well, did you think I fell off the Earth - me too.

First I must publicly thank Jerry and Nora for coming to my dad's viewing. They figured it wasn't that far to drive up to Logansport - and on that not so great day it was good to see a familiar face. Funnier still when Nora's dad realized that he knew a bunch of my dad's family - funny how folks are in small towns. It was so kind of you two to come - thanks.

Thanks also to those of you who sent me a note - the first weeks have been spent in typical form - working until I pass out. You see I have discovered that if it really stings - and you need to clear your head - hard work keeps the adrenaline flowing - and keeps your mind to busy to feel sad.

There have been a couple of revelations, though so this begins the writing again. Hopefully I won't bore you to tears!

I realized about a week ago that my dad now knows what happened to the Pinto. Have I not told you that infamous story - well kiddos - here goes - but it need a little preface. For any of you who do not know me in person, I am not a bitty girl - I do everything big - I don't walk quietly - and I talk really loud - though not intentionally. So - here goes.

I learned to drive in a 1973 Ford Pinto with manual transmission. Going to high school at Cathedral, my dad wanted to make sure I could get up that hill okay in the manual - so we drove up and down that thing - stopping midway - just letting up on the clutch a little and killing the car about a million times - until I got that thing to work. Then and only then would my daddy let me drive it to school. I loved that car and drove the tar out of it.

One afternoon, though, I came home, parked the car and when I went to put the gearshift into neutral position - the whole gearshift fell off. Just tipped over. I was stunned.
So I did what any daddy's girl would do - I interrupted himin the office and told him that the gear shift fell off and that I didn't do anything to it.

This resulted in about 15 minutes worth of debate and my wounded pride refused to admit that I had done anything - though as an adult I can see that I must have just worn the poor thing out by shoving it into the gears - but I still contend that I didn't do anything.

Years later every time we would talk about Heaven I would tell him that someday when he got there he would know I really didn't do anything to that gearshift in the Pinto.

Two weekends ago, I was driving my brother in laws pickup - a stickshift - and the top of the gearshift popped off. And I started laughing - a good deep belly laugh - followed by the always near to the surface tears - and I thought just how funny it was that now he knows I didn't do anything to the Pinto when the gearshift fell off.