1. Nancy Reagan is her least favorite First Lady, because of the terrible way she treated Roslyn Carter and because of her poor taste in china patterns.

2. She is eating a serving of yogurt every day now, because it helps her digestion.

3. Milk of magnesia is more effective than prune juice.

4. She has a profound hankering for a meal at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.

5. Her slip-on shoes are too pretty for her to wear outdoors in the snow and slush.

6. She is proud of the fact that although English is her second language, she still beats other residents during the home’s monthly spelling bee.

7. She is reading her fourth Danielle Steel novel, even though she doesn’t see the need for all the graphic depictions of sex.

8. Her preferred prize for winning BINGO is a travel-sized shampoo and conditioner set, and heavens, not a stuffed animal.

9. She trusts the media more than she trusts me. Mom: “Virginia and the states around you got alot of snow and ice? Are you certain? They didn’t show that on the news.”

10. She continues to blame Florida. Mom: “I just read an article written by President Bush’s wife.” Me: “Which Bush?” Mom: “The older one. The one that really was President.”

11. One of the drivers in our Catholic school carpool was Mr. Bill P.  He would pick us up in his roomy Buick every day after school.  Come spring, he would have the radio tuned to the Cubs on WGN.  I don’t think we kids talked at all on the ride home, because we all were listening to the game.

10.  When my beloved father-in-law, Adolph, died in 2010, his children chose to put his ashes in an urn emblazoned with the Cubs logo.  He was a life-long fan (see #2 below) and the Cubs would never win a World Series in his 84 1/2 years on this earth.  The urn, however, drew many sighs at his funeral, and the family felt, as we have always felt, the deep camaraderie that co-existed with the deep grief of every Cubs fan.

9. In the early 1990s, my in-laws asked me to accompany them to a Cubs game on a summer afternoon.  As the game progressed, the rain clouds started rolling in, and soon, a full-blown storm was threatening.  My mother-in-law was terrified of lightning, so we ran for cover under the bleachers.  As she shivered in my arms, my father-in-law scurried to get the car.  We were going to leave, because she was wet and frightened, even though the game was far from over.  Dad was very disappointed to be leaving, but Mom’s needs came first.  That day, they taught me a wonderful lesson about marriage.

8.  Our wedding color was royal blue.  Blue bridesmaid dresses, blue bowties, blue ribbons on the bouquets, etc.  Was the color chosen because it was also known as “Cubby blue”?  I’ll never tell.

7. Our relatives bought us Cubs sportswear for our first-born child. Shirts and onesies and socks and even bibs.  Not too many babies in Virginia were similarly attired.

6. Over the years, we have traveled to Nationals Park, home of the nearest major league team, to see the Cubs play.  There are always so many others on the subway wearing Cubs shirts–and we just smile and nod at each other.

5. Our oldest child chose the Cubs as the theme of the essay for his college applications.  He wrote about how being a Cubs fan taught him the virtues of determination, hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude. These virtues shaped my boy into the fine man he is today, and I could not be more proud.

4.  Husband-to-be and I spent many a lovely summer weekend at his parents’ cottage on the shore of Saugany Lake, Indiana.  We would gather up towels, chips, beer, and a transistor radio, and climb abroad the paddle boat and float out to the middle of the lake.  It was very romantic: the water, the sun, the water lilies, and the voice of Harry Caray, announcing the Cubs games.

3. The first Cubs game I ever attended was in the summer of 1983, with my new boyfriend (yup, now Husband) and his best friend, John.  Husband does not remember who was playing against the Cubs, nor does he remember whether the Cubs won or lost, but he does remember that I was wearing a black mini-skirt and a Material Girl-type bow in my hair.  He’s a keeper.

2. In October 1945 (the last previous time the Cubs were in the World Series), my father-in-law-to-be was a 20 year old soldier in the US Army.  He had fought in Europe, and was crossing the Pacific Ocean in order to become part of the US occupying forces in Japan.  He listened to the World Series on the radio, and the Cubs broke his heart by losing by one run in game 7.  The Cubs were a disappointment year after year, but Dad–and the entire Greatest Generation– always remained our heroes.

1. Cubs win the World Series in game 7, November 2016.