need when making supper later.”

I probably should mention that we decided to use Professional Sports Authenticator, rather than Sportscard Guaranty Company, after we discovered that PSA gradings attract the highest prices. They also have strong global recognition, which could open our cards up to additional prospective buyers.

The trip to the grocery store took less than an hour, and as soon as we had everything we wanted, I convinced Devin to make a stop at Office Depot so we could purchase some brown packaging paper.

“What do you need that for?” Devin demanded.

“I plan on using it for a couple of different purposes that I’ll explain to you when we get back to the house. We’ll also need a roll of clear packing tape and an address label so we can clearly indicate where we’re sending it.” Once we had everything that we needed, we drove back to the house and carried our purchases and the cardboard box inside.

We’d also picked up a couple of submarine sandwiches at the deli counter for lunch, along with some potato chips and Cheetos. We decided to eat first, and as soon as we finished our lunch, we went back to my room and resumed working on the baseball cards.

We continued doing this until I noticed it was almost time for another bowl game to start, and it was so exciting that we watched it on the TV in the kitchen as we started fixing supper. Dad even got home in time to watch part of the second half with us before we ate.

The meal we prepared was similar to the meals that we’d fixed for my parents in the past, so it pleased my mom. It also delighted my dad, even though we tried to keep it healthy and low calorie to help him lose a little more weight, or at least not gain any more. We didn’t tell him that, though, and he seemed to enjoy the meal, so all was good.

“How did you boys keep busy today, besides preparing this wonderful supper?” Mom asked about halfway through the meal.

“We spent a lot of time getting the baseball cards ready to send off and get them professionally rated.”

“I still think that’s going to be an expensive and unnecessary waste of money,” Dad followed.

“Not really, because it will convince the collectors of the quality of the cards, since they’ve been rated by a trusted professional. It will also convince them to pay more than they’d like to or feel comfortable with to ensure the cards they want end up in their collection. The guys who are serious collectors only purchase cards that have either been rated by a trusted professional or that they can personally inspect before purchasing it. Judging by what I’ve read online about what cards like the ones in our possession have sold for in the past, there’s a good chance that we have thirty-five cards that could be worth major bucks.”

“How much do you think they might be worth?” Mom asked.

“There are some that could be worth tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on how high they’re rated. A few of those cards might potentially be worth millions, if they receive one of the top three ratings possible.”

“Don’t you think you might be inadvertently inflating what those cards could be worth and setting yourself up for a major letdown?” Dad challenged.

“No, we don’t,” Devin responded, “because like Mac said, we’re judging the cards value based on what similar cards have already sold for.”

“Damn, I hope it works out the way you want, but I can’t believe someone would invest that much money for a baseball card.”

“You’d be surprised to discover how much the most serious collectors would pay for certain cards, but it all depends a lot on how high it’s rated. The difference between the exact same card that’s rated an 8, 9, or 10 can mean the difference between if it selling for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars.”

“It just seems like a lot of money to me.”

“It is, but I just went by the purchase prices that were recorded for similar or identical cards, so I truly believe the cards we have will do as well as what I’ve stated.”

“Then I hope it turns out as you want.”

“So do we!” Devin confirmed.

After Devin and I did the dishes, we went into the living room to watch another bowl game with Dad. It quickly became obvious that this was going to be another rout, so I was basically just staring at the screen, because my mind was going over the things we’d discussed during supper.

Since I’d only had a range of prices to work with for cards similar to those in our possession, I couldn’t place a definite value on any of those cards until we discovered the rating it had received. It also means we won’t know the total value of the entire collection either, so it’s not like we can make any plans for how we’re going to spend any of the money. We just have some general ideas about what we might do with the money when we get it.

First of all, we feel strongly that we should donate part of the money to Johnny Logan’s family, since the cards we have are the ones that he loved and took such great care of. Not only that, but someone in his family must have known how much the cards meant to Johnny, or else why would they have buried them in his memory. I can only assume that they’d rather do that than take the chance that the cards might fall into the hands of someone who might abuse or destroy them. I feel that burying the cards was an act of love, so we intend on honoring Johnny’s memory by making certain that the cards wind up with others who will cherish them the same way that Johnny did.

If we can’t find any relatives to share part of the money with, then we’re thinking about using that portion to make certain that a special Little League field is constructed in Fort Collins. If we do this, then we want to ensure that the field is of similar quality as the two main fields in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, complete with dugouts, but with the standard metal bleachers for the fans. We would also make sure that the field is dedicated in Johnny’s memory and a plaque placed at the field that the players and their parents can read to learn about the person in whose memory the field was dedicated.

