TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

JUST WEDNESDAY

LITTLE GIZMO SAYS, OH PHEEBE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, COME GIVE ME A SMOOCH

Standing in our front yard Cactus Garden last night watching the full Moon rising over the Weaver Mountains I couldn’t help but think, ‘it’s going to be a long time before I see another big dusty desert Full Moon again’. Felt sad about that.

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Not one of my better days. Allowed myself to slide into a Blog funk first thing this morning & it hung around all day. I enjoy doing a daily blog but every once in awhile it’s like trying to push a loaded 642 ton manure spreader up hill.

It seems the Nopal Cactus pads I have been planting lately are very edible & commonly used in a lot of Mexican food dishes. Had been doing a little research on them when an email came in from reader Phil saying Food City, owned by Bashas had the Nopal Cactus leaves on sale in their flyer at 3 pounds for .99 cents. I also saw on the internet where foot long Nopal Cactus pads ready to plant were selling for $8.49 apiece. If all the pads I planted happen to grow we just might be in the Nopal Cactus pad business in about another 40 years.

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A commenter had a very real concern about our new rain barrel. Easy for small critters such as cats to fall in & drown. At the moment I have a lid on the water filled barrel held down by a heavy rock. Matthew our neighbor is going to make a screen top to prevent critter accidents.

WATER FILLED RAIN BARREL WITH LID & HEAVY ROCK

Have decided not to put that ‘reply’ gadget on my posts. Thought about it for a couple days. There are pros & cons of course but in the end it’s just not for me. I could see myself getting all caught up in the whole comments & replies thing & that is just not where I want to be. For sure I would cause myself stress over the whole thing. I happen to be very good at causing myself stress you know. The ‘reply’ feature is nice for folks who like that back & forth interaction & for sure it has to be a great way to boost blog ratings but I have decided it’s just not my cup of tea. Might have been a few years ago…..but that was a few years ago.

RELAXING IN THE BACK YARD TODAY

Schools still out on the ‘Ad’ thing but want to make it clear I know better than to junk my site with a bunch of tacky ads. In fact I’ve written posts about that. If we decide to do an ad it will probably sit very quietly & discreetly somewhere on my sidebar.

With a week & a half left before heading back to Canada I’ve noticed a rather subtle difference in feelings. In the Fall with only a week & half left before departing for the southwest I’m anxious, impatient, & excited about getting on the road & heading south. Not so much so with our upcoming journey back to Canada. Things are low key & we both feel kinda sad about having to leave our house. This year’s departure & arrival time home will be our latest in the past 6 Snow Birding years. Two years ago today we rolled into Bayfield on this date & other years it was earlier than that. I’m afraid our packing the rig & getting ready to head home has been a bit half hearted this week.

THIS MORNINGS CLOUDY FULL MOON SETTING IN THE WEST

GROANER’S CORNER:(( I liked this one Ivan sent in an email today….

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

THANKS TO READERS FOR THEIR ‘ADS’ & ‘REPLY GADGET’ RESPONSE

If the big teapot in the sky tipped just a little bit to the west it would be pouring a spot of tea on the Scorpions tail. And that is how it looked in the southern pre-dawn sky this morning as Pheebs & I checked out our overhead starry wonders. The constellation Sagittarius (the big teapot) follows closely behind the constellation Scorpios (the Scorpion) with only the wispy Milky Way separating the two. Between these two large constellations in the Milky Way is the center of our Universe in a area often referred to as the ‘Jewel Box’ because of it’s many glittering diamond like star clusters. Even with a moderate pair of binoculars you can find these shimmering star clusters on clear dark nights. Just another one of the many reasons we prefer the lifestyle we do & the light pollution free areas we live. And tonight is a full Moon:))

Sitting in my red Ikea chair Monday night with computer on lap I happened to glance up & saw the ‘nearly’ full Moon coming up outside my bedroom window. My D40 with 300mm lens attached was sitting on the table beside me so I quickly popped off a Moon shot through the window. Curious about those white dots on the Moon but I’m guessing they are reflections of sunlight off some flat rock surfaces. Hope they are not incoming Asteroids!!

