I get asked questions regularly about my stories and about our life. I thought I would take a minute to address those FAQ’s (frequently asked questions.) If this bores you feel free to move on.

Q. How do you come up with all that stuff you write?

A. I don’t “come up” with anything. It all comes to me or to us. The things I write about are things that actually happen to me and/or Dear Don. If I were going to make up stories I would write about watching glaciers in Alaska or the sunset in Key West. I would write about an African Safari or the magnificence of Prince Edward Island. I don’t know about these things because I’ve never experienced them. I know it’s hard to believe that so much funny and unusual stuff happens around here but we do walk a bit on the eccentric side.

Q. Can you ask John or Rupert to write a story about me or take a picture of me etc?

A. No, I cannot. Well I guess I could in theory ask but I have no particular pull or persuasion with anyone at the Panolian. In fact after I write each story on Tuesday morning I email it to John Howell. That’s the end of it for me. I think I have only been at the Panolian office one time this year and that was to pick up something they were holding for me. I don’t have an office there and I’m not on salary either. I get free lance pay per story. No story no pay.

Q. Does Dear Don get upset with you when you write things about him?

A. Absolutely not. I go over every story with him before I email it in. This is to insure that I have the facts straight and I’ve told his side correctly. I don’t “bash” Dear Don. We both have unusual and self-deprecating senses of humor. Secretly I think he just might enjoy the attention. You would not believe the things that have happened that I haven’t written about.

His favorite phrase around here is, “Now that’s a story.”

Q. How’s the budget going, are you still on it?

A. The budget is going great and yes we will be on it until Jesus comes. It is working well for us and has really helped to pinpoint where our money goes each month. We are making our money work for us instead of us working for money. We struggled to save at times when we had two incomes. That’s because we didn’t have our priorities straight. We have only had one month in six when we didn’t make a savings deposit and that money was designated for graduation gifts.

Q. How’s your foot and are you wearing shoes now?

A. Actually last week I ran over a toe with the riding mower. Thankfully it was with the tire and not the blade. I have a nasty bruise and it’s very sore. I did not have shoes on then either. I’m rather thickheaded if you haven’t noticed yet. Although I love shoes I do not love wearing them. It’s the redneck in me perhaps?

Q. Did Dear Don find out about the windows you hid in your closet?

A. Oh yes, he did. I had to confess and he was only upset that I was on a big ladder while here by myself. That’s understandable and I promised (really this time) not to do that again. I can only clean windows that are accessed from the ground. I told him before the Little League game last Tuesday. I just wanted to make sure that we didn’t have any fit pitchin’ in front of the kids. Yours or mine.

Now on to new stuff. This past weekend we put up a bottletree behind our patio in a little garden area we have been working on. We found the dead cedar last fall and thought it would make a great bottletree. We added about five bottles so far and can’t wait to find more.

This is a project that I have wanted to work on for many years. I could never find the right tree, as I didn’t want a manufactured one. I wanted an original cedar with lots of branches. It’s perfect. When the sun catches the colored bottles it’s like our own personal rainbow.

My endurance level is increasing. I no longer have to crawl to shade and seating after a morning of yard work.

In fact after over an hour of tennis this weekend I wasn’t even breathing heavy. I might just make it yet. Summer’s looking better than ever on Moseley Drive. Stop by for some iced tea and sit a spell.

You get the picture.

(Contact Sherry at swhcsc@wildblue.net)