I love talking with solid, hard-working, humble people. People that I grew up around. No foolishness, just friendliness. Such was the little woman at the furniture store today. MJ says we need to replace our couch in the Great Room. The Great Room is what we called big living rooms in the last century. Similar to calling little mansions McMansions. I was excited about the news of replacing our couch, which we had had for fifteen years. I loved it for ten years and liked it for two, and wanted a new one for three years. So to West Frankfort or Furniture City we did go. MJ suprised me again when she said she would like to have a leather couch. I love leather. My goal as a young man was to have a leather coat. Leather coats reminded me of doctors and lawyers. They spoke to my young mind of success. My first leather coat, I wore past its prime. When I wore my favorite coat, I felt I could accomplish anything I set my mind to do. So we saw a red leather chair. Our hearts skipped a beat. What an addition to our drab Great Room. What a promise of the coming fall and 2026.

The only thing better than one red leather chair is two. Red leather has a bit of a devil-may-care vibe. As the Ghostbusters said, ‘We ain’t afraid of no ghosts.’ We are the Baby Boomers with purpose. We enter the Christmas Season already equipped with Red Chairs for Santa and Ms. Claus.

We have arrived. We are here. The months we have been anticipating are here. The ‘BER’ months are my favorite time of the year. I grew up wearing a navy cap and a cloth coat. P. N. Hirsch made plastic shoes that appeared leather. I wore them throughout my school years. Neva J used to require that I get a crew cut rather than a regular haircut, as it was cheaper.
The hardscrabble people of Eldorado did not play. You counted the cost of everything, and nothing came easy. Some Hoecakes and fruit for Christmas were welcome. Gifts that were over five dollars were out of the question.

The couch was not forgotten. A cloth fabric couch was just the ticket. Comfortable and a nice accent to the Red Leather Chairs.

So it goes, the days are bright with the promise of fall. Most things yield to practical matters. We may be like Wimpy of Popeye fame, but all of our money can’t be spent on hamburgers even if we can pay on Tuesday. But once in a while, we can get some Red Leather Chairs…