Kelly: Tell me something good.

Doni: I was driving down Cypress Avenue the other day and saw a car with a personalized plate that caught my eye: NEWSTALK, which I took to mean News Talk, not New Stalk. But anyway, I was surprised somebody in Redding had that license plate, that no one else in California had claimed it. I sped up to see who it was. Guess who?

Kelly: Clint Eastwood. Val Kilmer. Fred Flintstone.

Doni: Ray Roberts, remember him? He had a talk show on KQMS, In Conversation. Roberts was shown the door and he lost that radio gig. But nobody can take away his license plate.

Kelly: Drat. I was rooting for Val. You got my hopes up there for a minute. Ray Roberts was quite a fixture for a while. Was he by himself or did he have a passenger? Was he singing alone in the car? Was he blowing out the speakers with hip-hop trip-hop? Chair-dancing?

Doni: Just driving. Sorry to disappoint.

Kelly: That’s OK. I can dream. What’s up with you lately? Something looks different.

Doni: Hairdressers already know this, but you can tell a lot about a woman’s state of mind by what she does to her hair. Well, I must be going through something because I woke up Tuesday with the irrepressible urge to cut my bangs. So I did.

Kelly: Been there.

Doni: I didn’t stop at my bangs. Look. Here’s proof. A whole sink full of hair. I know this photo looks like a like a long-haired gopher, but really, it’s my browny locks.

Kelly: You did the whole thing? Good job. I’m impressed. Kind of reminds me of a ’30s movie star style. Very professional and glam and kicky. Is that the only time you and your twin look a little different, is when one of you goes for broke at the beauty parlor?

Doni: Historically, we don’t look different for very long. But our looking alike is totally unplanned. You were there when I got the call from Shelly, right? She said she had something to show me, and I said, oh, I have something to show YOU. Turns out that within a few hours of each other on Tuesday morning, our hair went from long to short. (Shelly sought the services of a professional hairstylist.) Pretty funny, huh? For years we’ve had shoulder-length hair.  We have dozens of twin stories like that. Maybe another day. But as long as we’re talking about something as frivolous as hair, we may as well talk about eyebrows, since my recent eyebrow epiphany: Eyebrows are among the crucial feature details that really betray someone’s age. God, don’t I wish I had all the black eyebrows back that I plucked out in my 20s and 30s. Sigh. What’s another age-teller?

Kelly: Crepey skin. Elephant knees.

Doni: Swaying upper arms … big giveaway. Necks. Gobble gobble.

Kelly: Have you ever seen that line of clothing for middle-aged women called Sag Harbor? CRUEL. And have I ever told you this? Steve says women’s fashions are dictated by men who hate women. That’s why all the fashion magazines are filled with anorexic women wearing clown clothes. He might be right.

Doni: I’m so with you about Sag Harbor. Gee, why stop there? Leaky Lake? I think Steve’s onto something about women’s fashions. True that.

Kelly: It’s not just physical. People do old things too.  I was just reading “How Not to Look Old,” by Pamela Redmond Satran. Some tips: “Don’t Spout Any History” (if it happened before 2001, who cares?) and “Unstrap That Rolex” (because who needs a watch when you have a cell?  You do have a cellberry shoephone, don’t you?)  “Don’t Leave a Message” (you have to read it but involves a doubleback psych maneuver, very effective) and my personal favorite, “Don’t Fear the Waxer” (self-explanatory).

Doni: Dear God. Subject change? OK. Thanks for the help staining the concrete counter top in the outdoor kitchen Bruce is building. It’s fun work, don’t you think? Except for the green fingernails. That’s not so hot. It’s also fun watching the growth of the little buck that’s not shy about checking out the kitchen. Oh, wait, here’s a picture we took of him, before Bruce poured the concrete.

Kelly: He better be careful. You might invite him for dinner.

Doni: Speaking of dinner, I heard a rumor that the former Cottonwood Eatery may soon be open under new ownership. Boy, we miss that place. Open, open, open.

Kelly: We should all have eaten there more often. Maybe it would have stayed open. Or at least we should have complimented it out loud more often, so others would have known to go.

Doni: Why didn’t we, I wonder?

Kelly: We all forget to compliment people. Or restaurants. Or great work. I know I’m guilty of taking things — people — for granted. What’s that thing your dad used to say? About how important it is to remember to do that?

Doni: He said it was crucial - especially for a successful relationship - to be “conspicuously considerate.”

Kelly: I like that a lot. Go out of your way to be considerate and complimentary. As long as it’s genuine, of course. No word of praise goes unheard.

Doni: Let me take this opportunity to compliment the woman who owns Be Thrifty, a new place on Cypress Avenue, where that lavender barn place used to be. She greets everyone who walks through her door, and as she rings up the merchandise she always thanks customers and asks them to come back and see her. That sounds simple, but I really appreciate her attention to customer service. She could teach classes on it.

Kelly: Good. And I’d like to say how much I enjoy seeing movies at Prime Cinemas in Anderson. I love that place. I drive half an hour out of my way each way just to see their movies. Good popcorn, real butter, clean theaters and restrooms, and all that beautiful stonework. Plus they do a lot of community work. I hope they’re always open and thriving.

Speaking of businesses, we have a new advertiser this month, and I think we should take a sec and point out the Moule’s California Glass ad. You might have to refresh the screen for it to roll through. If you click the ad, it goes to a whopping discount coupon. We don’t want anybody to miss it.

Doni:Well done, thank you for remembering. So. I’m pretty excited about having a young Czech house guest for a month.

Kelly: Do tell. Who’s coming? Joe? Joe AND Marie?

Doni: No, not son Joe, no, not his wife, Marie. Yes, Marie’s brother, Pavel. He just graduated high school in the Czech Republic. He’s coming here to learn woodworking from Bruce, who, as you know, is also teaching your son Seth. This will be Pavel’s first trip to the U.S. and he’s already looking forward to seeing some California sites, and has a list of places to visit, like Mt. Shasta, and the Golden Gate Bridge and Death Valley. I think once he gets a load of how hot it is in Redding, he’ll cross Death Valley off the list. This is a good chance for Pavel to brush up on his English, and for me to practice my Czech. Actually, I’m less concerned about the language barrier, and more concerned about what’s it like to have a teenager in the house again. It’s been years since my last kid flew the nest. You’re the mother of teenage guys. Anything I should know?

Kelly: Katie, bar the door. European teenagers who speak little English are like catnip to the kitties. He’ll be needing a mobile. And a vehicle. And a place in town to stay sometimes (you know where, I have an extra bedroom, sleeps ONE). You’re going to have a good time. >snicker< Hey, wait, I think I can find a "don't be old" tip just for you. Yes, here it is. "Don't Fear the Teenager."  They're talking to you, kid.

Doni: Dekuji. (Thank you.)

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