Frances Corwin:  

I always wanted to be a wife and mother when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a wonderful idea. As it turns out, they were right. I wasn't wild, actually I was pretty boring, in high school as most of you probably remember. My mother always said I was born mature and never recovered. Maybe somebody can remind me of something I did that put me on the wild side. I left Warrenton shortly after high school and worked in Atlanta for the summer for Southern Bell. I went to Georgia Southern in Statesboro with Patsy Johnson but returned to Atlanta each summer to Southern Bell. I got paid diddly to answer information calls and train new operators. What I remember most about it is a constantly changing schedule of shifts and days off, if you got one. I can remember answering "information" when my home phone rang. From there life seems pretty much fast paced, some would say a blur. After college I returned to Atlanta metro, married and had 2 beautiful baby girls. I didn't return to the workforce until 1971 when I went to work for IRS. I retired from IRS with 31 years. The running joke was that I went to work to get a bigger car for me (I had a Volkswagen bug. When I retired I had actually down-sized to a 2-seater (a Corvette). Somewhere in between I had bigger cars; the biggest was a 69 Chevrolet that seemed like I could have put the Volkswagen in the trunk. I cannot begin to tell you about all the positions I held while I was at IRS. It was not always easy or pleasant but the pay was good, especially after my divorce in 1981. While working, I found I needed to have a great assistant, my cell phone, and a Mountain Dew to be able to deal with the day-to-day. A great boss was always an asset. I still find this true today. I divorced in 1981 and remarried in 1986. My husband is my best friend and the envy of all my girlfriends. He's cooks, cleans, does laundry, well you get the picture. Richard and I retired in 2003 and now live in Pace, FL with his favorite view to the back of our house, the 18th tee. The Atlanta traffic just goes from bad to worse. My 2 girls, Kim and Sherri live in metro Atlanta with their families in Cobb County and North Fulton County, respectively. We visit several times a year. So you see, I haven't moved around very much. The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is our beloved teacher, Carl C Bowen. He was a wonderful person and an awesome teacher and I never had the nerve to tell him how I felt but maybe he knew instinctively. I love Cocker Spaniels. I would wrap my arms around all of the abused and neglected ones if I could. I've had 4,a buff stray, one milk chocolate that I bought (she is almost 13), a blonde I took from a rescue society (I was only blessed with her 4 months before she succumbed to spinal cancer) and a dark chocolate one that I took from a neglected home (she is 4 now). So presently, I have Harlow (13) and Copper (4) and they bonded almost immediately. Harlow has always been very docile so when Copper came in like the proverbial bull in the china shop, she took over. Copper is the only dog I've ever had that will get in the easy chair, lean back, prop her "arm" on the arm of the chair and watch whatever is on TV. She will literally sit there for an hour or more watching. Just for fun I'll say, "Copper, watch TV". She leaps into position and starts watching. She can almost turn her head around like an owl. Copper is so delightful and funny; she keeps us in stitches. Her main plight in life is to keep Richard, Harlow and I young. If I won $100 million, I'd give half of it to IRS, then spend the rest on charity, cocker spaniels and my family. I am truly happy at home with my family. There's no place I'd rather be. Why leave paradise in search of it? My current age is 63. When I was 12, I thought th...Expand for more