HI-HO HI-HO IT’S OFF TO SCHOOL THE KIDDIES GO

First & foremost a word of thanks to the folks who sent in their thoughts, ideas, & opinions on my questions about ads on the blog & activating the ‘reply’ feature. All helpful & informative comments. I have more to chew on than just my own thoughts now & that’s kind of nice for a change. I think many comments hit the nail right on the head. I thought GYPSY was spot on with her comment & I totally understand & do agree with her. I do prefer to keep an accurate reality check on my blog. And ED FRY again knows me better than I know myself when he said, “You have managed to go this long without answering Comments why start now? There is also your temperament to be considered, would your replies become even more of an excuse for what you consider dis-respectful Comments. I say leave well enough alone”……… Ed’s right & it could very well open the flood gates for ‘dis-respectful comments’ alright. And Ed, not to worry, I would never consider any of those ‘pop-up’ ads. And good idea DUCKS about that Canadian Amazon. Appreciate everyone’s response:))

Kelly was off to Wickenburg late this morning for groceries & a host of errands. She likes to be on the go that Gal. Me too, but my going is just a little different than her going. Sometimes when we both get going together we can really get gone. Oughta sight Man:))

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Re-located & lightly watered some Cactus this morning, weed whacked some weeds, had a few Pheeber snuggles, & just generally puttered about trying to convince myself I was doing something relatively useful today.

THIS IS WHERE OUR CACTUS PADS HAVE BEEN COMING FROM & SHOWS HOW TALL & THICK OUR PROPERTY PERIMETER WILL EVENTUALLY LOOK. JUST THINK, IN ANOTHER 300 YEARS WE’LL BE ABLE TO SIT ON OUR PORCH IN TOTAL PRIVACY:))

Kelly & I generally like to hike & go places by ourselves. When hiking with others in a group there are just too many chattery non hiking conversations going on which after awhile is just a gabble of noise disturbing the peace & quiet of the surroundings which is part of the reason we are hiking there in the first place. Imagine hiking with 24 third graders & a Ranger. Cheryl Ann from DEEP CANYON did just that at JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK a few days ago. The informative Ranger would be good but I’d have a hard time with all the noisy little 3rd graders. And yet, I just might get a kick out of seeing the kids enjoying themselves so much out in the wonders of nature. Well, for a few minutes anyway. They hiked to Barker Dam but found no water. One little fellow did find a colorful live snake. Luckily when Kelly & I did that hike a couple years ago there was water behind the dam. This is MY POST from that day. And be sure to keep up with the folks over at OH, THE PLACES THEY GO! They are still in southern Utah’s Zion Canyon beaming back great hiking photos most every day.

FOUND THIS HIDDEN CACTUS WREN NEST TODAY IN OUR SIDE YARD & SPOTTED AN UNIDENTIFIED BUTTERFLY NEARBY

Kelly returned from Wickenburg this afternoon with a big blue rain barrel so I wasn’t long in setting that up by the corner of the house & filling it with water. We only have 3 plants that will need watering this summer & they are within feet of that rain barrel. Matthew the Sheep Shepherd neighbor will make sure those plants are watered from the barrel because our water will be shut off. Summer Monsoons will again fill it as rain runs off the roof into the barrel. Well, that’s the theory anyway.

BLUE RAIN BARREL NEAR KELLY’S OFFICE WINDOW

And full timing Boondocker RV SUE & HER CANINE CREW again has some fine thoughts about her life & freedom on the road:))

I’M GUESSING IF WE HAD THIS OLD NEIGHBOR’S SHED ON OUR PROPERTY WE COULD HAVE OURSELVES A REAL GOOD MESS OF CHICKENS

Came across an old post of mine from October of 2010 recently. In that post I wrote the following paragraph which of course still applies to this very day.