When the game ended, we all went up to our rooms to get ready for bed, and I was still thinking about those things when I was cuddling in bed with Devin later, before I finally fell asleep.

After having breakfast the next morning, we started working on the cards again. We’d already placed the thirty-five cards that we felt were worth the big bucks in top loaders, which are rigid hard plastic shells that afford the cards excellent protection from damage. We did the same with the cards that we rated as second tier, but there were three or four hundred cards all together, so we placed the rest of the cards in penny sleeves. Those are softer plastic sleeves that don’t offer the same level of protection, but since we feel that might only bring in twenty or thirty dollars, although some could also be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The entire process is a major undertaking and each card’s value will increase the total that we accumulate from selling all of the cards, so we’re trying to ensure it’s done correctly. We continued working until it was time for another bowl game, and then we went downstairs to watch it on TV. It was another exciting game, so we put it on the TV in the kitchen so we could keep track of the action while we were fixing supper, and once again Dad got to see the last part of the second half with us.

As soon as the game ended, we sat down to eat. During the meal we chatted again, but the conversation was different this evening. “Your mother mentioned that you advised her that your graduation will be a three-day event, from Friday to Sunday. Do you boys need us to be there for the entire time?”

“Actually, it will be from Thursday to Saturday, and what we’ve read or been told, there will be three smaller functions that Devin and I will be required to attend, in addition to the graduation ceremony. However, you aren’t required to be at any of those ceremonies, unless you want to attend, so it’s entirely up to you. The most important event is the Commencement Ceremony, which will be held from 10:00 to 11:30 on Saturday morning.”

“But we will want to be at any of those other events if you’re receiving some kind of honor,” Mom insisted.

“We have a vague idea about what we’ll receive at those ceremonies, but we won’t know if we’re receiving any additional honors at those events until the ceremony.”

“Then tell us what those other ceremonies are for and then we’ll decide if we want to be there for those events.”

“Ok, fair enough. The first one is the Honors Program Recognition Ceremony, which is being held on Thursday Evening at 6:00. Devin and I each qualified for the Honors Program when we were Freshmen and signed up to take part during our next three years at CSU. The program involved us taking special Honors Courses during that time, as well as attending various seminars. At this ceremony we’ll both be presented with a gold-colored medallion that hangs on a gold ribbon, which we’ll wear at the graduation ceremony. We’d also be allowed to wear a green cap and gown at the Graduation Ceremony, instead of the black cap and gowns that most of the other graduates will be wearing, but I’ll explain more about that later.”

“I think your mother and I would like to be there for that ceremony, but it will require that we take Thursday off from work as well. We’ll make the request to our supervisors tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll know before we return home tomorrow night if we’ve been granted the additional time off.”

“Before you do that, let me ask you a question. Are you planning on riding to Fort Collins with Ma and Pa?”

“Yes, we’re all riding together, so this will let us know how many nights we have to book our hotel rooms for.”

“Why would the four of you have to stay at a hotel? You usually stay at the house with us.”

“I know, but when we were at the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Brown Palace Hotel, I learned that Devin’s grandfathers and their wives are planning on being there as well. Aaron and I talked it over and felt they should be the ones staying at the house, since it belongs to them.”

“Oh, then I’ll have to call my mom and dad to talk with them about this, because there might be a slight problem” Devin stated. “The ceremonies that are being held on Thursday and Friday all require tickets for guests to attend, but each of us will only be allotted a set number of tickets. The Thursday ceremony limits each of us to three tickets, but we only ordered two tickets for our parents. The Friday events are recognition ceremonies for the different colleges that we’re enrolled in, due to our majors, and we’re only allowed to have six tickets for those events. We’ve both ordered five tickets to those ceremonies so all four parents can attend each of those events, along with one additional ticket for either Mac or me. There won’t be enough tickets for Gramps, Pops, and their wives to attend any of those ceremonies.”

“Your grandfathers and their wives are going to ride there together, so they could just drive up on Friday and attend the graduation ceremony on Saturday, or do they require tickets for that as well.”

“No, the graduation ceremony is open to all who want to attend, since it’s being held at Canvas Stadium, which is where the CSU football team plays their home games. The other ceremonies are being held at either Moby Arena or in the Grand Ballroom at Lory Student Center and they’re much smaller, so space is limited.”

“Ok, then when you call your parents about this you can make sure that your grandfathers and their wives know this.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“So, tell us a little more about the ceremonies that are being held on Friday,” Mom followed.

