Desert Messenger

February 3, 2016 www.DesertMessenger.com 35 Bob C Bob C Bob C Bob C VFW Post 769 VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS 305 N. Central, Quartzsite, AZ, 928-927-7697 The Canteen is a smoking establishment • Members & Guests Only for Alcohol Service UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE VFW VFW MEMBERS AND GUESTS NOTE: VFW Auxiliary is collecting coupons you may have that you won't use. These go to the military families who can use them up to 6 months after expiration Please help us in this endeavor to assist our Veterans. Cou- pons can be left at Post. We are also collecting labels for the school. Can leave items at Post. FEBRUARY 3: Spaghetti dinner -- $5.00. 4:00 p.m. until gone. FEBRUARY 4: Taco Thursday Tacos - $1.00; Fish Tacos plus –4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 5: Fish Fry Friday – 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. -- $8.50 FEBRUARY 6: MONTHLY MEETINGS HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO FEBRUARY 13TH FEBRUARY 6: GROUND HOG RALLY – 12:00 NOON – BEER AND BRATS. Raffle drawing for Quad FEBRUARY 7: To be announced FEBRUARY 8: Potato bar -- $5.00. 4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 9: Roy's meat loaf. -- 4:00 p.m. until gone -- $6.50 FEBRUARY 10: Spaghetti dinner -- $5.00. 4:00 p.m. until gone. FEBRYARY 11: Taco Thursday Tacos - $1.00; Fish Tacos plus –4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 12: Fry Friday – 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. -- $8.50 FEBRUARY 13: To be announced FEBRUARY 14: To be announced FEBRUARY 15: Potato bar -- $5.00. 4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 16: Roy's meat loaf. -- 4:00 p.m. until gone -- $6.50 FEBRUARY 17: Spaghetti dinner -- $5.00. 4:00 p.m. until gone. FEBRUARY 18: Taco Thursday Tacos - $1.00; Fish Tacos plus –4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 19: Fish Fry Friday – 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. -- $8.50 FEBRUARY 20: To be announced FEBRUARY 20: District 1 Borderline Riders meeting at Post 1763, Yuma – 2:00 p.m. FEBRYARY 21: To be announced FEBRUARY 22: Potato Bar – $5.00 – 4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 23: Roy's meat loaf. -- 4:00 p.m. until gone -- $6.50 FEBRUARY 24: Spaghetti dinner $5.00 – 4:00 p.m. until gone. FEBRUARY 25: Taco Thursday Tacos - $1.00; Fish Tacos plus –4:00 p.m. until gone FEBRUARY 26: Fish Fry Friday – 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. -- $8.50 FEBRUARY 27: To be announced. FEBRUARY 28: To be announced FEBRUARY 29: Potato Bar -- $5.00 – 4:00 p.m. until gone PLEASE NOTE: MONTHLY MEETINGS WILL BE HELD AT USUAL TIME ON FEB.13. Comrades meet –1ST Saturday each month – 9:00 a.m. at Post Auxiliary meets – 1st Saturday in the dining room area at 9:00 a.m. House Committee meeting – 1ST Saturday each month -10:00 a.m. at Post Men's Auxiliary 1st Saturday each month - 12:00 noon at Post Check at the Post or on the VFW Post 769 web site for information on additional activities being planned. www.vfwpost769.org I remember three men, two in particular. The fi rst was a much younger guy who was as fanatic about dancing as I was, and he was VERY good. Turned out his mother was a dance teacher, and he said that's the reason he could waltz, two-step, swing -- ANYTHING. He was sweet too and funny and said I made him smile. The young part didn't bother me, fi nding most men my age seem to be couch potatoes and can't keep up with me. He got out on the fl oor and danced by himself once to the delight of the other patrons. Of course he hadn't any money, had just arrived in town by hitch hiking from Montana, and was sleeping in a tent on BLM land. I turned to a fellow I know and said, "Why do I always choose the crazy ones?" The real deal breaker was that he smoked, a nonnegotiable for me.....just as well. Another guy who sat next to be at the bar said, "You're beautiful" and asked how long it had been since someone told me that. Being kind of turned off by pick-up "lines," I responded "about an hour and a half" which was not at all true, but a snappy comeback. He proceeded, through slurred speech, to offer to do something with me when we leave; I'm not quite sure what, but I thought I was pretty safe in replying, "It will never happen" and thought, beautiful or not. The third guy looked promising. He was dark, nice looking, neatly dressed, and avowed he loved to dance. He talked about honesty, and he said he wasn't interested in commitment or living together. So far so good. Then he said the magic word that turned me off: BINGO! He asked why I didn't play, and I didn't want to say it's a nonthink- ing, time waster; so I just said I never had enough time and had to prioritize, which is true but not the truth! A red fl ag rose rapidly when after idly chit chatting for a few minutes during the fi rst dance, he said, "Do you like sex?" Silly ques- tion, I thought. Who doesn't like sex? Instead I said, "Sir, I hardly know you." Later he asked for my phone number, and I told him I didn't have a phone. Pushing the sex and bingo comments aside, I said, "But you could come by for tea and a walk in the desert tomorrow." He said, "OK," and I drew him a map to my place on the back of my nonbusiness card. Against my bet- ter judgment and past experience, I got the tea things ready and spread the home-made cranberry bread with real butter. Guess what? He never showed, and I tell myself, he didn't understand the map I drew. (Do you think it was the tea? Maybe he wanted something stronger.) Then I remembered the policy I ad- opted when I had my own business: Never stop what you're doing until you see the whites of their eyes. I'm eager to learn lessons but NOT learn them again and again! Anyway he gave me hope. I began to think MAYBE there's a man out there who believes you can have a committed relationship and still live separately. Dream on... Well, it occurs to me that I could go on and on about past men in past lives, but this is a story, not a novel, and it fairly boggles my mind to think of all that. Maybe I'll write a sequel some time. For now I'll just close with this quote, from a friend, which always cheers me up when a relationship ends: "Not all is lost if I can get a story out of it." ~*~*~*~*~ "When you are in love, you can't fall asleep because reality is fi nally better than your dreams." ~ Dr. Seuss ~*~*~*~*~ Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). For an update on Jane's travels and writ- ing, visit her website (janefi nley. com) and/or read "Traveling with Gypsy Jane" and "Poems from the Road" in The Desert Messenger (desertmessenger.com) begin- ning March 5, 2014. (contact: janefi nley@yahoo.com) GYPSY FROM PAGE 12

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