Blessed, that’s what this country, and my family in particular, is. Blessed with freedom, food, shelter, health and some of us have space. Space is a very important commodity to some of us old fellers and we like lots of it. We demand our space, want others out of it, fight for it and sometimes we even win.

My close relative has a big ole’ rambling home. The living room is able to accommodate a huge family and she has one. The dining room is big enough to have a table for 12 and room for the occasional kids table to be set up. She has her space and she certainly uses it.

My space is mostly enough, pastures and barns. The pickup truck is big enough to be considered spacey, I guess, since old Dog has his place and I have mine.

I don’t require too much, but I do require mine! My long, stringy body necessitates space for my legs to stretch out and my arms to have supports to lie or lean on.

That wonderful day of Christmas was so fine. We entertained our family with all the trimmings, food, fun and frivolity. The offspring brought theirclose relatives and their offspring, our Grands, and came early and stayed late. That is what I like and so does my close relative. We opened gifts from early morn to almost noon, stopping for the demonstration of the action toys and the trying on of apparel. Plenty of coffee and hot chocolate was served during the opening of gifts, along with sweet rolls and slabs of pie.

We carved the turkey, ate the cranberry sauce and played the expected games after the huge meal. The grown fellers like to deal the cards for a little poker, betting on our hands with true grit and winning and losing match sticks or dry beans. We had to use beans because we now use the fire sticks instead of wooden matches - another change in my life.

Company came by and stayed for a visit, went along to another home, kids wore down and napped, and by bedtime I was worn to a frazzle. We hugged them all goodbye and shouted, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!” as they drove away into the darkness of Christmas night.

I was out to chore before the last tail lights left the driveway and was once again pleased to find the lights working in the barns. I am right fond of electricity and thankful for it at all times. I fed the horse, the two heifers in the sick pen and turned the cow and her puny calf into the barn for the night. The calf had almost died from pneumonia but was well on the way to health now, and a night or two inside was surely helpful to his condition.

It is my opinion, and everyone has one, the space on the left side of my bed belongs to me! I paid for that space time and time again, worked my fingers to the bone, and the one thing I need and deserve is my side of the bed. I need the left side free of encumbrances, no things in the way, just open territory for me to lay my tiredold frame on.

Piles of pillows for pretty are a nuance to be thrown on the floor in the corner. Any God fearing man will tell you that and I thought it was a solid fact!

Yes, from this year forward, I will promise to pile pillows on a chair and do it neatly! No more tossing lovely little pillows on the floor in the corner to rid my space of their adornment.

Hope your Christmas day ended on a sweeter note, and Happy New Year!

Bill is a pen name used by the Gravette author of this weekly column.

Opinion, Pages 8 on 12/29/2010