Hi Darling Ones,

I had my monthly eye treatment today. The joint was hopping. I’ve been going every four weeks since June? And I’ve never seen the waiting rooms so full.

It was so busy we spent like 45 minutes in Waiting Room B after my eye test and scans. There wasn’t a spare seat in the place, and there’s something like 30 seats in the room.

Because we waited so long, I got learn a lot about Janelle.

• She has five sons.
• She gave birth to one and married into some others.
• She and her husband “adopted two orphans.”
• She’s very concerned about what will happen to her land and houses when she dies.
• It’s hard because most of the land is in her and her brother’s name.
• She owns a townhouse from when she was a single mother.
• She rents it out now.
• She’s attending seminars to learn about wills and probate.
• She wants her sons to be able to grieve and not worry about what they’re getting.
• She also wants it to be fair, even though one son is “special to her” because she birthed him.
• She met her husband when she was a single mom playing piano at church.
• She used to teach piano lessons at Schmidt Music until COVID.
• She taught high school in Orono for 20 years.
• She graduated from St. Olaf in 1984.
• She got her dog from a “reputable” breeder in Iowa.
• Her husband doesn’t like to talk about wills and death.
• She loves playing grand pianos.
• She’s friends with the Schmidt-guy of Schmidt Music fame.
• The twins are going to tour St. Thomas this week because it’s MEA.
• One of them loves science and one wants an MBA.
• She really likes the small, private Christian colleges.
• She loves Doc Severinsen.

For the record, Janelle wasn’t talking to me. Or my mom. Or even sitting near us in the waiting room.

Eavesdroppingly yours,
Jodi