Donna Reed Doesn't Live Here

My front yard

The other day as I walked into Target, I overhead a man saying to his wife how much he hates this time of year.  It surprised me because I love summer.

I love the long days, listening to the cicadas sing and sitting in my front yard in the evening talking to neighbors as they pass by.

Another thing I love about summer is it seems like there's more time.  I don't know why.  After all,  there are 24 hours in every day so why summer feels like there's more time is a mystery to me...but nonetheless,  it does.


One of the things I do with my "extra time" is think about how to make my book better, which brings me to the title.  I'm going to change it to, Donna Reed Doesn't Live Here.  This will be the third title.  It's gone from Growing Up Crazy to Quit and Be Quiet and now Donna Reed. 

I asked my grandchildren what they thought, and both of them said the same thing.  "Who's Donna Reed?"

I expected that.  It has been a long time since she was a TV icon on The Donna Reed Show.  But they  understood the implications immediately when I explained to them that Donna Reed represented the ideal American wife and mother back in the '50s and '60s (when I was a girl.)

Her ever-present smile and motherly wisdom were an inspiration to many of us in my generation.  And there's a lot to be said for a mother who is calm and stable and loving regardless of what's happening with the rest of the family.  Granted the problems Donna Reed faced on her show weren't serious but it was a sitcom so we didn't expect anything earth shattering.

At any rate, I'm going to continue thinking about the new title and hopefully, I'll  hear from you and what you think about it.  

In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying these long summer days...