One Story Leads to Another

Sorta like the title of this morning's post, one fence post leads to another in a beautiful spring evening setting. 

I've had a Facebook friend for a couple of years.  During our occasional interactions on Facebook, I've noticed that she hasn't always responded to my comments or even private messages. 

"Are you still doctoring?" 

That was the last time I wrote her a message, and she did not answer.  Seems odd for someone I've known for more than 50 years. 

When this Facebook friend and I connected, I went immediately to her wall to see how she was looking these days.  After all, I'd seen her maybe once in the past 50 years.   Her profile photo turned out to be a Popeye cartoon. 

"Oh well," I thought.  She must want to keep a low profile on Facebook.  Surprisingly, some people do. 

Over the time that we've been Facebook friends, I've marveled at her exquisite photography, featuring farm scenes, mainly around the Palouse.

One day last week, she posted a collection and noted that she had spent the day driving the back roads with a longtime friend who was celebrating her birthday.  

"What a neat idea!" I thought.  So, I wrote her a note and said I'd love to have her join me on my birthday, and we'd both go neat places and take photos.  A postscript suggested that we could use the day to do some catching up.

She posted later that she might be open to such an idea.

So, I wrote her private note, told her my birthday date, said I was totally serious about the idea and asked if she'd spent much time in the Kootenai Valley. 

She liked that idea and said she'd plan to stay overnight when she came.  As the notes went back and forth, I told her we'd happily put her up for the night.  She said she might bring her hubby or her friend Mary. 

I said it didn't really matter if the date we chose for picture-taking was my birthday; we could pick any day that looked good for photography when both of us had time.  

She said she'd like a few clouds and that she prefers to take her photos at certain times of the day, and she assured me she'd be up for a little hike and walking along a dike would be okay.

I also asked her------since it had been 50 years-----what her hubby's name was and what he does/did as a career.

She told me his name was George; he was a carpenter and that they lived in a geodesic dome house which he had built.  

I also learned that they lived in Moscow, not Coeur d'Alene like I'd originally thought. That helped explain why she'd have to stay overnight.

She also told me she'd heard from "Bonnie" that there's a nice trail along the lake up here in Sandpoint.

"Who's Bonnie?" I wondered.

When she mentioned that she had worked at the College of Agriculture at U of I, I kinda scratched my head, "Hmmm. I thought she was a doctor." 

So, I sent her a note, telling her that, over a span of 50 years, sometimes facts can get a little mixed up. Then, I asked if she wasn't a medical doctor, did she get her doctorate at Idaho?

I also mentioned the time she spent working at the local experiment farm when I was working at the old fairgrounds.

A note came back later,  insisting that when she comes up this way, she would treat me to dinner after our day of photographic adventures, but there's more . . . . 

"Do you have me mixed up with someone else?" she asked, adding that she never remembered working at the experiment farm, although it sounded like it would be fun.  

Usually the jolt that takes over the body when embarrassment of any sort occurs is pretty dramatic.  Well, this jolt worked its powers a bit like the time-release medicine.  Still, it had impact.

I started writing her a note; then stopped mid-sentence and called my editor Helen for a mental status check. 

Sure enough the person I was thinking of was a doctor, but nothing else added up. 

"Oops!" 

Then, I got to thinking that if I had the wrong person and had invited this lady to come up and stay at my house overnight after spending an entire day with her AND what if we didn't exactly click.  

Then, it started dawning on me why she didn't always respond to my questions over the past couple of years.

It was adding up, but who the heck WAS this woman, who never argued the 50 years of not seeing each other, who had a friend Bonnie whom she figured I knew . . . . 

Well, after hanging up from my hysterical conversation with Helen, I trudged on to get to the bottom of this new-found mystery with a talented photographer in the middle of it all. 

I finished my note to her and hit "Send," wondering if she thought I'd lost my mind.   

She quickly wrote back, stating her maiden name, and therein lies the problem.  

Her name on Facebook is her married name, which is the maiden name of my other friend who did work at the experiment farm and who is a doctor, and who does live in Coeur d'Alene. 

Mystery woman also gave me a way out if I really didn't want to spend the day with her and have her stay overnight at my house.

"I'll stay with Bonnie," she said. Turns out I know Bonnie very well. She's one of my favorites in Sandpoint.  

Turns out I knew this lady and Bonnie when they were sophomores at Sandpoint High School and I was a senior.  So, it's not as if we're strangers, but she did admit that when the big revelation took place say that she had thought I acted like I knew her a lot better than she knew me.

Okay, the story should end there, but it doesn't.  This lady and I are going to get together and spend a day taking pictures and she will stay with Bonnie.  

Since our day of discovery on Saturday, we've exchanged several notes about our common interest in photography, and instead of the situation turning out to be a big bust, it has opened the door to another adventure with a camera and with a talented lady I barely knew 50 years ago.  

The stories of good ol' times in Sandpoint will fly, I'm sure, and I told her Bonnie needs to come along too.  It should be a grand time. 

Which brings me to another story.  Last night while watching my favorite show on TV "60 Minutes," I learned about TED.com.  For those who did not watch or are not familiar with the site, it features speeches on every subject imaginable given by world renowned figures and just plain ordinary people who have something profound to share with others. 

After listening to the segment and seeing some of the voices who have mesmerized audiences, I could not get to the site fast enough.

This morning I went on my maiden voyage with TED, and, of course, I picked a video about story telling.  

Of course, it touched my heart deeply because I do believe that everyone has a tale to share, and nothing gets my cylinders going any better than listening to a good story. 

So, instead of this being a never-ending story post, I'm just going to encourage you to listen to the video I picked this morning.  It has a resounding and important message.  

Enjoy and Happy Monday. 

http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_isay_everyone_around_you_has_a_story_the_world_needs_to_hear#t-853138