Wordless Wednesday - Who, What, Where, When

Fun Monday - "What Do We Have To Eat?"

Hi Fun Monday friends,

One of our regular participants, Gawilli of Back in the Day, decided not to enter this week's survey of refrigerators. However, she did write a hilarious post about not participating. Go on over to Back in the Day, and read the post Refrigerator Rights. This is worth your time.

Is a question frequently heard by the parents of teenage boys. This is also what Amy W. of A Family Story is asking this week's Fun Monday participants. Amy wants to see the inside of our refrigerators. Easy enough , right? Not so quick, sweet Amy has instructed us not to clean before taking the pictures. I thought of a way to cheat and not cheat at the same time. Since the fridge needs cleaned, I figured that I could take a before picture and then take pictures as I cleaned the refrigerator. That cleaning impulse passed quickly. So here is my NOT so clean icebox.

Refrigerator magnets adorn both the front and side of the appliance. Most of the magnets hold postcards. We do have one piece of artwork by our lovely granddaughter, who is two.

Inside the freezer, you will see a big box of frozen soft pretzels, frozen chicken breasts, frozen fudge, ice, and a few more items. If you look closely, there are black styrofoam cups that are decorated with pumpkins. I use those cups to hold hot grease. After the grease is frozen, it is easier to dispose of as a solid than as liquid.

On the bottom shelf inside the fridge, you will find some of our beverages, yogurt, and applesauce. The middle shelf holds bread and eggs. Behind the bread, there are some things that need to be thrown out. There is cheese in the meat keeper. Strangely, I hardly ever place any meat in the meat keeper. The top shelf has several things including a bowl of nectarines, some condiments, and some more things to toss out including part of a very large zucchini.
Finally, inside the door, you will find more beverages including wine and several cans of some immunity drink among those plastic bags at the bottom.While writing this, I realize that the fridge really does need cleaned so off I go to clean the refrigerator. Yours is probably already clean so you might like to check out how the other participants keep their food cold. After you are finished, stop by for some pie. We will have coffee and some frozen ready-to-serve (Just Thaw) Banana Creme Pie

As a historical note: Two of the first home refrigerators both appeared in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where, in 1911, General Electric company unveiled a unit invented by a French monk. In 1915 the first "Guardian" refrigerator - a predecessor of the Frigidaire - was assembled in a wash house in a Fort Wayne backyard. Fort Wayne is my home town.

MeMe Rant

I have been tagged by Gawilli of Back in the Day to complete a rant meme. At first, I was not sure what to rant about; then, I thought of way too many things. So here goes. By the way, although I could tell from context clues that Room 101 is not a good place, I did need to consult Wikipedia for a more extensive interpretation. I had forgotten this important detail of George Orwell's novel.

5 people who will be annoyed you tagged them.

• Jen at Snowball's Chance in...
• Jenn in Hollland at Something to Say about Life in the Netherlands
• Margaret at Stargazer
• Theotherbear at Uncaringbear
• Lynne at A New Jersey Girl

4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.

• war
• hate
• violence
• unforgiving people

3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently.

• abusing children
• disregarding the rights of others
• playing music so loud that you can feel the bass vibrations but cannot distinguish a tune

2 things you find yourself moaning about.

• when things break down
• those old e-mail forwards that use guilt to imply that you are either unpatriotic or that you do not love Jesus if you do not send the forward.

1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself.
• Hmmm, maybe I am too serious at times, and my answers should have been funny


RULES• Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com!
• Be as honest as possible so people get to know the real you!
• Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
• Post these rules at the end of every meme.

Wordless Wednesday - My Mycology

Advertisement - Sunshine on My Shoulders

Hello, I am guest posting today at Sunshine's And the Pursuit of Happiness blog. Come over for a visit, and leave a comment. You know the delightful Sunshine. Sunshine makes beautiful shirts at Sunshine Designs. If you have not met Sunshine, you should pop over to her blog and get acquainted. While you are visiting, read today's post, "There is More Than Corn in Indiana" , which is part of a series of travelogue entries.

Fun Monday - July 23

Willowtree of A Dingo's Got My Barbie is the venerable host of this week's Fun Monday challenge. WT is asking the participants, "Tell us about your best friend. Particularly things like: where you first met, how long you've been friends and why you think you are best friends." Or "Who is the TV character that most makes you want to put your foot through the screen (it must be a character, not a person in reality TV). And why."

