It was hot and muggy in Houston June of 1983 we had just arrived from Twin Falls, a town in the high altitude dessert country of Idaho. Talk about climate shock, culture shock, every kind of shock! Going from 108 degrees at 4:00 pm with 18% humidity to 103 degrees at 8:00 am with 98% humidity was almost unbearable. We had moved from the two block downtown in Twin Falls to the huge metropolis of Houston, Texas!

Gene had just started working as Administrator at a new Substance Abuse/Psychiatric hospital 38 miles from Houston in Rosenberg, TX.  He had gone to college in Houston and so was familiar with Houston.  We, Jon, Jenna and myself, were not.

The first week there, we had connected with the Salvation Army Corps and Jenna then 10 was going to participate in their summer program. I was driving her early in the morning her first day and was back ended by a very large sedan. I was driving a Honda Civic. Jenna was not hurt but I suffered a cerebral sprain, know by most as WHIPLASH.

The next week, the kids and I went to the grocery store just straight up from where we were living. That was the only place I felt comfortable to drive a straight run and not too far away.

I noticed that there was a display advertising “NEW BUTTER FLAVOR CRISCO”,  49 CENTS PER POUND.  I bought a can thinking that to help exercise my neck and shoulders I would learn to bake bread. That night Gene asked us to go to another grocery and while there I saw “NEW BUTTER FLAVOR CRISCO” 99 CENTS PER POUND.

The next day, I saw a 15 cent coupon on the can and this is where the saga began. Going back to the store with my kids and coupon in hand I decided to buy two cans of “NEW BUTTER FLAVOR CRISCO”.  Leaving Idaho a very conservative state, I knew nothing of double coupons…. Thinking I would pay 83 cents plus tax (49 cents for one can and 34 cents for the other) I was surprised when the cashier asked for a total of 68 cents. I thought she was shorting the store but she explained double coupons plus no sales tax in Texas. I would be paying 49 cents for one can and 19 cents for the other. Well…… thinking of the other grocery charging 99 cents per can ($1.98 for two cans) my addictive nature kicked in.

The next morning after Gene left for work I cut the coupons off the two cans and back to the store we went. At this moment I had found nirvana, 38 cents for two precious cans of NEW BUTTER FLAVOR CRISCO; a savings of $1.60 cents for every two pounds!

One rainy day Gene stopped home for lunch on his way to a meeting. He went to the cupboard for the peanut butter. “Osa, don’t you think we have enough Crisco?” There on the shelf all lined up like little tin soldiers, in their shiny silver glory (remember all labels had been removed) was a total of 52 pounds of NEW BUTTER FLAVOR CRISCO.

Those little soldiers followed us to our new house in Rosenberg, eight years later to Oklahoma City and a year later, in 1992, to Atlanta, next to Chamblee and then on to Ellijay in 1994. We finally used the last of the little silver one pounders, in about 1996. Guess what?  I’M A FALLIBLE HUMAN BEING…