The Players and the Owners:

Another football season is almost over, as I look forward to the Super Bowl. It should be a great game; however, there are some clouds on the horizon. The players’ union and owners have a little disagreement over many millions of dollars. I’m sure it will all be worked out, but it reminds me of the last strikes in football and baseball. I was amazed and amused by avid fans on radio talk shows. I heard such things as, “I just don’t know what to do on a Sunday afternoon.” Or, “Life just isn’t the same without the games!”

Well, I’m an avid fan, but I assure you I can always find enjoyable things to do without sports. Visiting a library, friends or a trip to a nice restaurant come to mind. One might even take up conversation with a friend or family member. What a concept that is!

Dear Readers,

I wanted to share this Christmas wish with you...


Merry Christmas from Scottsdale!



It’s a joy to share the wonder and excitement of this season with each of you. We are blessed with good health and many gifts from God given to us during this year. Visits with Theresa, Paul, Jean and their families top the list. It’s a joy to observe the growth of our family in every way.



I continue to play the organ at our local church. Working with young cantors helps to keep me young; of course, I have the advantage of not looking in the mirror. In September, I was invited to join the board of trustees of Newsreel Magazine. This monthly is published in audio primarily for blind readers. Since I have read this magazine and contributed articles to it for many years, this was an honor for me to help serve them.



With encouragement from friends in our church, I created a Christmas CD this year. The proceeds from the CD go to our building fund at church. Since I’m probably considered dangerous with a hammer and nails, I felt this was the best way I could contribute.



Now you might ask, “What about Shirley?” My bride is an avid reader, and I believe she has a green thumb. I would find it hard to believe I could accomplish any of the things I mentioned above without Shirley’s help, advice and support.



As our world grows smaller due to communications advances, it’s comforting to know that we can keep in touch in so many ways. Nevertheless, there’s nothing like greeting family and friends with a big hug as we welcome you to our home. I hope we can enjoy a visit with many of you during the coming year.



We wish you a blessed and merry Christmas and a happy healthy new year!



Love,



Rollie & Shirley

Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve:

As new year’s eve approaches, I think back to the holidays in my past. While I love to entertain, I must say that I didn’t look forward to new year’s eve. I felt that the crowd had a different personality than they had on other days of the year. Many of our regular customers were replaced by folks who, evidently, didn’t get out much during the rest of the year. They were difficult for me to reach, and it was a challenge to develop a rapport with them. I believe another reason I didn’t enjoy that day was that I had to leave my family while others were enjoying times with their close friends and family. Of course, I was grateful to have a nice job playing for nice people; however, there are days which belong to those we love. For me, new year’s eve was one of those occasions. It’s a great time to look both forward and back. I hope you will have much to be grateful for this year, and that next year will be a bright one for all of us. Thanks for your support of my blog; happy new year!

Travel Adventure:

Recently, my wife and I flew from Phoenix to Salt Lake City to attend our grand-daughter’s Confirmation celebration. It was a beautiful event, and we were so glad to be present to enjoy it.

The story I wanted to relate to you however, occurred on our flight home. The flight attendant had just passed through the cabin with snacks. As I leaned back to enjoy the flight, I heard this voice; it said, “That’s a nice looking shirt you are wearing. I must say, you really look sharp! Your wife also looks very nice.” I couldn’t imagine where that voice was coming from. Finally, the flight attendant returned. I summoned all my nerve and asked her about the voice. She said, “O sir! I should have mentioned it in my announcement. Our peanuts are complementary!”

Well, that may not be true, but I hope you enjoy this fine fall weather, and watch out for those complementary peanuts!

Until next time:

Jolly Rollie

A Tribute To Nancy:

Have you noticed; the days are getting shorter. Labor Day is just around the corner. For me, these two facts really signal the end of summer; and that means the end of the baseball season. This year, I’m hoping the Chicago White Sox can win it all! My new loyalty to the Chicago White Sox is not motivated by a specific ball player; but rather, by their organist Nancy Faust. Since I am a musician, I probably pay more attention to the organ music in various ball parks than would the average fan.

In a recent conversation, Nancy shared some of the history of organ music as it relates to the Chicago White Sox. When organ music was introduced, the organ was in the center field bleachers, and the fans could chat with the organist quite easily. It was moved several times before reaching its present location behind home plate. In one of its locations, Nancy was hidden back in an obscure corner of the park. The fans were so anxious to see and chat with Nancy while she played, they initiated a petition requesting the owner to move her back into view. The owner, Bill Veeck, relented and, once again, Nancy was seen as well as heard. This is a great example of Nancy’s popularity with the fans. Besides her musicianship, one of Nancy’s many gifts is her ability to relate so well with the fans. I can sum it up with just one sentence: The fans just love Nancy!

With this season, Nancy concludes her 40th year as organist for the Chicago White Sox. This fact indicates just how long this love affair has been going on between the fans and Nancy.

It is my hope that this White Sox team will bring one more world series ring for Nancy to wear. She really deserves it. Here’s hoping that Nancy Faust will continue to entertain the people in Chicago and beyond for many years to come.

My New Career!

I am pleased to tell you, my dear readers, that I am about to embark on a new career. The secret to a successful career is finding a need; then to provide a service to fill that need. My plan is to provide written apologies for athletes when they get in trouble with the law. I will cover drugs, guns and any other uncomfortable circumstance which could pop up; especially between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. I will limit the words in each apology to one or two syllables so the athletes can read and pronounce them. I’ll have to see that these documents are available at police stations, hotels and ball parks all around the country. Each apology will be filled with sincerity and remorse. I think I’ll call my new company, “oops, Unlimited.” Just think, when I become famous, you can say you knew me when.

Have an enjoyable summer!

My Banking Adventure:

This is the true story of my recent visit to a local bank. I received a notice that my certificate of deposit had matured. It was time to turn it over or do something else with it. When I didn’t act on the letter right away, we began receiving calls from the bank notifying me of this same fact. When the calls became more insisting in nature, I decided to visit the bank. Remember! All I wanted to do was to leave the certificate of deposit just as it was. After the representative met us, another person appeared on the scene. Evidently, he is in charge of security sales for the bank. I believe he strategically place his chair between us and the door; at least, I got the impression that we weren’t getting out of there until we heard his story. Too many minutes later, I asked if the product he proposed for us was insured by the FDIC. He said rather softly, “Well, no it isn’t.” My next reply was, “Case closed!” I always felt that a bank was a dignified institution rather than a group of hucksters trying to sell something a customer doesn’t desire.

At any rate, I really felt released when we did escape…I mean leave the bank. I hope our bank can regain some of the class I always enjoyed in doing business there.

If you, my dear reader, have any banking experiences to share; I’d love to read them. Please share them with us.