" A Camel? In A Pickup Truck? Only My Husband"

I realize that I have written previously about my husbands antique collecting and treasure hunting, but today I feel moved to do so again. I feel this way because just when I thought it wasn't possible, he has outdone himself.

Last week, he went out on a search and find mission. He purchased himself a camel that was, so I am told, used as a prop in a show that was put on in a much earlier decade.

I do not mean just some small camel like you would see in a manger scene in front of a church at Christmas time. Oh no....keep in mind we are talking about MY husband.

This camel is very large, and when I say very large I mean VERY large, as in about 12feet high, give or take a few inches.

After making said purchase, my husband and brother loaded this camel in the bed of our Ford F-150 pick-up truck and proceeded home at what I am sure was a very slow rate.

As luck would have it, when he turned onto our street, I just happened to be glancing out the front window of our home. Needless to say, it crossed my mind, like Aunt Pittypat from Gone With The Wind, to ask my son to get me my smelling salts.

When he came into the house, my husband and I had a small discussion wherein I tried to obtain some understanding on why one would make such a "great purchase", but when I failed miserably to reach such an understanding, I gave up, and retired to our bedroom....but this story gets much better...

The next morning I was sitting at my desk at school, waiting on the students to arrive, when I received a phone call from my cousin, who by the way, had seen the camel in the back of the truck the night it was purchased. It seems my husband had stopped by to see her and my aunt and uncle on his way home.

She asked me if I had a minute. I said that I did. She said "I would like to read you something".

She went on to say, this is from a Butts County newspaper, and began to read...it went something like...I know work was hard this week, but I swear I just saw a camel going through town in the back of a pickup truck.

This statement made by a citizen, was located on the front page of the paper she was reading from, however, if you take the time to open the paper the individual goes on to say that they do believe they need an alcoholic beverage....

Well, let me just say.....Not as badly as I do...

Lord, try as I might, I cannot for the life of me understand why my marriage certificate did not come with some sort of a warning label. It should have said something like This man is prone to buying vintage items both large and small and will be bringing them to your home....constantly...

It could have been typed in or put there in the form of a sticker like they do when they put warnings on medications...but no....I was blind sided....

Most of the time I just smile and I am very happy that he has found something that he loves to do, now that he is retired from the police department. I mean 27 or so years of protecting and serving is quite a bit.

Every now and then, however, when he does something of this magnitude, I have to say that it's hard not to just ask him to hand over all of his cash and his debit card, and declare him to dangerous to have them....

I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago, and he informed me that he visited the newspaper office today. The one that wrote about the camel in our truck. He said he was actually "interviewed" for lack of a better word, about the camel and its origin. He also said that he supplied them with a photo.

I didn't want to have to move and change my name...