During the years I was in Nashville with Richard, 1964-69, I missed a lot of what went on in my family in Plantersville in my absence. I'm sure I heard about most of it on our frequent trips home, but I didn't experience it, so I didn't remember it. I have some curiosity about those years that has never been satisfied. Some of those blanks were filled in by Paul this morning when he sent remembrances of his growing up years with Cecil. It's an excellent piece and tells of experiences I totally missed, like the camp-outs. It's posted on the new website. Thanks, Paul.

George is telling on his blog how he and Carole met, then married, which sent me searching for the story about how Richard and I got started. (It involves a bus ride, too, George.) I've written about it, and could have sworn I'd blogged about it, but couldn't find it. So for the benefit of posterity, I'll do that now.

In the spring of 1959, I was seated by Tonya Philpot on a school bus ride home from school. Seated in front of us were the Borden twins, Richard and Robert. Tonya had blue nailpolish from Woolworth's, which we were using to paint our fingernails. The boys complained about it stinking. Impulsively, I painted a blue swipe across the back of Richard's neck. When he wiped his neck with his hand and discovered what I'd done, he turned around, grabbed the school books out of my lap and threw them out of the bus window. We were in front of Pete and Tez Temple's house. I screamed, Tonya bopped him over the head with her books, Robert grabbed her books, it was quite a commotion and caused our bus driver Maldon Griffin to stop the bus and find out what was happening. When we explained, he made Richard go get the books, then told all 4 of us to report to the principal's office first thing the next morning.

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Tonya and I were nervous while we waited for Mr. Griffin to come in, but Richard and Robert just laughed and teased, "Don't cry when you get your licks." They thought we would all be paddled and sent on our way, but Mr. Griffin had a different punishment in mind. For the remainder of the school year, Richard and I were to sit on the front seat directly behind the bus driver, and Robert and Tonya were to sit on the other front seat, to and from school. Tonya and I thought this was a great idea, because we thought Richard and Robert were cute. They were disappointed not to get a paddling. That changed by the end of the school year, as each couple became sweethearts. Thirteen year old girls and fourteen year old boys, need I say more? Our adolescent hormones definitely got a jump start.