Firsts

At my point in life it seems funny to speak of 'Firsts'. But today is the first time that I've posted to my blog. Not only were there no blogs in my earlier life--there was no Internet, there were no computers. There were however, diaries. I'm not quite clear--are blogs the same as diaries?

I'm sitting here smiling because I'm asking a question of.....whom? I guess whoever reads this. OK, so in that way, blogs are unlike diaries. Diaries are for the writer alone (and their younger siblings who may steal them to read.)

Something that amazes me more than blogging is this: while I am typing on this blog, I have a headset on and I am listening to my daughter who is speaking to me from her car on her cell phone! Communication was different during my earlier life. Phones were often attached to the wall and had a cord which limited travelling while talking. Not only that, we had party lines--4-party lines. Don't confuse this with "PAR-TAAAY".

Party lines were telephone lines connecting two or four users. So any time I'd pick up the phone there might be (usually was) someone already on the line who would say disgruntedly, "In Use, please!" If I were very adept at it, I could hang up quickly and very carefully slip the receiver back up and listen to their conversation--not that I ever did, however.

Saturday will be another First for me. On that day my beautiful daughter, Melanie, will celebrate her birthday and we are going to a luncheon at a local coffee shop to enjoy a Poetry Reading. The "First" involves the moment when the organizers provide some Open Mic time. Both my daughter and myself will be reading--my First public reading.

Tune in later to find out how it went!