How many of you fellas still have your Teddy Bears out there? I do:)) As a little boy I hung out with my 3 favorite Pals Nancy, Panda Bear, & Punkin Head. Nancy was a small doll with a blue dress & Panda was a big pink & white bear. Punkin was the head honcho. Nancy & Panda are long gone now but I still have my Punkin Head. Punkin stayed in my bedroom at my Mother's house long after I was gone out into the world. At some point he was moved from my bedroom out to an old green barn we had behind my Mother’s house where he stayed for a countless number of years in quiet seclusion. In 2004 the task of emptying my Mother's huge house became a big job for Kelly & I. The barn had to be cleaned out as well & that is where I found my old Pal, Punkin Head. He was a little worse for wear than I remembered him as a kid, but then again age hasn't really treated any of us too kindly has it:(( I brought him home that day & he has resided on the top shelf of my bedroom closet ever since, warm & safe. Today, while rooting through some things to take south I spotted my little Pal just sitting back relaxing. I brought him down from the shelf & as we sat on the edge of my bed we shared some old memories. We sure were the best of Pals those oh so many, many, years ago & we are still the best of Pals to this very day:))

AND SPEAKING OF TEDDY BEARS >>>

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The Sunday school lesson for the day was about Noah's Ark, so the teacher decided to get her small pupils involved by playing a game in which they identified animals. "I'm going to describe something to you. Let's see if you can guess what it is. First: I'm furry with a bushy tail and I like to climb trees." The children looked at her blankly. "I also like to eat nuts, especially acorns." No response. This wasn't going well at all!
Finally a kid volunteered: "Well, I know the answer has to be Jesus -- but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"

Monday, March 25, 2013

MORE CACTUS PLANTING & MAYBE SOME BLOG CHANGES

IRIS’S THROUGH AN OLD WIRE FENCE

There was a touch of warm in the gentle night wind. Pheebe brought her Ducky outside & we played a game of Ducks in the Moonlight. She got a new funky rubber Chicken Friday but come to think of it I haven’t seen it around all day. It had a loud dreadful squawk on it & I’m wondering if the neighborhood watch committee didn’t come by in the night & incarcerate the poor little fella.

PHEEBS GETS SO EXCITED EVERY MORNING WAITING FOR KELLY TO COME OUT FOR OUR MORNING WALK

After 46 days Gaelyn from the GEOGYPSY TRAVELER is home from Africa. Had to buy herself a small 4 wheel cart to carry all her African treasures. Nearly had to buy a second cart to prop herself up after traveling 32 hours to finally reach her home in Yarnell Arizona. PETER & BEA, on their way home to Campobello Island are hunkered down in an RV Park under bad weather somewhere around Memphis Tennessee I think. Peter has probably built a big Snowman by now. Looks like Judy from TRAVELS WITH EMMA may be spending her summer in Minnesota. And guess what….Four year old Jake just found two RV Blogging DUCKS who love him. And to show his furry appreciation he not only likes to lean on them, but he likes to sit on them as well:))

IRIS FLOWERS REMIND ME OF OUR HOME IN BAYFIELD

I see some fellow Bloggers bringing in a few nice dollars with their blog sites this winter & that has had me thinking. I have always resisted putting any kind of advertising on my site. Have always put the look & feel of my blog site first but am thinking how I can still maintain that & maybe contribute a little revenue to our lifestyle. Talked to a few fellow Bloggers who have been bringing in some revenue with their blogs. They are definitely making enough money to buy some bags of birdseed & gasoline to help with travels. That is nothing to be sneezed at. Recently received an offer from the nation wide GOOD SAM RV CLUB about dropping an advertising logo on our blog. That, some other offers, & some new ideas have me doing some serious thinking. Any thoughts??

NEIGHBOR MATTHEW OUT FOR A STROLL WITH HIS SHEEP THIS MORNING

Another blog change I have been considering is adding the Google Gadget that would let me respond directly to reader’s comments. Noticed more & more fellow Bloggers are doing this. I resisted that at first because of the time it already involves for me to put a post out every day. Reason that I am re-considering is the fact it would be easier for me to remember reader’s questions etc. I generally read the comments in the morning & if someone has a question, chances are good I’m going to forget it by the time I start putting my blog together later in the day. Same thing with all the nice emails we receive. If I don’t answer them right away I’m probably going to forget & I always feel badly about that. I’ve noticed some Bloggers answer every single comment but I don’t know if that is something I would or could do. For me, the problem with all that is if I answer 5 peoples comments & not the 6th person’s comment I am going to feel bad about that. I’m just not one of those ‘I don’t care what people think’ or ‘nothing bothers me’ kind of people. Of course I care what people think & things like that do bother me. Anyway it’s something I have been mulling over. Wondered if anyone had any thoughts on that idea??