This may be a difficult task as many people have several friends. I like to think that I have many friends and several of these friends are close. So for my best friend story, I will tell you about my friend for the longest time. I met Becky when she was 4 and 1/2, and I was 5 years old. Remember when those half-years made such a difference. I remember meeting Becky when we playing and riding tricycles at another little friend's house. When Becky did reach her fifth birthday, her mom invited me to Becky's birthday party. As Becky and I grew to adulthood, we attended the same elementary school, Frances Slocum, the same junior high, Lakeside, and the same high school, North Side, and our families worshipped at the same church, Trinity Episcopal. In the picture, Becky is the cute smiling child seated on the chair. I am the child directly to her left, the one with the straight bangs.

As a friend, Becky has always been all those things that you could ask for in a friend. Becky is smart, kind, loyal, and funny. Like all children we had our adventures. In Fort Wayne during the fifties, children as young as eight or nine frequently rode the city buses downtown to see a movie, to go shopping , or to attend church. Onetime, Becky and I decided to walk home from confirmation class instead of riding the bus. Walking apparently was viewed as not safe as our parents were unhappy with our decision to walk through some areas that were not deemed as safe. On this walk as we crossed a rickety old bridge over Spy Run Creek, silly me, I became frightened as the bridge shook and shimmied as vehicles crossed the bridge. Becky encouraged me to keep on going and maybe even held my hand as we crossed. Isn't that what friends do encourage one another. As the years past, Becky was there to encourage me through many other bridge crossings in my life.

Not only has Becky been my dear friend for many years, but her parents seemed to adopt me as another daughter, or maybe I adopted them. Becky's mom like her daughter is kind, conscientious, and supportive. Becky's father was one of the funniest men that I have known. I have fond memories of staying overnight at Becky's house. Her father would regale the two of us with play-acting either as a monster or a as famous movie star of his creation, Barf Beagle. Another important characteristic of a good friend is being able to share good times as well as bad. Becky and I have shared many good times and fortunately only a few moments of sorrow.

Two of those cherished moments of good times were our respective weddings. We even wore the same wedding veil or mantilla, which belonged to a mutual friend. When I married Daddy D in 1966, Becky was a part of our wedding. Becky married in 1970, and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. Even though Becky has lived in different parts of the country first in Texas and now lives in the state of Washington, we are still in contact with each other after 50 some years of friendship. The black white picture is my wedding. Becky is the lovely bridesamid in the middle on the right. The color picture is a snapshot of Becky' s wedding. The matron of honor is me in pink.

To learn about some other grand friends or hated television characters, visit Willowtree for a list of this week's participants.

Happy Birthday Gwenie - Wherever You Are

Recently, I found a small cache of pictures from various time periods in my life including some photos when I was very young. This photograph is one of my all-time favorites. The photograph itself is a nice composition showing four small girls diligently blowing polyvinyl acetate bubbles. In the picture, each little girl is in a different stage of the process. Marcia, the girl on the far right, is just beginning the bubble blowing. Next, towed-headed Susan has produced a medium sized bubble. Plus, Susan is visible right through the her bubble, which is a nice artistic touch. Little Linda's bubble is smaller. Finally, there I am the dark-haired child on the left with a ginormous bubble.

In addition to being a nice photographic composition, this picture depicts a happy and memorable event. This bubble blowing event took place at a summer birthday party of a neighborhood friend, Gwenie, whose real name is Gwendolyn. The birthday girl is a few years older than me, and her birth date was on July 18th. Every year, Gwenie would have a party and invite a few neighborhood friends. I am happy to have this snapshot glance of such fun and joyful time in my life.

As the years past, Gwenie and I attended different schools. My family moved away from that neighborhood so I lost track of Gwenie, her sister Susan, and their little brother Kim. But every year on July 18th, I remember that this is Gwenie's birthday. Happy Birthday Gwenie wherever you are.

Talking about My Ride - Fun Monday

Tiggerlane, the Neophyte Blogger is this week's Fun Monday hostess. Here is what Tiggerlane is requesting, "I wanna see your CAR! It can be your current car, the first car you ever had, maybe your first new car with that new-car smell, a car you wrecked once, or even the dream car you would drive - given all the money in the world! Oh - and if you have a truck, SUV, lawnmower, whatever the local authorities allow you to drive, let's see it!"