“The Engineering Recognition Ceremony will be held from 8:00 to 9:30 on Friday morning, and the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for our college will give their speeches there,” Devin replied. “Those graduating with academic honors, which includes me, will receive a stole that we’ll wear over our gowns at graduation. Since I’ll also be graduating with distinction, I’ll be able to wear a gold-colored cap and gown at graduation, instead of the green cap and gown I would have worn for completing the Honors Program. I’ll also be receiving my cords at that ceremony as well.”

“What does it mean to graduate with distinction,” Mom followed, “and what are the cords that you mentioned.”

“Gradating with distinction means I’ll be graduating cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude, but I won’t know which one until after I get my grades for the final semester. Cords are thin colored ropes that are braided together and have tassels at the end that I’ll place behind my neck and allow them to hang down over my gown.”

“The Mathematics Department,” I immediately added, “along with a few of the other departments that are part of the Natural Sciences College, will have our Recognition Ceremony on Friday as well. It will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 at night and will basically be the same as what Devin described, and I’ll also be graduating with distinction.”

“So, both of you will be wearing gold-colored caps and gowns, with a gold-colored medallion, a stole, and cords?” Dad asked.

“Yes, and there’s a specific order in which those items are to be worn. Of course, the gown goes on first, then the stole, which goes around our neck and hangs down our backs, and then the cords and the medallion, both of which hang down at the front of the gown.”

“Damn, it seems you boys will be cleaning up with all those honors!”

“Are your stoles and cords all gold too?” Mom asked.

“Our gowns, the ribbon on the medallion, and the cords will be a yellowish gold color, but my stole will be what is called a science gold, which is a brownish gold color.”

“And the engineering stole is orange.”

“It all sounds very impressive and we’ll want to attend each of those recognition ceremonies, as well as the graduation ceremony,” Dad confirmed. “But why is there such a gap in time between the Friday recognition ceremonies?”

“It’s because there are ceremonies for the other colleges going on in between those times.”

“Ok, I see now, and I know your mother and I are really impressed by what both of you have accomplished while you’ve been at CSU. In fact, I’m sure Devin’s parents and grandparents will be impressed by what you two have accomplished as well.”

“We’re glad and we both appreciate all of you and your support.”

After we finished eating and talking about our upcoming graduation, Devin, and I went in to watch the next bowl game with Dad after Mom insisted that she would do the dishes. The game wasn’t quite as close as the earlier game, but it was just as exciting, and when it ended we all turned in to get a good night’s rest.

When we woke up on Saturday morning, we discovered that Mom had gotten things ready so she could prepare a nice breakfast for all of us as soon as we joined them. While we were eating, Dad asked if we wanted to watch football with him, so we asked who was playing.

“There’s a college game at 11:00 and then there are two NFL games after that.”

“We’ll watch the college game with you, and then we’ll spend some time with Mom while you’re watching the NFL games. After we spend some time with Mom, we’ll work on the baseball cards until we get ready for bed.”

The football game wasn’t being played by any of the major colleges and only one team scored in the first half, on three field goals, but it was kind of interesting. We ate lunch during halftime, and then we went in to watch the rest of the game with Dad. The team that had the lead at the half took control of the game in the fourth quarter, and even after there was no doubt who was going to win, we stayed and watched the rest of the game. When the game ended, Dad stayed in the living room to watch the NFL games, so we went out to spend some time with Mom. We wound up downing a bowl of ice cream with her as we watched a movie on the TV in the kitchen, and she made certain that Dad wouldn’t find out about our little snack.

After the movie ended, Mom began preparing supper and Devin and I offered to help, but she only allowed us to retrieve a few items from the refrigerator or pantry for her, as well as setting the table. After supper we washed the dishes and other items that Mom had used while preparing the meal, and then we told Mom we were going up to my room to work on the baseball cards again. On the way, we went in to tell Dad the same thing and say goodnight to him, and that’s when I happened to glance out the living room window.

“Hey, it’s snowing!” I announced.

“Yes, the weathermen were predicting we might get snow this weekend.”

“Cool!” I replied, and then Devin and I headed up to my room.

After working on the baseball cards for about an hour, Devin made a comment. “Man, this is taking far longer than I thought it would.”

“That’s because there are so damn many cards to deal with. We could just choose to only do this with the cards we think are going to bring in the most money, but since Johnny took such good care of all of these cards, I don’t have the heart to discard any of them or just give them away.”