OH OH……..IT’S THE DREADED WANDERING RED BEAD SNAKE

Kelly’s 06 Toshiba computer went on a whizzle fritz & crashed this afternoon. She is confident she can resuscitate it back to life except for one thing. The XP recovery disc is in Bayfield:(( Luckily she has her new Acer Net Book which we picked up on our way south last October. And fortunately her computer crash happened at the end of our southwest stay & not the beginning. She uses that computer for her work.

A LITTLE SANTA CLAUS BIRD OR JUST BRINGING HOME SOME NICE SOFT NESTING MATERIAL >>>

In our winter Snow Bird travels to the southwest we have always found that by about mid March we are ready to head for home. Not as much this year with our home base here in Congress but other years we were generally on our northern trek by now. We’re just too darn comfortable here this year. But it’s one of the things about Snow Birding we have grown to like. That twice yearly change from one environment to another. Looking forward to once again seeing the trees & forests of the north. Spring flowers poking through the ground. Burgeoning buds on the trees & shrubs. Southern song birds once again flocking to our front yard feeders. Sighting the first Robin each year has always been a long standing tradition & back on our morning Pine trail path hiking past nesting Canada Geese. Yes, it’s always good to get home to our reasonably quiet little slice of life in the tall Pine forest near Bayfield Ontario. I look forward to once again settling into our cozy sunroom, writing my posts for awhile longer, & watching Mother Nature unfold her seasonal wonders before me through the big sunroom windows. Ah yes, will be nice to be home for a bit & I wonder what adventures & changes this summer will bring. We always seem to have a few irons in the fire……and I like that:))

<<< MY QUARTZSITE 2008 JANUARY MOOSE SALUTE

Planted 19 more Nopal thornless Cactus Pads this morning. Pads are the big green leathery round cactus parts that easily break off the main plant & can be stuck in the ground to grow a new Cactus. That makes 42 pads our neighbor (Matthew the Sheep Shepherd) around the corner has given us from his large Nopal Cactus plants. He generally just throws them out after they have broken off & fallen to the ground. If I could find a tin sculpture that looks like a Moose I would put it in our front Cactus garden & call it the CactiMoose garden. Cactus representing the American southwest & Moose representing Canada. Above is a photo of me using the Canadian Moose Salute on the gusting north winds that were harassing us in Quartzsite Arizona back in January of 2008.

SO NICE THESE NOPAL CACTI DO NOT HAVE THORNS, BARBS, & STICKERS…EASY TO HANDLE & THEY ARE EDIBLE, BUT NOT BY ME THEY AREN’T!!

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A little boy at school asks the teacher if he can go to the washroom.
"Okay" says the teacher. "But first you've got to say the alphabet." They boy slowly says the alphabet: "a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z."
"What happened to the 'p'?" asked the teacher.
"It's leaking out of my shoes right now."

Sunday, March 24, 2013

HAD A FEW WORDS WITH MISS MAGNADYNE THIS MORNING……

OUR WINTER PLAYGROUND

Fifty degree temps in Bayfield Ontario right now would feel pretty warm to us but after our 80+ temps this past week here in Congress Arizona this mornings slightly breezy 50 degrees felt darnright chilly when I took Pheebs out early. Wasn’t long after old Sol cleared the Weaver mountains to the east we rocketed back up into the low 70’s.

A COUPLE QUAILS A STRUTTIN THEIR STUFF

When we left Bayfield late last October in our Motorhome with all it’s spacious basement storage bins we had no idea we would be returning in April without that Motorhome & all it’s oodles of storage space. We probably have a quarter the space now in our Sunseeker so we are having to make some very difficult space crunching decisions on what we can actually take back to Bayfield again. Sure am missing those big Class A Damon basement bins.

