Flo Dunn Balliet
For my ninth birthday, I received a copy of Little Women from my best friend, Margie. Soon after I finished reading the book, another friend, Patsy, asked if she could borrow it. Of course, I loaned it to her. I had long since forgotten about the episode when Patsy returned it forty-three years later. After her mother passed away, she found the musty book with Margie's birthday message to me stored in her mother's attic.
The whereabouts of another book, Dr. Chase's Recipes, a tattered but treasured read, remained a mystery for years. My husband felt certain it was somewhere in our house; however, repeated searches yielded no success. After two decades, a friend returned it. She said her daughter had discovered it amongst her belongings and remembered she had borrowed it all those years before.
These two incidents, and many others, made me wonder how many misplaced or 'lost' items were actually loaned to friends and never returned. Within the past three months, I've noted ten items I have loaned; to date, six have been returned.
For those of us who tend to share, it's difficult to heed Shakespeare's advice: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." If you are, having a record serves as a reminder. It is also pleasurable to reminisce about those items that have touched so many lives. Enjoy.
Flo Dunn Balliet
A life-long passion, writing has brought joy and continues to be a gratifying pastime of the author. As a youngster, she exchanged letters with her grandfather and two aunts before she had ever met them.
She worked as a bookkeeper and continued to study writing, focusing on children's literature, informative works and poetry. Always an early riser, she kept a journal, wrote short stories and poetry before her husband and their three children awoke. She also has two grandsons.
Her first formal submission, An Interest of Her Own, was accepted and published in the children's magazine, Wee Wisdom, under the pseudonym of Anna Balyea. Other published works include They Live In Glass Houses and Mr. Tweitmeyer's Cover. Poetry and prose published under the pen name of Adele Dunn are Mom, Mischievous Believer, Masquerade, Kissing and Hugging, Wilma Says and Happy Mother's Day Grandma Dear.
Another published poem, Borrowed Book, was inspired by a book that was loaned but never returned. It was further motivation for the Borrow / Lend Record Keeper.
Borrow / Lend |
Record Keeper |
|
Date |
Item Description |
Borrowed From |
Lent To |
Date Returned |
|
1947 |
Book – Little Women |
|
Patsy |
1990 |
|
1971 |
Book – Dr. Chase’s Recipes |
|
Jackie |
1991 |
|
4/01/07 |
$300 Loan (repay @ $100/mo) |
|
Bill |
07/01/07 |
|
4/08/07 |
Knitting Needles - #11 (2) |
Jane |
|
12/10/07 |
|
5/01/07 |
Repayment - $100 on loan |
|
Bill |
07/01/07 |
|
5/21/07 |
DVD – Sleepless in Seattle |
|
Betty |
|
|
5/25/07 |
Refrigerator – apartment size |
|
John |
05/30/07 |
|
6/03/07 |
Repayment - $100 on loan |
|
Bill |
07/01/07 |
|
7/01/07 |
Repayment - $100 on loan |
|
Bill |
07/01/07 |
|
7/21/07 |
Beach Chairs (2) |
|
Jim |
10/03/07 |
|
2/03/08 |
Borrow $25 |
Mary |
|
02/07/08 |
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10 |
11 |
