Living Like Mabel (and Calvin) is plenty nice and friendly

/ November 25, 2016
My split on the goodies.

My split on the goodies.

The plan was made months ago, when my blogging friend from New Zealand contacted me through Twitter and told me that she and her husband were coming to America again.

I’d been enjoying her interesting takes on the world as Living Like Mabel for a good, long while, appreciating her humor, rooting for her to get through her programs at the university, knowing what a good photographer she was, chuckling at the by-play with her seemingly shy and always industrious husband, Calvin.

Their route could come through Syracuse because they wanted so see Niagara Falls on the way to the Big Apple. Would I care to meet for lunch?

You betcha.

Mabel trusted me enough through following my work here about my dear wife Karen and Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle to drop the dime that she wasn’t really Mabel and Calvin wasn’t really Calvin. Somebody had stalked her when she had her first blog. And, her husband was tired of folks recognizing him in public and calling him by her pet nickname, too.

I won’t tell their real names, but I will gladly reveal that the too-short time we spent at a table at Cafe at 47 in the Village of Liverpool on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was delightful.

I ran over from my job at the Liverpool Public Library, and my blogging friend Mabel greeted me outside the door with a big hug and huge smile on her face. Her husband waited inside, and a waitress brought them two mugs of coffee as I ordered a late breakfast sandwich at the counter.

We talked of their drive east from California, and how much they were enjoying this, their fourth trip to the U.S. They filled me in on life in their homeland. They were disappointed my wife could not make it, at the doctor to get her fractured wrist checked. We talked fast. Time was too short. I was on meal break.

She gave me gifts for Karen and I, wonderful pens and key chains. Beautiful pieces from New Zealand. Karen’s key to our front door is already on hers. My pen is in my work bag.

We are Facebook friends. And Twitter and Instagram, through her real name, all.

Real friends in the real world.

I hope to see them back.

I have their back.

Mabel and Calvin here.

Off they went, to the Macy’s Thanksgiving’s Day Parade.

If you use your real name on your blog, have you ever wished you didn’t, and why? If you use a pseudonym, how did you come up with it? If you were to come up with a pseudonym, what would it be?

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26 thoughts on “Living Like Mabel (and Calvin) is plenty nice and friendly”

  4. Although, I am the Gatorette alright and “Cheffie Cooks” is a blog name by which my family always teases me well…the rest you decide!? Hahaha! I assure you I am real though. Glad you got to meet up with them whatever their names are for real…Have a great weekend Terp!

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  5. Nuts. If I had known Mabel and Calvin before reading your post today, I could have arranged to meet them here – only 20 minutes from Niagara Falls! I love meeting blogging friends – and I trust that sooner or later, I will manage to meet you and Karen. I’m very much looking forward to that. (PS: In case you don’t know, Cordelia’s Mom a/k/a CookieCakes is not my real name, either. 🙂 )

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  6. How neat that you all were able to meet up, even if only for a short time. Meeting other blog friends has been a true pleasure the few times I’ve had the opportunity.
    I suspect most people know that ‘Violet’ isn’t my real name – and since my email address has my name in it, it’s not hard to find (though, that isn’t really my ‘real name’ either, though I do go by it), but I don’t like it when people get too familiar and use it on my blog in comments.

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