Sophie's Story

     A week or so ago a political candidate for national office made news by saying that he felt childless people have no stake in the country. There were many responses to this remark, mostly pictures of childless women making a difference in this country.     I'm not a famous or wealthy so I'm not contributing in that way, but I would like to explain why, as a childless woman, I do have a stake in this country.     I have five stepchildren and eight grandchildren. Although I was not involved in raising them as Kamala Harris was with her stepchildren, I do care about them. As my stepchildren get older I want them to have access to healthcare including mental health. I want them to have financial opportunities so they can fashion a good life for themselves.     Most of my grandchildren are older and for them I want to opportunity for education, college or trade school. I want them to be able to to earn enough money from one job so they can care for themselves and their families

    One of the signs of getting older is the death of performers that you enjoyed. Last week, Bob Newhart, one of my favourite comedians, passed away at age 94.        Part of the reason why I loved Bob Newhart so much is  that he didn't seem like he was trying to be funny. He just was. I  also like that, as far as I know, he didn't use fowl or crude language. He wasn't mean and insulting. He would just poke fun at himself and situations he found himself in.     I think another reason why I liked him is because he grew up in Chicago. He was a midwestern guy. His first show, "The Bob Newhart Show" was set in Chicago. I could relate to that. It looked more normal to me. I also like the fact that he looked like a middle aged guy, even when he wasn't a middle aged guy. He wasn't trying to hip or cool, he just did what he liked and it worked.      A few days ago I watched Bob Newhart interviews on various shows. He was asked what his job was before he went into

   When my parents moved to a senior apartment closer to where my siblings and I live, they didn't sell the house right away. This was mostly for the comfort of my father who wasn't sure about moving from the house he built and the town he lived in for neatly 60 years. Now that they have settled in and my dad has accepted that he will not be able to live in the house again, the house is being sold.     There were a few things that belonged to me still at the house so yesterday C and I drove down there. I had my house key and a list of things I wanted to take and a few things that my dad wanted.    It rained the entire way there. C and I chatted and listened to the radio while we headed on the roads south. We went through St. Peter around Mankato and around the hairpin turnoff that dad always warned me about when I drove that way. One of the things I thought about is that this would be the last time I would see that house and go to that town.    A little clarification is in orde

     Last week the pharmacy accounts receivable person brought a small plastic bag into the pharmacy. She found it and showed it to the tech that was working with me. Inside the bag was a small crocheted green and brown turtle with plastic eyes. There was also a note in the bag. It read "I am not lost. I am just alone. If I made you smile, please take me home. The race does not always go to the swiftest, but to the one who persists. Keep going" When I read the note it made me tear up a little. The A.R. person left it on the counter and the tech went back to her work.     Once I saw that no one would claim it, I went to the counter and picked it up. I put it under my terminal. When I moved to another terminal I took the turtle with me. In fact I felt somewhat possessive of it. I finally put the turtle in my bag so that it wouldn't get lost. I was happy to take it home.    A few days later I took it out and felt the soft yarn. I rubbed it and squeezed it. The yarn was soft

     C had some exciting news to tell me. Our elderly female neighbor was downsizing with an eye to moving into a smaller place sometime in the next few years. C had gone to visit and play his new song for her. During the course of the conversation she offered to give him an organ. After showing him the features of the organ, he said yes. When he picked me up from work he told me about it.    I was not happy about this. For the past several years we were trying to declutter and get rid of things we no longer need and use. The last thing we need is an organ.     Where were we going to put it? Our living room is not that large. The family room in the basement would be the best place, but neither of us liked the thought of a 400 plus pound instrument going down our stairs. There was only one place it could go, in the music room with the rest of our instruments.   I had ideas about what I wanted for our music room. I wanted to be able to store instruments there and also for it to be used a