Although these cars are now long gone, I am highlighting three cars. The first is my parents 1957 Chevy; it was a beautiful machine, a turquoise car with a cream-colored top. This was my parent's second car, but this was their first brand new car. The lovely student nurse on the front porch is my sister, Margaret.

After two years, the transmission in the '57 Chevy broke so my parents traded this dream car for an ugly 1959 yellow and putrid green Chevy with teardrop taillights. The '59 car is important to me because this is the car that I learned to drive. Learning to drive this monster was not easy especially without power-steering. Moreover, if you look closely, those fins are similar to airplane wings, and in a storm or on ice, the car seemed as if it was going to take off like a jet plane.

Finally, this is my 1970 green Gremlin, or I should say my Big Bad Green Gremlin. That was the actual name of the car color. Unfortunately, in this old photograph, you cannot see how Big and Bad the green really was. The racy-looking green car did have some drawbacks, one of which was the sporty-looking black vinyl interior. Coupled with no air-conditioning, black is a poor color choice for a car's interior. Imagine riding home from a vacation in Chicago rush hour traffic with a two-year-old and no air conditioning. Whew, way too hot, a trip like that gives real meaning to the concept of road rage.

This car is special to me because this is my first car. I paid cash, $2,000. When Daddy D and I bought this car, we traded in a big 1962 Oldsmobile that had been a gift from his grandfather.

The country was in an energy crisis so we traded in our gas guzzling car for a smaller more fuel efficient car, or at least, that was our plan. Unfortunately, none of these three cars ran very well. When I hear the expression, "they don't make things like they used to." I am thinking if we are talking about cars that is a good thing.

In this picture, I am holding our first born son, who is not quite 2 months old. To see the rides of other Fun Monday participants visit Tiggerlane.

Do NOT call this number - 1-800-454-9078

Daddy D and I were out running errands this morning. I arrived home first and as usual picked up to listen to our voice mail messages. There was one message that was obviously a pre-recorded message reportedly from one of our credit card companies. The message asked either myself or Daddy D to call them about recent purchases made on our card. The call allegedly originated from Credit Card Services Fraud Operations of our credit company. As Daddy D and I work as a team, we decided instead to call the number on the back of our credit card. Daddy D listened to the list of our recent purchases and nothing seemed out of order. He had me listen to the same recounting of our recent purchases. We agreed that the list provided our credit company was accurate and reasonable. Then, we decided to check out the other phone number, 1- 800-454-9078. Immediately after dialing, Daddy D was asked to enter our 16-digit credit card number. Did he do that? Of course, not...in earlier times, we might have fallen victim to this kind of scam. However, we have heeded the warnings not to give out personal information like credit card numbers to unsolicited e-mail and phone calls.

I can understand how people can be easily fooled by such ploys. First, we want to trust other humans. Second, Credit Card Services Fraud Operations has an official ring. Third, the crooks did have some information about us calling us both by name.

How can we protect ourselves from this kind of crime and identity theft? You can check questionable telephone numbers by googling the number. If you have concerns about charges, use the telephone number provided on the back of your credit card. Look at the useful information about identity theft provided by the Federal Trade Commission .

Stop the Presses Wednesday - Back to the Future - 1975

The young lad on the beach is Luke , our youngest son when he was not quite two. You may know that he and his wife, Frema, are having their first child in December. Today, Frema had an ultrasound, and Luke and Frema have opted to find out the baby's sex. Frema, the crown princess of blogging, discusses today's discovery in an emotional post here. Daddy D and I are so happy for Luke and Frema. We are very excited about the impending birth of their... Our baby (so speak) is going to have a baby.

Go read Frema's post right now. You will be glad that you did.

Old Books

PJ Librarian of The Magic of Books has written a fascinating post titled, "What's your oldest book?" To begin the post PJ poses these questions, " Have any treasures to share? So, what books do you have that you hold onto that you do not re-read or maybe have never read, but rather have them more for sentimental or monetary value? Did you inherit them or were they given to you years ago as a child and just can't seem to part with them? "

Although I commented on The Magic of Books , I wish to answer the questions more fully here and borrow(steal) her great idea of posting about old books. Before (or after) reading this post, you should hop over to PJ's place and look at her sentimental favorites.


