By MARY RICHE DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 1, 2022 — It’s not every day that a couple of septuagenarians marry, then return from their honeymoon to hear a lot of their friends saying, “We sure enjoyed your honeymoon!” Of course, I’m referring to readers of our social media posts who tagged along virtually, not in…

By Mary Riche  DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 22, 2022 — I’m voting for Deidre DeJear, and I’m hopeful she will be the next Governor of Iowa. DeJear has been endorsed by the Des Moines Register, however, her endorsement by influential Janel Tyler, a registered Republican from Des Moines and a group of Janel’s Republican friends,…

By MARY RICHE  DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 30, 2022 — “Do you play bridge?” she asked.  She thought I might be more available since I was newly divorced. “Not really,” I answered.  She suggested we have coffee instead, and that’s when Joy Corning and I began a special friendship that covered a lot of years,…

By MARY RICHE DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 2, 2022 — I got married this morning.  The groom, Chuck Offenburger, is a septuagenarian.  So am I.  We were friends for 47 years before we fell in love and decided to spend the rest of our lives together, however long that might be, as husband and wife.…

By MARY RICHE  DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 13, 2022 — I’ve been thinking about how I used to spend Sundays with my family and even more about the Stanley Union Church where I grew up.  It was a non-denominational country church in rural northeast Iowa, though it was in the town of Stanley, pop. 81. …