Vancouver, Washington. The home of Donna Peterson, one of the unsung great characters of all time. Most of this character comes out of her mouth. I arrive before noon and she talks nonstop for the next three hours. We finally go out to lunch, my head is spinning and my ears are falling off. Donna was a second mother to Sue and many in the Lovlein clan. She was (and still is) a sounding board and moral anchor to the group of busy bodies (when they were young) known as the Lovlein children. She loves them dearly, and provided them with not only her moral guidance but with many worldly needs that a poor family with eight children couldn’t. I could never do justice to the plethora of stories, one blending seamlessly into another. She reminds me of an older more charming, more religious version of Marge in Fargo. She even says things like: “so, yah you know” and “happy as a bug in a rug” and “gosh sakes alive” and “more fun than a bushel of monkeys” and I could go on and on, and maybe will later. The cast of characters in her stories include Uncle Mugs and Tanner Joe and I just can’t believe a woman of 79 can remember so much stuff, in such detail.
Observation: There is one other element that seems to go with older, religious people a.k.a. Norma and Herman and Donna, a fascination with Bill O’Reilly. They watch him as if he is the second coming of Walter Chronkite. This comparison causes my body to shudder violently. I don’t necessarily dislike O’Reilly but he and other political commentators on both sides of the political spectrum such as he and Bill Maher are primarily entertainers with very little intellectual heft. Just the thought of two Irishmen representing an intellectual spectrum causes me to wonder about America’s future. Jokes and bullying now seem to represent political commentary, which older people seem to mistake for NEWS! Or is it all of us? No wonder we have a crisis. We are no longer rational, pragmatic doers of deeds like the greatest generation. Where is Will Rogers when we need him? Or at least Groucho Marx, now THERE was an entertainer who understood what was important (making fun of Margaret Dumont).
It is time for me to leave the Brewed Awakenings coffee shop, I’ve been here so long the sun has come out and there are all new workers behind the counter. I have posted my blogs, except this one, and must return to Donna. I think my ears are ready for another encounter. During my stay at the coffee shop I visit with a guy who is trying to break into the teaching game but is struggling with a coffee addiction and has a hard time keeping appointments because he has to go to the bathroom all of the time. I observe two women wearing baseball caps who are visiting. Their body language tells their story. They are leaning way forward aiming themselves at each other and are extremely expressive in their talking. This usually means they are discussing another woman and can’t hold back their insights. Two guys with motorcycle helmets are talking about a Christian movie they want to make. I think it is called “Jesus Rides the Wild Wind”, it is the story of a boy who gets shanghaied into the priesthood and is running across Mission San Luis Rey. . . . .I think I will call Adam and tell him their idea.
Donna’s daughter Debbie joins us for dinner and I just watch and listen as these two wonderful women tell stories. Debbie is politically active in the Republican party and ran for office as state representative in the last election. She seems caught between her career as a teacher and a more active political career. Although we disagree about many things, I tell her I would vote for her if I could. Her positions are always thoughtful and come out of her caring for people and their welfare. We do have a couple of lively debates about the war and global warming and I am struck by the fact that the majority of people I have visited are quite conservative. I had never really thought of them this way, they are just people I care about. I have mostly stayed away from politics both in discussions and in listening to the news and I think I am better for it. One thing that comes through about Debbie is that she is fearless. Donna is always telling her to be careful and be sure to look in the back of her car before she gets in and Debbie says “I do mom but I am always disappointed”. She is calm, talented and intelligent and has built a new life for herself and I get the impression that there is nothing she can’t do.
Donna: You are everything Sue talked about. I’ve known you briefly over the years but to spend this time with you has been a revelation. You know the Lord and you walk with the Lord but you can face any difficult knowledge and take it head on with a steely resolve. You are funnier than a bushel of monkeys and you say things like “murder in the old red barn” or “good night nurse” with a Polyanna like innocence. You know what's hapennin’ but you smile and laugh your way through life.
I am going all the way across the river to Portland and “Annie”. Jon