When we didn’t know how to spell something before there was Google, we looked it up in a dictionary. We also called someone when we had a question. Yes, we had telephones back in the 1970s.

How Do You …

Many of those calls were after midnight. Our friends who were at the lake called at 2 a.m. to ask, “How do you play Blitz?” Alcohol was involved and apparently they’d already played Oklahoma Forehead Poker, but still had quarters left. Between my slurred sleepy speech and their addled beer brains it took more than a couple of minutes to explain. The end result: I couldn’t go back to sleep. BTW Blitz is called 31 in some cars game circles.

Where is the …

We were at work and a co-worker’s son called to ask, “Where is the lid to marshmallow sauce?” She said, “We don’t have any marshmallow sauce.” “Yes we do. Sister went and got some a few minutes ago.”

How do you …

My son and his girlfriend called late one night to ask: How do you pronounce f-a-c-a-d-e? “You mean like the front of a building?” I asked. “Yes,” they chimed. “Fah-Sod,” I said. “No,” said my son while his girlfriend laughed. “You told me it was fake-aid.” “No I didn’t.” “Work with me, Mother. I’ve got money riding on this.”

What was …

A gal I used to work with called because she knew I was a fan of the M-A-S-H TV series. “What was Radar’s last name,” she asked. “Was it Riley or O’Reilly?” When she put it that way, I wasn’t sure. I just Googled it, and it was O’Reilly.

How do you?

There are some questions that even Google can’t answer. Such as, “How do you make  your meat loaf?” Or, “Could you give me your recipe for New York cheese cake,” and, of course the one I used to get most often, “Will you make beef stroganoff?” I’ve always been better at answering yes to: “Will you pick up fried chicken on your way home?”

FYI

If you’re reading this and are under 30 years old: a dictionary is a big book that shows you how to spell a word and its meaning. The only hitch is that you have to have some idea about how to spell it. So, it’s sorta like Google in book form. A book is …