June will soon be a week old. Neva J often reminded me how fast summer is. In my halcyon days, this would be a Friday evening, and it would be a good time to enjoy a movie at the Orpheum Theatre. It might be a vampire movie or a Frankenstein feature. Escape from the muggy weather. Thoughts of the power of a cross in repelling Dracula. Or a musing on who the real monster was in Frankenstein. It stayed light until 9:00, and the possibilities were many. There were pretty girls and fast cars. I learned of hemis and Funny Cars. Ben Franklin Dime Store had shelves of car models, paint, and glue to put them together. There was Stony the soldier, Johnny West, and Chief Cherokee. GI Joes had not taken their place of leadership at the time.

Eldorado was a working person’s community. Folks were serious about life and enjoyed a good time on Friday night. A dry town, but liquor could be obtained at the package store in the tiny village of Muddy, 3 miles away. One Christmas season, Lanny gave me a couple of swigs of Peppermint Schnapps, and I felt festive. My world swirled a bit, and the movie that Friday night was especially enjoyable.

Eldorado was full of churches. Most folks attended one of them. After the Honky Tonk on Friday and Saturday night a little church was in order. Neva J’s sisters and mother attended church on Thursday night, Saturday night, and twice on Sunday. Neva J and I did not. I attended the movie on Sunday, and Neva J read books. Everyone read books in those days. Television was fun in black and white on three channels, and two of the stations were fuzzy.

We had a party line for our telephone. Most of the time, when you picked up the receiver, someone was talking. If you had an emergency call, you would ask the Gabby Gusses and Gertrudes to give you a moment to make it. Often when you got the precious use of the phone, you could hear a member of the Party listening in on the Party Line. If the stealth listener felt you had spoken too long, they would clear their throat or ask you how much longer you intended to tie up the phone. Long-distance calls cost extra. They were considered frivolous unless they had to be made.

Cash was the coin of the realm. Credit cards were for the rich. Of course, Dracula preferred blood.

The birds are playing tag. They have a cedar tree to frolic in. From their point of view, the world is well-ordered and good. Two squirrels are playing near the pond. They have no regrets, only the energy of a day in June.

We worry about many things while the plot escapes our notice. We will never do it all or be it all. On Friday in June, we see our lines in the play of life. We learn when to enter the stage and where to stand while we deliver our part. We are vital to the production.