An UNBELIEVABLE SURPRISE TODAY! AND A NEW MYSTERY!

I am so excited right now. Blown away. Flabbergasted. In a state of mental enjoyment....I treasure when someone "gets one up on me".

I took my normal 4 hour cruise out on Gun Lake today in the blowing rain.....I gave up after 12 passes through Robbins Bay with no hits. I was marking fish on the screen but could not get them to bite.....I also had a compelling reason to "shut her down" as my hands were too cold to strike the lighter for my ciggie...

Upon my arrival home, TEAM T WIFE was doing our babysitter's nails. As I entered our warm TEAM T HEADQUARTERS she piped up and said, "you received a package today honey. I don't know what it is or who its from."

My mind flashed with "federal subpeona", or a "lawsuit" amongst many other things......

So I picked it up and examined it:


Huh? I have no idea what this could be. It is addressed to "Jitters of Team T".....the return address is "123 Happy Reader Rd, Past Time, MI 49503."

As I opened the envelope, the anticipation began to grow in my mind like the heat from a old woodstove full of hot red coals! (like my brothers at deer camp this year!)

Inside, a bubble wrapped leather bound book in a beautiful cherry colored finish. Snuggled in with the beautifully elegant book was this note:

Dear Very Talented Writer,

I wanted to thank you for all of th enjoyment your blog brings.

You are thought provoking, humorous, adventurous, innovative, and a very entertaining writer. Apparently, in some capacity, you are also The Law. Thank you for keeping us safe. I would hate to be a criminal up against you and your very imaginative and sometimes somewhat twisted (in a good way) mind.

I have learned from your blog that you are a family man with a very attractive wife and 4 cute daughters. While I am inclined to suspect that you must try your wife's patience at times, I hope you are diligent in letting her know how much you love and value her. Since you seem to have a sensitive side, I'm quite sure you do. If not, start today!

I am not one to leave comments on blog sites. I had never read a blog until I was referred to yours by a friend. While I am too shy to comment, I wanted to find a way to thank you for enriching my otherwise boring life with your writing.

I noted that you are a wine lover, and thought you would certainly enjoy the gift that I am sending. With it, you can enjoy two of the things you seem to be passionate about-drinking and writing. Perhaps one fuels the other! Just remember, everything in moderation.

It was difficult to find a name and address for you, but I was determined to find a way to say thank you. I do want you to know that I am not a stalker, just an appreciative reader.

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a very creative New Year.


I must say that I am absolutely floored by this warm gesture. Whoever did this is very perceptive of me and has stroaked a part of my soul that has sent warm chills of satisfaction through my entire body. I am absolutely stumped by this act of utter compassion devoid of any selfish motivations. Unbelievable!!!!!

I examined the contents further. The handsomely elegent book, "In Vino Veritas" by John Hancock is a "Libro dei Vini", Book of Wines. Each page contains a diary of sorts to catalog each wine tasting I partake in with passages for comments, taste, rating, bouquet, region of production, year, price, etc.....





I looked up "In Vino Veritas" and found the following:
(in VEE-noh VER-ee-tahs) A Latin phrase suggesting that people are more likely to say what they really feel under the influence of alcohol. It means, “There is truth in wine.”







I must say this to whoever you are: Your gift to me, the manner in which it was delivered, the sneaky wisdom and intelligent imagination you used to craft this entire idea has TOUCHED ME.

I am in awe.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND BEST WISHES TO YOU FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS AS WELL. I WILL STRIVE TO MAKE THIS A "VERY CREATIVE NEW YEAR!"


(I should also tell this crafty soul that I am thoroughly dissecting each part of every number, word, sentence, and the entire idea to gather clues and devise a good guess as to who you may be. I believe that you have put some hints throughout this and I will endeavor to figure it out.) If I do come to a hypothesis in my whirlwind flea market mind, I will simply smile and enjoy it to myself even more.