Lovely, Liese.

And also? Mazel tov on the house.

Just happened across this, and I thought I'd post it here in case anyone might be interested - Washington Post fiction writing contest, 1,500 words or fewer telling a story about a picture. Seems to me you all have had practice with such things... [link]

Umm - think that contest is over. The winner was posted Valentines day.

Don't think so:

Friday, February 9, 2007; 4:47 PM

We'll publish the winning entry in next year's Valentine's Fiction issue.

The deadline for submissions is May 13. The contest winner will be announced in the July 1 edition of the Magazine.

Ah next years Valentines issue. What I get for hasty reading. Cool. So it is open. Thanks for pointing it ou t.

Ok, so to demonstrate versatility and range and help out my leg. district, I've started writing Dem of The month Q&As. This month, all I know about my current subject is that she is approaching her 90th birthday. And I can't come up with any question that doesn't sound like "You're a million...do you have any insights for living Democrats?" and being that I don't work for the Daily Show, I can't do that! I suck...I've been stalling. Any thoughts? I'm kind of bored with this little mission already, but I like to keep up my commitments.

When and where did you cast your first vote? How did you get to your polling place? What building was it in? You might get a story about walking up hill through snow both ways or something to cast the vote. 1944 or thereabouts. Might get an an interesting period glimpse.

What was your life like in those days? You might get some stories about going through the depression. You could get some pieces of social history. What was work like? Trying to get by with very little. Was she born Democrat (as in "we aren't rich enough to vote Republican" or did she gradually decide she preferred Democrats to Repbulicans.) Does she vote the person , not the Party and just usually finds the person is a Democrat, or the party label important? Just off the top of my head.

Thank you...have totally blanked for weeks.

What do you consider the most important vote you have ever cast? What is the first election you rememebr as a girl?

What was it like to be a woman before sufferance?

Sorry, not helping.

Conventional wisdom says that people get more conservative as they get older - did you start out as an anarchist?

Still not helping.

You might go after the female side rather than the age side. Ask what she thinks about a female president, about the changing roles of women in politics, etc. And maybe ask about the experience of being a Dem in AZ. On both of those you should be able to establish rapport with her.