The only cards that weren’t in great shape were the ones from 1933, and we believe those cards had originally belonged to Johnny’s dad. We assumed he must have given them to Johnny, and since they once belonged to his dad, Johnny took care of them from that point on, despite their poor condition. The fact that they weren’t in as good shape as the rest of his cards didn’t discourage us sending them off to be rated, so we can see what they might be worth as well. We continued working on the cards until we decided to get ready for bed.

When we got downstairs the next morning, I happened to look out the living room window. “Damn, there must be a foot of snow on the ground!” I stated.

“Maybe even a little more than that,” Dad followed, since we hadn’t seen him sitting in his chair in the living room. “I opened the garage door earlier so I could snow blow the driveway, but your mother told me to wait until we ate breakfast together first, because she knew it would take me a while.”

“Devin and I will take care of that for you, and then we can take the toboggan out of storage so we can all ride it down the hill in back of the house.”

“I’ll do it with you if we do it before noon, because I’ve got a couple of NFL games to watch after lunch, but I’m not sure if your mother will want to do it with us.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll convince her.”

Mom made breakfast for all of us again, and as we were eating I told her the same thing that I’d told Dad. “Mom, after Devin and I each take a turn snow blowing the driveway and the walkway leading up to the front door, we’re going to take the toboggan out and ride it down the hill in back of the house. We want you and Dad to do it with us.”

“I haven’t done anything like that in years and I’d probably end up breaking a few bones if I tried to do it now.”

“Nah, there’s not a sufficient slope to build up enough speed for that to happen, but there is enough snow to have a little fun. Come on, let’s not pass up this opportunity, because we might not have another chance before we leave.”

“Ok, I’ll do the dishes and then get dressed to go outside with you while you boys are taking care of the snow blowing.”

“Ok, we’ll do that as quickly as we can after we finish eating, and then we’ll come back inside and get you and Dad to do it with us.”

Since she didn’t have to go in to work today and had a little more time this morning, she made French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage links, and bacon for breakfast. It was delicious and gave us enough energy to walk the snow blower up and down the driveway as we removed the snow. Devin made the first pass down to the end of the driveway and back to the garage, and then I took care of the rest of the driveway and the sidewalk.

When I finished, we put the snow blower back in the garage, and then we took the toboggan down from the storage area above the garage. We also found the wax that we used to rub along the bottom of the toboggan to make it more slippery, and after we’d applied plenty of wax to the toboggan, I went inside and got my parents.

“Ok, we’re ready,” I announced when we walked inside.

“We’ll be right there, dear. We just have to get our coats,” Mom replied, so we went back outside and waited for them.

When they came out to join us, Devin and I each grabbed a side of the rope attached to the front of the toboggan and pulled it up the hill, while my parents followed behind us.

“Ok, who wants to ride at the front of the toboggan?” I asked when we reached the top of the hill. “How about you, Mom?”

“No, I think someone else should do it. I’m afraid you might run into something, like the house, and I’ll get hurt.”

“If it looks like that might happen, Devin and I will lean to one side and tip the toboggan over and we’ll merely land in the snow instead, so there’s no way you’ll get hurt.”

“I still want someone else to ride in the front.”

“Then I’ll ride in front,” Dad offered, “and your mother can ride behind me.”

“Ok, I only suggested that Mom be in front so she could slip her feet under the curved part of the toboggan, because the rest of us will have to put our legs around the person in front of us.”

“Oh, I’ll be ok doing that,” she replied, so we took our places on the toboggan.

Devin and I used our arms to start pushing the toboggan forward, and before long it had picked up enough speed to go down the hill on its own. We began to slow down once the ground leveled off when we reached our yard, so we didn’t have enough speed to actually reach the house before coming to a stop.

“That was fun and I really enjoyed it,” Mom said as we started to get off the toboggan. “Are we going to do it again?”

“Yes, and we’ll ride in the same track that we just came down, so don’t walk on that area. The toboggan will go a little faster the next time, because the snow is already packed down.”

Devin and I pulled the toboggan up the hill again, and when we reached the top, we got back on it in the same order as before. This time, however, Devin and I didn’t have to push it as far using our arms before it took off under its own power. We were going much faster this time, and as we reached our yard I was afraid that we weren’t slowing down enough to stop before hitting something, so I tapped Devin on the shoulder. That was our signal that we’d both lean to the right and tip the toboggan on its side, like we’d done many times when we were younger. We were all covered with snow after doing that, and as we were getting up, Mom started laughing.

“That was even more fun than before, so are we going to do it again?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” I answered, and then I looked at Dad. “Do you have time to do it again with us or do we do it this time without you.”