PHEEBS SUNS HER BUNS IN THE RIG THIS AFTERNOON

Sure glad I won’t be heading home this year with last year’s medical worries. Soon as we returned to Ontario last year I had a series of medical appointments lined up regarding a troublesome kidney stone that needed to be removed by a procedure I certainly was not looking forward to. Because of my slightly elevated PSA numbers last summer the Doctor has asked that I get a blood test on that again as soon as we get back. Other than that I should be good to go for the summer. Unless that annoyingly painful leg/hip thing kicks in again:((

IVAN, after leaving the warm climes of the sunny southwest a few days ago finally made his way north to Alberta Canada punching his way through ice & snow. No easy task getting up the drifted in driveway to his house. By the tire tracks it looks like he might have made a couple runs at it.

THE CONGRESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEAR OUR HOUSE IS LOOKING VERY EASTERY

AND THIS SCHOOL RUNS ON SOLAR POWER

A friend from Bisbee had planned on stopping in today on her way north up to Nevada but an ailing back has delayed her departure. Maybe see ya sometime next week Paula. And speaking of ailing backs……no I don’t have one but I do seem to have an ailing tummy today. Probably something I ate. Kept myself in close proximity of our washroom.

Might have figured out the annoying problem behind our Sunseeker’s Magnadyne radio. Had forgot to plug our rig back into shore power when we returned from Borrego Springs a couple weeks ago & it seems if the engine or coach batteries get a bit low the first thing to falter is the Magnadyne. That might explain why it was not holding it’s settings & why it was acting erratically. Plugged the rig in Saturday & happened to turn the radio on this morning while puttering in the coach. Radio powered right up & everything I asked it to do it did. Big change. Hard to believe but it even sounded better. After talking nicely with Miss Magnadyn we both agreed to be more patient with each other & try to work together in some kind of harmonious bliss in the future. I think when Kelly & I talked about replacing it with a Kenwood radio it scared the Holy ba-jeebers out of it:))

BEEN KEEPING OUR WALKS ON THE ROAD

No idea where the squadrons of Yellow Jacket wasp’s disappeared to but they are gone. Just a couple weeks ago they were all over the place but we sealed up the hole in our roof line where we saw them going in & out of & that seemed to do the trick. Still no other bugs in the air. Nice.

LITTLE JEEPERS SOMETIMES TRIES TO HIDE ON US

Need to clear a little something up here about Saturday night’s post. My reference to rude & sarcastic comments had nothing to do with my post or reader’s comments on my post about the Rattlesnakes. A few commenters were concerned. It was my previous night’s ‘boondocking’ post that again brought out someone’s usual angry outburst.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A nursing home resident, suffering from dementia, decided to shed all of her clothes and "streak."
She passed two male residents sitting in their wheel chairs in the hallway.
The first male asked the second, "Who was that?"
"I THINK it was 'Miss Rita,'" answered his friend.
"Well, what was that she had on?"
"I don't know," he considered, "but I think it needs ironing."

Saturday, March 23, 2013

RV BLOG VISITORS & A FEW THOUGHTS ON RESPECT

Another early 3 a.m. start to my day. Hate when that happens but sometimes when I wake up in the night, that’s it. I’m up to stay. Sure makes for a long tiresome & sometimes grumpy day being up that early:((

JUST TOUCHING DOWN ON THE BIRDBATH FOR A DRINK OF WATER

Had an email from fellow RV Bloggers Chris & Caron at TRAVELS WITH CC & DIXIE Thursday saying they had just rolled into North Ranch. It was Chris a few weeks ago who put me onto the BLACKRAPID RS-4 camera strap I like so much. We have corresponded with these Ontario Canada folks on & off for about 3 years & it was finally nice to meet them in person here at our house this morning. Pheebs was mighty happy they brought their dog Dixie as well. Again, two mighty nice folks who have really logged a lot of miles in their Tiffin Motorhome from coast to coast in both Canada & the U.S. They have sure seen & done a lot of things in the few short full timing years they have been on the road. Nice genuine folks indeed & you can keep up with their travels on our sidebar. They too will soon be heading home to Ontario.

