46 Years and Counting

The Twins enjoyed their 46th birthday yesterday. The event was celebrated in the usual fashion: dinner at the Blue Cat Brew Pub in downtown Rock Island, and then a hop across the street to Copia for martinis. "The Marilyn" is my favorite. And I should just stick to one, but never do.

Tim was ready for bed at 9:45 p.m. He announced this at 9:00 and started rushing us through our drinks for 45 minutes but managed to down a scotch himself in the meantime.

We all made it home OK and Tom had to take one last look at his birthday gift from Tim before going to bed: a buffalo skull with a tole painting of a mountain scene with, yes, buffalo in it. Good thing that there's a garage to hang it in.

Dolores Augusta Benkendorf McCann

One of the best women role models I had as a child was my grandmother Dolores McCann. She is still alive today, at the ripe age of 87. Alzheimer's has taken away much of what we know is her true personality, however there is still some feisty-ness in her.

I used to spend my summers on the farm near Ransom, IL, "walking beans," mowing tons of grass (I rode along for fun) and freezing thousands of bags of sweet corn. I had my first can of TAB in one of downtown Ransom's finest diners, along with a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Heavenly. I still drink TAB to this day.

I think I was about 7 years old and I asked her how old she was. She said "thirty-nine." I thought for a moment and then said "That can't be right grandma, my mom is thirty-seven!" Things were silent for a second or two and then she said "Oh all right, well I'm 45 then." I grinned at her, thinking that I caught her in a little white lie, and I remember her smiling right back at me, just as cocky, because she's the one who still had me fooled :) Feisty!

Write Beginnings

My Aunt Ruth gave me a diary when I was in fourth grade. It wasn't my first, however... I remember having one before that with a lock and key. I think it was red and said "Five Year Diary" on the cover.

I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote through my elementary and high school years and even took all of my diaries with me to college. Regrettably, I threw them all out one day because my boyfriend at the time said that I shouldn't be "sharing secrets" with anyone but him and that I needed to open up (I thought I was in love) so in the trash they went.

In hindsight, I regret throwing them away. Right now they are rotting in a landfill near Naperville, IL, and I have half a mind to go up there and dig. Maybe someone came across them and kept them. Hell I don't care if they've been read or not, half the stuff now is probably sooo trite (OHMIGAWD I'm having such a baaaaad hair day {sniff}). What kind of notice to I put out to the community? LOST: circa 1986-87. A set of diaries. Finders fee.