The oldest book in our home is a small New Testament with a brass clasp. This book has a 1860 date on the title page and reputedly belonged to my grandfather, John Milton Gray, who was born in 1855 and saw Abraham Lincoln's funeral train in Illinois. There is indistinguishable writing on two of the cover pages, which might be my grandfather's signature. The little book was among my Grandma Gray's belongings.

In the Daddy D/MJD household, we are fortunate to have a Gray family Bible and a family Bible from Daddy D's family. Both Bibles have a partial genealogical listing. However, there is a mystery. His family's Bible has the name Farleman on the cover. As far as I know, there are no Farlemans in his family, and that name is not mentioned inside the Bible.

Another religious book in my collection is a Methodist Hymnal that was a gift to my Grandmother Gray from my parents for Christmas of 1944. Grandma Gray was married to John Milton Gray, who was a Methodist minister and a newspaper publisher. You may know that Methodist hymnals contain liturgy as well as religious songs .

This unusual book in my small collection of old books is 1001 One Minute Stories by H.S. Chapman. The small book published in 1927 has two interesting features. There is this decorative vine design inside both book covers, and the book was published by the Perry Mason Company. Unfortunately, I am not sure if this book belonged to my Dad or to one of my grandfathers.

I have read two of the books featured in this post. I read The Little World of Don Camillo so many years ago. The story is humorous tale about a parish priest and his adversary, Peppone, a Communist mayor of an Italian village. The story is enhanced with clever line drawings sprinkled throughout the book of an angel and a devil. This particular book belonged to my parents. My father used to put this label in each of their books. Notice that he has neatly printed our last name and pasted this label inside the book. My father also created his own book label, which I had hoped to display here but could sadly find no examples. However, I can see the label vividly in my mind. Dad had made a Wedgewood blue wood-cut print of an ice-skater with a stocking cap and his initials BWT.

The other book that I actually have read is Melting of Molly by Maria Thompson Daviess. I bought this book 30 some years ago at an antique store here in northwest Indiana. This is my first book in a small collection of Molly books. The story is a delightful romantic tale about an slightly overweight widow.

This classic Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman was a gift from my father, Byron, to my mother, Laura, for Christmas in 1942. The corner bookmark on the poem, "Children of Adam", must be significant. My mother was quite a literary person and loved poems.

This trio of books was Christmas gift to Daddy D from his mother, Cleo, and father, Mike, in 1955. These three titles must have been popular for children of the 50's especially boys.

Do not forget to take a look at The Magic of Books not only for the post about, "What's your oldest book?" but to check out PJ's frequent children's book reviews. She is very knowledgeable and writes passionately about children's books. You will be glad that you did.

Fun Monday - Taking It Easy

Good News...Captain Corky of Corky's Log and his lovely wife Allyson are brand new parents as of Friday, July 6th. Captain Corky is brimming with pride and has posted pictures of the sweet baby.

This week's Fun Monday host, Deb of Deb's Melon's Patch, has this request, "Show your favorite place to relax. It can be a chair, corner, ledge, or limb. :) Get out those cameras and take pics or just write how you feel when you are in your zone."

My current favorite place to relax is on our new multi-position reclining chairs on the patio that leads to our backyard. In addition, to the reclining chairs, we have a new slate-top table to place a snack, a refreshing beverage, and our current reading material. This relaxation spot provides a serene atmosphere for friendly conversation, for morning coffee, for leisurely summer lunches, for the opportunity to catch a few rays, for a peaceful afternoon nap and for quiet reflection. I cannot ask for more than that.

To see how other folks relax throughout our world, hurry over to Deb's Melon's Patch to see a list of other Fun Monday participants.

Mako Mike's

Before our recent trip Virginia and the Outer Banks, a reader, Mrs. Higrens, from Virginia left a comment with some valuable travel tips and a dining recommendation. First, she offered this advice, " be careful on Route 158 between VA and the Outer Banks because there have been multiple fatal wrecks there in the past couple of weeks." Although Daddy D and I made the trip from Virginia to North Carolina unscathed, the traffic was horrendous. Some of the worst, I have experienced, and we live outside Chicago. Of course, when driving to Chicago, we usually know which roads to avoid.