“I think I can afford to do it one more time, because it brought back memories of when I was a boy, except I slid down hills on a sled, not a toboggan.”

“Then why did you buy a toboggan for me?” I asked as we were walking back up the hill.

“It wasn’t bought just for you. It was a gift from your mother’s parents so you, Robert, and Melanie could all ride it together.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. I think Melanie might have ridden on it with Devin and me a few times, but I don’t remember Robert ever doing it with us.”

“Yes, he was a lot older than you,” Mom responded, “and my parents didn’t realize when they gave it to you kids that Robert was more interested in doing things with his friends. He was two years older than Melanie and ten years older than you, so by the time you started kindergarten, Robert was already in high school and those things were too childish for him to do with the rest of you.”

“That’s a shame, because I really looked up to Robert and always wished he’d do that stuff with Devin and me.”

“Yes, and it’s a shame he never got a chance to do it with you when he was older, because I’m sure he would have done it with you two after he got out of the service.”

After we made another ride down the hill, which was a little faster than either of the previous two times, we had to tip the toboggan over on its side again to come to a stop. After that, my parents went inside while Devin and I put the toboggan away.

Since we’d spent so much time walking up the hill and then riding down it, we’d all worked up quite an appetite, so Mom made lunch for us. Dad took his food into the living room to eat so he could watch the NFL pre-game show and wasn’t there to join in the conversation we were having with Mom.

“I guess this means the next time I see your father will be when I call him out for supper,” Mom said as soon as she heard the TV turn on.

“That’s ok, you still have Devin and me to keep you company, and while we’re washing the dishes, why don’t you look for a deck of cards. We can play Rummy for a while after that, if you’re interested.”

“Yes, it sounds like fun. I haven’t played Rummy in years, so between the tobogganing and playing Rummy you boys have made me feel like a school girl again.”

“Good, then find a deck of your daddy’s cards while me and Devin is doin’ women’s work of washin’ the dishes before my mom scolds us.”

“Oh, you’re being silly now,” she scoffed and then giggled.

“Well, you said you were feeling like a school girl again, so I thought I’d help you keep up the illusion.”

“Thank you, now I just have to remember where we put the cards the last time we used them, because I won’t be able to ask Daddy where they are while he’s watchin’ his football game.”

“Once in a while we’d get brave and sneak in during the commercials to ask our daddy questions when he’s watching sports, so you can try to do that if you can’t find the cards.”

“Ok, I’ll look for them first, but I’ll do that if I have to,” she said as she walked away giggling while Devin and I headed out to the kitchen. As soon as we finished with the dishes, we went back to the dining room and Mom was sitting at the table playing a game of solitaire.

“It looks like you found the cards,” I said.

“Yeppers, and I checked ‘em out to make sure my daddy didn’t lose any of ‘em. But we’ve got to stop fooling around like this or I won’t be able to concentrate on playing the game. I also brought in an old notebook and a pencil so we could keep score. Do you want to play to 100 or 200?”

“Let’s play to 200, cuz 100 makes the game too short. It’ll make it more fun playin’ to 200 too,” Devin suggested.

“Ok, that’s fine with me, but no more talking like little kids then,” Mom stated, and then she dealt the cards and we started playing.

In fact, we played several games, and each game we would switch between following a clockwise or counter-clockwise order, both when dealing and playing the hands. We kept switching back and forth as we continued playing so we wouldn’t be taking the same player’s discarded cards all of the time. It also took the place of us changing seats in order to accomplish the same goal.

“That was fun, but we’d better stop, because I have to start fixing supper,” Mom eventually told us.

“Ok, then we’ll go back to my room to continue working on the baseball cards.”

We had been working on them for a short time when Devin asked a question. “Mac, do you know if UPS allows its customers to insure the packages that they’re sending somewhere?”

“I have no idea, but I agree that it’s something we should look into. I know we’ve been worried that we might do something that would reduce the value of the cards as we’re handling them, but until now we’ve never considered that they might be damaged during transport. And depending on which cards are impacted, we could lose a great deal of money if something were to happen to them. It would be to our advantage if UPS allowed us to insure the package, in case any of the cards are damaged during shipment, because that way we wouldn’t lose out entirely if something were to happen to them. Let me get my laptop and we can do some research to find out if insuring the cards is a possibility.”

After doing some research online, we discovered that UPS does allow senders to insure their packages, but it’s handled through UPS Parcel Pro. We checked the various requirements about insuring the package and how much it would cost, so the next morning Devin and I planned on calling his dad to see what he thought about that idea.

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