After a big Christmas with a big crowd here in my house, New Year’s Eve was a quiet affair. The only visitor we had was our old friend Garvey, Steve’s Pomeranian. He did not choose to see the new year in with us but here he was, anyway. He made for pretty good company and didn’t say a word.

Watched a big twelve team TCU go up against Michigan. Seems like Michigan was a big favorite. You know, TCU couldn’t even win the Big-12 but somehow wormed its way into a bowl game. Guys such as Herb Herbstreit (another non-big-12 fan) moderated the entertaining game. TCU won the game but the unforeseen was mostly foisted by repeated official calls that “hosed” the announcers beloved Michigan.

Oklahoma played a great game against Florida State. Well, it was respectable to me anyway. The 6-6 unranked and undermanned Sooners were picked to be killed early on by the 13th ranked (9-3) Seminoles. Thanks to Southwest Airlines and their problems, few of the Sooner faithful even made it down there. But we played a great game. We scared the Seminoles who won 35-31.

The big game was Georgia vs the dreaded Ohio State. Georgia had their hands full against the favored Ohio State and again, the announcers and other experts in that field were very pro Ohio State. Georgia had their hands full for sure but as the year 2023 crept nearer and nearer, Georgia prevailed by one point. Or as I read later online, another official travesty against Ohio State. They got cheated. Georgia will play TCU for the national Championship in about a week.

I stayed up to watch the big glass ball come down in Times Square. Sadly, it was about like some of the past New Years. Seeing the crowds, I knew it was fun actually being there on the scene. Like most people, I grew up seeing the New Year ushered in at the square via Warner Path A Newsreels and later by the magic of television. The sight of the raucous crowds bringing in the new year was to me the epitome of the place to be at that moment. At least for an old country boy like me from Stonewall.

In 1958 my time had arrived. My little destroyer escort, The USS Johnnie Hutchins, was tied up in Brooklyn. New Year’s was approaching and the talk aboard ship was that “we” were going to be there. I thought it a good idea too and figured if I showed up in my Navy uniform at midnight, I would see and experience magical things. Things an old boy born in Allen wouldn’t ever get to see.

Soon a small group of us got on the subway that evening and headed toward Times Square. I quickly realized that we were totally without plans on how to spend the time between “now” and midnight. I hadn’t shared with them my vision of a beautiful New York lass surprising me at midnight and wanting a New Year’s Day kiss. My imaginary self was ready to accommodate the poor lass.

As the evening went on, we continued to enjoy the shows and the music. We could barely afford the overpriced hamburgers we consumed thus the price of liquor in the Square dictated our sobriety. So, we all sort of decided to just mingle, and be standing around when the ball dropped. We blew our little noise makers and did a lot of unprovoked yelling when it happened. The ball came down.

About that time, someone approached and took me by my shoulder, turned me around and said: “Hey sailor, how about a New Year’s Kiss?” Resistance was futile and the pretty girl planted one on me. My life was now complete. I made no mention of this to Pat when I got home. Life went on and that year, 65 years ago, I got married to my wife, Pat. I’ve had some good kisses from her, too.

Have a good week and be sure and go to church. I enjoy hearing from you, my readers.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

cwaynebullard@gmail.com