Other than the evil traffic in getting to the Outer Banks , we had a wonderful trip at Monticello, The Mariner's Museum, Kill Devil Hills , and the Currituck Lighthouse. The links lead to my virtual postcards from those sights. On driving down US 64 on the Outer Banks, I was excited to see Mako Mike's, the restaurant recommended by Mrs. Higrens. As the link proclaims they have, "Killer Food." In addition to the great seafood, Mako Mike's has a very fascinating thematic decor, the perfect place for two weary travelers or a whole gang of party-goers to eat.Thanks for the tips, Mrs. Higrens.

Do you have a favorite restaurant to recommend either to travelers or to folks that live nearby your hometown?

If you are interested in a Fun Monday on July 9th, go to Deb's Melon's Patch ?This week's host, Deb has this request, "Show your favorite place to relax. It can be a
chair, corner, ledge, or limb. :) Get out those cameras and take pics or just
write how you feel when you are in your zone." If you have a favorite place to
relax, hurry over to Deb's to sign-up for the next Fun Monday challenge.

Another Summer Memory

On July 2nd, our most recent Fun Monday challenge hosted by Jenni of Prairie Air was to share summer memories. I especially enjoyed this particular challenge not only because I was able to share a specifically fond memory. But also, as I read and enjoyed other's memories, I was able to once again revisit old memories that I had once forgotten. Furthermore, these trips down memory lane somehow made the present summer even more precious. So as Daddy D went for a walk down to the blacktop, as a butterfly fluttered by, or as the nighttime thunder awoke me, I remembered, if only for a moment, that these events are to be treasured.

On that very day, Monday, July 2, after entering my Fun Monday post, I came across some old and forgotten photographs. This was a particularly exciting find because the discovery was serendipitous. I found these old pictures quite by accident; I was cleaning the basement not really looking for anything. Thus again, I find myself on the path down memory lane.

In my childhood before television came to our city, the summers of the neighborhood children were spent in industrious play. As I remember, we spent hours upon hours playing outside inventing all sorts of fun. One of the events that the neighborhood children devised was our own parade. Like the regular street parades, our vehicles were fancifully decorated, usually with crepe paper. Then, our little band of participants would parade around our block on the sidewalk. The recently found picture features of one of those parades,The dog's name is Daisy. The blond child in the foreground is Susan; her sister, Gwenie is a taller girl with glasses in the background. Their baby brother, Kim , is in the stroller. Marcia, another neighborhood girl in a grass skirt, is pulling the wagon. The little girl in the wagon is Linda, who I considered my best friend. Although I am not in the photograph, I fondly remember these grand parades. Unfortunately, I do not remember the identity of the two girls in the middle of the parade. Those were the days my friend.

The next Fun Monday host for July 9th is Deb of Deb's Melon's Patch. Deb's request is, "Show your favorite place to relax. It can be a chair, corner, ledge, or limb. :) Get out those cameras and take pics or just write how you feel when you are in your zone." If you have a favorite place to relax, hurry over to Deb's to sign-up for the next Fun Monday challenge.

Wordless Wednesday - Amber Waves of Grain

Thanks, Senator Lugar

Recently on June 25, Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican United States Senator from Indiana, in a speech on the Senate floor called for a change of course in Iraq. In my estimation , this is a monumental move towards bringing the troops home. Senator Lugar is a well-respected Republican and the ranking minority leader on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Democrats, pacifists, and the disenchanted have been speaking out against continued involvement in Iraq. But, this influential Republican stating that we need to reduce our military presence and start withdrawing our troops from Iraq is turning point in the direction of American involvement in Iraq.

Senator Lugar said -
In my judgment, our course in Iraq has lost contact with our vital national security interests in the Middle East and beyond. Our continuing absorption with military activities in Iraq is limiting our diplomatic assertiveness there and elsewhere in the world."

And:

"But I believe that we do have viable options that could strengthen our position in the Middle East, and reduce the prospect of terrorism, regional war, and other calamities. But seizing these opportunities will require the president to downsize the U.S. military's role in Iraq and place much more emphasis on diplomatic and economic options."

You can read Senator Lugar's entire speech here .

Thank you, Senator Lugar.

Fun Monday - Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy.

