How long ago is 'long ago?'

When Lester and I returned "home" in 1988, I had come from a background in social work and in writing columns. My first column was in 1962 called "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" which was a newcomer's humorous look at her little town, Archie. Next came my column written for C.A. Moore in Butler, called "Caught in the Middle. It was referring to a middle aged woman in a middle sized town in the Midwest, caught in the midst of a vicarious career not of her choosing. I even took that one on the air! Then, in Savannah, Versailles and tried Nevada, but it didn't work here.

Ben Weir was the publisher and his wife Ludmiller was the editor and they had the wonderful Betty Sterett for their local columnist. In addition they also published Erma Bombeck, which they felt would take the same place as my type of column. My father being a friend of Ben's didn't help a bit!

I continued on with my social work with Community Outreach and later The Neighbors...Then a newspaper, The Vernon County Record, opened. I took an example of my work to them and together we named it Middle Age Plus because I couldn't get out of the chair after feeding my great-grandchild her bottle. That was in 1993. Ever since that day, including writing articles for the Senior Page (also after I was sold down the river to the Nevada Daily Mail to be part of their editorial staff.)

People often ask me to write about certain businesses or important people and I have already done so. However, the fact that they didn't remember it only makes it more important that these stories need to be told over and over. My resource table has the "Scenes From the Past," (of Nevada)" by Betty Sterett and edited by Donna Logan. I couldn't do what I do without that help. But now I realize there is a whole new definition of historic.

For example, I can remember Rosemary Hall of Cottey College where my sister, Miriam graduated in 1925. Very few people can even remember it now. I could not even find a clear picture of it in Betty Start's book. Yet it WAS an important place once to many of us. The Moore's Department Store's paper dolls and material scraps given to customers with children was part of my personal history. Maybe it needs retelling. When is once too much, or you can never tell it often enough?

Many Facebook posts ask, "Who remembers these?" referring to brown-bagged paper covers for textbooks, or lunch boxes with current heroes pictures on them. Many are proud that they do indeed remember these things.

Here's one for my readers. When did the age for voting change from 16 to 18? Or for that matter, when did the rule for drinking an alcohol beverage? Was it the same year as being eligible for the draft?

I can remember clearly the names of the politicians who were politicking when my father was with the American Farm Bureau. But I have problem even coming near to recognizing number 18 on the Republican list. But the media of that day was a newsreel prior of seeing the actual movie.

I guess the time when enough is enough is when the same story is told every few minutes. But in another year that might not be soon enough again.

I do clearly remember losing a nickel in a bet with a girlfriend at Janay School in Washington, D.C., that Alf Landan would win. That doesn't need to be told over again, but the reasons for my loss could have a book written about it.

So, I know the exact answer is, "I dunno."