By 
Valerie Duty had been up until 4:30 a.m., desperately rushing to finish up before the President arrives back in town.
And the other President.
And the Prime Minister.
But what to put on the mugs?
It hadn't been a problem when Fox came to visit a year ago.
She simply printed "Amigos and Neighbors" over a colour photograph of the two leaders, arm-in-arm.
And it certainly hadn't been a problem the year before that, when British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar all visited the Western White House.
That one had been obvious: a colour photograph of the four leaders with a high, proud banner flying over their heads, saying "Friends and Allies."
John Howard had even come down to Duty's little gift shop and purchased one of the mug's for Blair's birthday, which was celebrated at the Bush's 645-hectare sanctuary up Prairie Chapel Road.
Howard had come in, posed for photographs, signed a T-shirt with the four flags flying over the State of Texas, and Duty -- who considers herself a hands-on kind of person -- had given the Prime Minister of Australia a huge hug.
"Because he stood with us," she says.
Same for Blair, who received his hug when he showed up one warm Crawford morning for church in full western wear.
But what to do about Canada?
Valerie Duty, after all, is such a loyal and committed Bush supporter that she was invited to his January inauguration in Washington. She stands among those in Crawford who refused to have anything to do again with an area newspaper that came out in favour of Democratic Senator John Kerry in last fall's election.
And she knows, because she spent considerable time on the Internet checking up on the next important visitor to the Western White House, that matters have not been all that friendly between the United States and Canada recently.
She knows that the previous Canadian prime minister, Jean Chrétien, refused to join with Tony Blair and John Howard in the coalition war against Iraq and knows that he was largely branded a traitor by Bush stalwarts for taking such a stand.
And she knows that the current prime minister, Paul Martin, is the one who said no to a shared missile defence system for North America.
She knows some Canadians, having previously worked as a freelance photographer covering the Waco Wizards, a now-defunct minor pro hockey team. But they were "quite young," even if nice and polite and, most certainly, she never talked politics with any of the players.
The truth is, Canada is not something that comes up very often deep in the heart of Texas.
Western White House Gifts sells everything from the coffee mugs and buttons and fridge magnets that celebrate foreign visitors to commemorative plates, cuff links, caps, clothing and even the special sauce they slap on the ribs at ranch barbeques.
She hopes some Canadians drop over for a special $10 mug, and she hopes they approve of the design she finally chose:
"A New Partnership in North America."
On one side, a map of the continent, Bush over Nunavut, Martin in the West, Fox hanging off Northern Quebec.
On the other side, the place, the date and the three men: Bush first, Martin second, Fox third.
"We're all North American," says Duty. "We're all the same people. We should have a normal friendship."
The invitation to the Bush family ranch Crawford, she believes, is a special signal.
"The President works in Washington," she says. "You invite friends to your home.
"We're heading in the right direction now."
And, she adds, if Paul Martin wishes to drop in, he'll get a free mug, and a hug.
"We're here to start a brand-new friendship," she says.
"It's time."
