Barnmom, I think you're right but I believe that Bobby's part of the world, there in Florida, may be more progessive than here. LOL Bobby, I don't think that when his mother is gone it will make any difference. Her cooking will just be "better" in retrospect. I would be asking her for her recipes now, if you're on speaking terms, then you can say "but it's your Mom's recipe." Annie

Superficial friendliness beats being completely unnoticed IMO. I have the best neighbors. I have a Siberian husky, and she is solid white with blue eyes. Now and then she tricks me some way or another and gets to go on a romp off leash. She did this on Tuesday. I'd already exercised 3 dogs a total of about 4 miles when she slipped her collar (it is loose because she has lymphoma and I don't want it irritating her neck nodes). She realized she was free and gave me a grin and loped off. I ran the other 2 dogs home and put them in the back yard. I got the leash with collar attached and took off after my Siberian. Neighbors looked up from their work and smiled. I waved to 2 cars that came by and pointed ahead so they'd slow down, which they did. In fact one gentleman rolled down the window and asked if I wanted a ride to catch up. I said SURE! So I rode in his fancy car for a block, which was a help after all the walking I'd done. Then another person in a pickup who had observed all this drove ahead of my dog and parked his vehicle. I could see his bird dog looking out the back window, so I knew this would be another friend. He got out and squatted down and my dog went right to him. There was little to hold on to since she was collarless, but he let her lick his chin until I could trot up and slip her collar on. I called Sasha a skallawag and she wagged and we trotted home. What great neighbors.

I met my husband when we were 12 years old...March 25, 1959. He and his brothers and sisters moved to Texas to live with two uncles, because his parents died. One brother and two sisters lived with an uncle in a town about 7 miles away and he and his brother moved to my town. We had a very small school and two very handsome boys entering school was a big deal. All of the girls were crazy about them. They had blond hair, brown eyes, very tan, beautiful white teeth smiles. :sigh: I was such a tomboy...I wasn't very girly. I had braids that went to my waist and I rode my horse every day after school. He came to visit me, because I had a horse. ;) I didn't start dating him until I was 16, although I was crazy about him when we met and I used to write about him in my diary every day, but since he never talked to me, the only thing I had to write about was what he wore to school that day. When I was 14, I gave up...had other boyfriends. He asked me out when I was 16, and by then, I was over my infatuation with him, but I went anyway. We ended up dating for 3 years, married at 19 and almost 44 years later....still married. One child, born 15 years into our marriage.

We've worked for ourselves for over 40 years. DH works from home and his truck (it stays a mess!) At one time we owned two large office buildings, so we had an office there to give him a place to go during the day. I stopped going when we moved out (took almost an hour to get there, another back). So I've been totally working from home all this time (with the exception of going into the office for a few years). He does all the legwork (checking on our commercial real estate properties, leasing, dealings with tenants, problems) and I do all the paperwork (leases, accounting, increases, etc). I've worked all morning (end of month, first of month) at the kitchen table, in my pajamas. Dogs at my feet. Cats on my paperwork. Can't beat that, especially since it's raining today. DH leaves daily, although he doesn't need to. He likes to work. He's gone by 4am. Walks, swims, showers. Checks on properties Usually goes to grocery store on way home, and is back here by 10. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. We are slowly retiring, and should be fully retired by 2020. DH would like to travel more. Me? I'd rather stay at home. The only problem is as soon as he comes in the door, the TV is turned on. I like quiet. Especially when I first wake up... okay, all morning! He can't hear as well, so it's too loud for me. I think he gets bored sometimes, so we are trying to decided between pool or no pool, so he can entertain himself a few times a day. Working from home has always allowed us to make our own schedules. Taking time off for traveling is easy. When our parents were all living, it was extremely helpful. I think it is seen by some (one friend in particular) as being cushy, not much to do, we don't work our a$$es off. Maybe not as many hours as she and her DH (both residential RE agents) do, but we are always in working mode. It never fails on the way out of town or while traveling, we get phone calls. All times of the day. Not to mention, not being able to turn off our minds sometimes.