TODAY’S COOL WINDS KEPT US INSIDE FOR A FEW HOURS

We are beginning to watch the weather across the country more closely now with our departure date looming in less that 2 weeks. Not looking good for the most part but weather patterns are totally unpredictable these days & this year it is anybody’s guess which way the weather will swing in a couple weeks. Our departure date is not set in stone & if we see the weather is bad we’ll just sit it out here in Congress & wait for things to clear. It’s always a real gamble every year at this time trying to pack in 2,300 miles between Spring storm fronts. It is one of the reasons we don’t dilly dally around anywhere. We make the trip just about as quick as we can, while we can.

WE SURE HAVE ENJOYED OUR LEISURELY DESERT JEEP RIDES THIS WINTER

And it was one year ago today the fellas stuccoed our house. It was a Friday & I had my work cut out for the week-end. I had to water the house. In order for the guys to begin painting on the Monday it was important the stucco be watered 3 times a day for both Saturday & Sunday. Tough job but somebody had to do it. I was Okay with that because I like watering stuff…..but a house. An old gardening habit I guess.

I have the Spell Checker enabled on my blog & it is extremely rare when I hit the ‘Publish’ button for my post to immediately publish without first finding my usual spelling mistakes & purposely bent words. But Friday night’s post had no delays. Not even a purposely bent word or two. Very rare indeed for me not to have some spelling mistakes. But here’s the sad part….I have a tendency to spell the same words wrong over & over. Direct result of a poor short term memory. Give me a word I’ve never heard before & chances are by sounding it out I might even be able to accidentally spell it right.

Occasionally I write things that may not sit well with some folks &I think it’s something Bloggers do from time to time. I, like many others am an opinionated person & some times my opinions spill out into my blog. Sometimes it is in the form of a rant, sometimes an observation, & sometimes it is just simply my passion for something. Could be my love for dogs, an RV lifestyle, thoughts on photography, music, maybe a movie, annoying television shows, etc. Could be why I like button up shirts compared to T-shirts. Or shoes compared to sandals. I, like many of my fellow Bloggers write about our daily lives & what is going on in those lives. What we’re doing, what we’re thinking, where we’re going & where we’ve been. I also have a tendency to write about my feelings. Some Bloggers take it a little beyond that & get into some of the hotter topic issues like Politics & Religion but that’s not for me. I just don’t have the personality or the interest to get involved in that kind of head butting.

MANY MYSTERIES & LEGENDS HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST AS AN OLD WOODEN FRAMED BED LIES DETERIORATING INTO THE DESERT FLOOR

I have read many, many, blogs over the years & have left many many comments on people’s posts. Especially in the first few years of my blogging. I’ve read many things I didn’t agree with. Seen language I didn’t like & topics I didn’t much care for. Some blogs just simply didn’t hold my interest & I moved on. I read blogs I am interested in & do not read people’s posts with the sole purpose of finding fault & being openly critical of them. If I don’t like someone or their writing style I simply move on. I’ve never felt a need or felt it right to go on a fellow Blogger’s site & leave demeaning, bitter, rude, & sarcastic comments whether using my real name, Anonymous, or as in some cases, phony names & alias’s. For the most part we have a great bunch of blogging folks out here in our little community. Most are understanding of each others writing styles, likes & dislikes. We may not agree with each other all the time but at least most of us are respectful of each others thoughts, interests, opinions, & personalities.

After Friday mornings encounter with the 2 dead Rattlesnakes and with Pheebe’s safety foremost in our minds we have decided not to do any further desert walks, hikes, Jeep rides, or rock scrambles now that the hotter weather is upon us. In Wickenburg on April 13th they have a Rattlesnake awareness & training program for dogs but we will be gone by then. Had we planned on staying longer we would have enrolled her in that awareness program for sure. With the combination of hotter weather & Rattlesnakes now it certainly is a big concern to all pet owners.

WHAT’S LEFT OF AN OLD WINDMILL STANDS QUIETLY IN THE DESERT BACKGROUND

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Two silver-haired women entered a restaurant for lunch.
Each caught the other's look of joyful recognition--having been college mates 50 years earlier. They spent the afternoon laughing and reminiscing.
Then one looked at the other in obvious embarrassment. "I hate to say this," she confessed, "but what is your name?"
The other one thought a moment, then asked ruefully, "How soon do you need to know?"