Jenni in Kansas of Prairie Air is the host of this week's Fun Monday challenge. Jenni asks us to do this.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:Share one or more of your favorite
summertime memories with us. It can be a childhood memory or more recent.
The memory can be a vague conglomeration of how you spent summers past
(catching fireflies, playing outside till dark, watermelon seed wars) or it
can be a detailed memory of a specific event. You may write a poem or short
story or just tell it like it was. The main idea is to communicate the
essence of summer and what symbolizes the season in words and/or pictures.

The mission itself has brought back a flood of wonderful memories...riding our bikes to go swimming at one of the city pools, playing on the Koehlinger's swing set seemingly from dawn until sunset, performing as a mermaid in an outdoor presentation of Peter Pan, kissing a boy that I barely knew at church camp, attending Vacation Bible School, having marathon contests of Monopoly and Canasta on Carol Lash's front porch, making 500 waffle crisps, selling lemonade to raise money for victims of the Korean War, squishing sand between our toes at the beach with our babies, being asked to marry Daddy D on the 10th hole fairway at Foster Park Golf Course. Out of so many wonderful memories, I would like to highlight this one.

Until I was in the sixth grade, my family did not have a car. To get places, we would walk, ride the bus, or ride in the cars of friends or family. Without a car, our summer vacation opportunities were somewhat limited for a family of five. However, thanks to Father DeGraff, a bachelor Episcopalian priest at our church, (Priests in the Episcopal Church do not take a vow of chastity; thus, many priests in the Episcopal denomination marry.) we were able to take a number of one-day trips throughout Indiana and the eastern part of Ohio. We visited historic places like Mounds State Park, Fort Defiance, a monument to Frances Slocum, and Lincoln's boyhood home. We went to scenic places like Turkey Run State Park, Indiana Dunes State Park and an abandoned limestone quarry. We went to lakes in northeast Indiana to go swimming. Wherever our destination, the Thompsons, my parents, my two sisters, Margaret and Betsy, and myself, the youngest of the three daughters were always in for a day of fun with Fr. DeGraff. The good father would drive us in his trusty Chevy, and my parents would prepare enough food for two picnics. Not only was reaching the destination fun, but for the three daughters the trip itself was an adventure. Our generous host would regale his guests with stories, jokes, and humorous little ditties. Additionally, the driver enjoyed taking back roads to find our final location. Sometimes, these backroads ended in a corn field or lead to a broken down bridge. For we three girls, these kind of mishaps only added to the adventure.

Eventually, Father DeGraff married a lovely woman and had children of his own. When my oldest sister, Margaret, turned 16, my parents bought their first automobile, a used two-tone 1953 Chevy. Our family began to take occasional vacations on our own, but I will always ever so fondly remember those very special summertime trips for a family without a car with our friend, the parish priest, Father DeGraff.

July 1, 1964 - The Beginning

I met him, our Daddy D on July 1, 1964, 43 years ago today at about 8:10 AM at the Indiana University Fort Wayne Extension Library. Isn't he handsome? Actually, then he had a flat-top haircut rather than the Beatle's haircut featured in this picture. On that day in 1964, I was beginning employment as a young freshman at the library. Daddy D, two years my senior, was a library worker as well.

Our first date was not until a month later, we went to see a the Beatle's movie, A Hard Day's Night. This was an quite eventful evening. Our hero arrived late because he had another date prior to our date. That same evening, I also had the opportunity to have another date as another male friend, Ron Bennett, called while I was waiting for my tardy suitor. Ron was a friend from childhood, and we had just ended a brief dating relationship. Ron called to ask me to the same Beatle's blockbuster. When I told Ron that I already had plans for the evening, he must have thought that I was putting him off as Ron said, "We can go as just friends." I exclaimed, "No really, I have plans for the evening." When Daddy D and I arrived at the theater, the movie was about to began. On his best first-date-behavior, Daddy D suggested that I choose where we should sit. The theater was quite crowded. As we walked down the aisle, we were in luck as there were two open seats in the middle on the end of a row of seats just where I like to sit. As I entered the row to sit down, who should I see but my former beau, Ron Bennett in the third seat in that very row. Not wanting to view the movie with an old boyfriend and my new boyfriend at the same time, I said quickly to Daddy D, "No, let's sit up front; there are better seats up there." There we sat in the first row of the theater with our necks crooked to see the movie. Daddy D must not have minded too much because we are still together 43 years later.

You can read about our second date here on our team blog, Mama Said, Papa Said.