Tidying a Room Requires More Than a Broom

 

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Barry and I often interject humor into our conversations by quoting favorite lines from The Andy Griffith Show. Lines like, "Don't get your clothes all dirty," which is what Andy said when Opie wallowed on the jailhouse floor in a pretend tantrum. Or "Got time to breathe? Got time for music," as said by Briscoe Darlin' when Andy asked if they had time to play one more song. My all-time favorite, and one that is particularly fun to work into a dialogue, is Ernest T.'s clever remark, "I'm a little mean, but I make up for it by bein' real healthy."

    Another quote that racks up a lot of mileage for us is from the episode where Andy comes up with a scheme to introduce Ernest T. at Mrs. Wiley's dinner party and fool her into thinking he is a refined individual. To help Andy pull off the feat of turning a rock-throwing, illiterate misfit into a socially adept, genteel man-about-town, Barney, who sees himself as a polished gentleman, offers his expertise. He volunteers to teach Ernest T. how to behave and mind his manners in a social setting. The first lesson is "How to Walk into a Room."

The Magnificent Obsession?

 

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While stitching pieces of fabric on a Sunday afternoon, I kept tabs on a 1954 movie starring Jane Wyman and heartthrob Rock Hudson, titled Magnificent Obsession. The heartthrob enticed me to watch the movie, but the title drew me in and convinced me to follow through. I had to know what the obsession was.

All because of words on a page

 

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The clouds hid the sun, making it possible for me to sit comfortably in the car while waiting for him at an appointment. In my hands I held a book titled The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the last three chapters remained unread. I had been saving the ending for this block of quiet time. With the windows down and cool breezes blowing, I delved into my reading, as people walked down the sidewalk and pulled in and out of parking spaces around me.

    I finished two chapters and began the last one. Right away, the author pulled at my heartstrings in such a way that tears began rolling. I reached for a tissue and dabbed my eyes, hoping that passersby would not notice a blubbering woman sitting in a car outside a medical facility and wonder if she had been given some devastating news. I kept on reading words and dabbing tears until I had read the last word on the last page. Then I closed the book and sat there, relishing.