February 6
by Janine Stephenson
We love Laugh-In. Our TV schedule last night was Walter Cronkite at 7 p.m., The Monkees at 7:30 p.m. and Laugh-in at 8 p.m. Then, we drink cocoa and talk. Mrs. Stoutmiller asked if we had a chance to read Thoreau. We did not. Yet. We will. Or at least I will. I can’t speak for Becca.
Mrs. Stoutmiller took out pictures of when she was our age. She said it wasn’t as long ago as we thought. She won’t tell us how old she is, except that she was our age just before the Depression. Which would mean that she was born around 1911 or so. Don’t tell her I’m figuring this out.
She brought up her daughter, Annabelle, again and told us that it was a terrible thing when parents and children fight over politics. We weren’t sure what she meant until she told us that her daughter’s husband is in the military. They live in Washington D.C. Becca asked her if her son-in-law worked for the President. He does. And as it turns out, he’s a hawk. Here's a picture of Annabelle and her husband talking to a someone at a party.
I would’ve thought that Mrs. Stoutmiller’s daughter, was a Republican, with the way she talked. But she isn’t. Instead, she’s a different kind of Democrat. That’s what Mrs. Stoutmiller called her. A different kind of Democrat.
I also would’ve thought that Mrs. Stoutmiller would be pro-war as well. Especially with a member of her family in the military. She supported Lyndon last time. That’s what she calls the President. Lyndon. It’s as if she knows him. Or has met him. I didn’t want to pry so I didn’t ask. But I think she’s met him in person.
Becca had all sorts of questions about her daughter. It seems like things worked out for Annabelle. She has a nice house and her husband has an important job. It doesn’t seem like Annabelle is worried about her husband all that much. She doesn’t have any children, yet.
It seems like Annabelle isn’t all that affected by what happens in the news. Mrs. Stoutmiller agreed. Her daughter lives in a bubble. She thinks Annabelle is selfish and she doesn’t understand how it happened. It’s not how Mrs. Stoutmiller raised her. Nor is it a time when we can afford to be selfish.
