Janet Osborne and Jeri Malouf

[00:03] JERI MALOUF: Hi. My name is Jeri Malouf I am age 84. Today is May 10, 2023. We are in Logan, Utah. I am here with my friend Janet Osborne.

[00:17] JANET OSBORNE: Right. And I am Janet Osborne, and I am 84. And it's the same date, Jeri May 10, 2023, and in our hometown of Logan, Utah. And you and I are going to have a conversation.

[00:34] JERI MALOUF: We are. We are both women, around 80 years old and have been good friends for.

[00:45] JANET OSBORNE: 50 of those years, and that's more than half a lifetime.

[00:50] JERI MALOUF: We have many stories to tell of every variety. Happy stories, sad stories, tense stories, frustrating stories, adventurous stories, stories we only share with each other.

[01:05] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, remember, we even have a story about a sinking boat on Lake Powell with our children on board. But we don't tell that story. It's a story we actually want to forget.

[01:24] JERI MALOUF: We call these stories an anatomy of a friendship.

[01:30] JANET OSBORNE: We met as young stay at home mothers.

[01:34] JERI MALOUF: We were willing to settle in this small city of Logan, Utah, to support our husbands as they established their careers. Whoever would have guessed we would have still been best of friends five decades later?

[01:47] JANET OSBORNE: Well, hey, we were women of the confident generation, post war educated. Gosh, Jeri we were ambitious and enlightened with the knowing that we did not have to be the shadow of our ancestries, our parents, or our husbands. Now, some would call it women's lib.

[02:11] JERI MALOUF: I know. Well, I remember our first meeting. I was invited by an old college friend to join you and your friend to play tennis at the high school courts. I put on my tennis whites. We were not liberated from dress protocols, and our only car was at the office with Carl. I rode my daughter's six year pink banana seat bike the ten blocks. So much for first impressions.

[02:38] JANET OSBORNE: Well, I have to say, who is this woman? And I guess she is pretty cute.

[02:44] JERI MALOUF: Yeah. Well, this was the spring, spring of 1971. I was 31. You were 29 going on 30. Little did I know that a tennis game would introduce me and Carlin to a whole new gaggle of friends. Our husbands, Carl and Grayson, discovered they had a lot of things in common, including tennis, canoeing, hiking, running, and a cold beer, just to mention a few. We were introduced by you and Grayson to your university friends. How refreshing to become acquainted with a population both diverse and curious.

[03:25] JANET OSBORNE: Well, you know, our children were also close in age, and they really were our common denominator in our beginning friendship, they were.

[03:36] JERI MALOUF: And then for about the next, for seven years when our children were young, we worked together teaching preschool. We saw each other at least three times a week. And beyond school, we shared pretty much everything from recipes to all the dreaded backpacking trips. Our children were a shared commodity.

[03:57] JANET OSBORNE: Well, I do remember those were good times. And the preschool, you know, it was perfect for our needs. As young mothers remember. It allowed us to take our children to work, which was a blessing and cheap. It was when Stephanie was about, I guess, in kindergarten, that all of a sudden it dawned on me, and you probably remember, that I no longer really needed to provide that time for her. But I was and it ready for a change. And I remember telling you that I had mastered tying shoes of all three year olds, and now I really needed to move on, Jeri to something else.

[04:51] JERI MALOUF: Well, I was naturally disappointed, as you were. The person with the master's degree in elementary education and my degree and secondary English, Ed didn't teach me a thing about how to teach preschool. I had to hustle to find somebody to take your place.

[05:09] JANET OSBORNE: Well, I still have to say those were such good memories. And I honestly don't know how we found the energy to be in a room full of three and four and five year olds.

[05:23] JERI MALOUF: My goodness, that was a lot of kids.

[05:25] JANET OSBORNE: It was. But, you know, not only. What I recall, Jeri is that we were independent and we were resourceful. And one of the major roadblocks in the seventies was our quest for adventure and God. Adult conversations, shopping, errands, going out for an evening. And we had our young children, and we didn't have very much money, you know. And before coming to Logan, I was introduced to a babysitting co op, remember, and we lived in Santa Fe, and it was somewhat a complicated, but a doable system of record keeping.

[06:14] JERI MALOUF: I never wanted to be the record keeper.

[06:16] JANET OSBORNE: I know, but you had to be if you were gonna take the plus.

[06:20] JERI MALOUF: Side of it, a big job.

[06:21] JANET OSBORNE: Well, you left. We could leave our children in the safety of others. And there were about 20 women of us, I remember, and that was. That's how we exchanged, you know, childcare. And the 20 women were often a way to get out.

[06:50] JERI MALOUF: Yeah. It allowed us to become involved in other activities that didn't involve children.

[06:55] JANET OSBORNE: Right.

[06:56] JERI MALOUF: Well, much of the population. Population of this small Utah city was involved with activities in the LDS church. And those of us who were on the outskirts were left to our own devices. And we did an excellent job, I think, of filling those needs. The alliance for the Visual Arts was established to give all the children an opportunity to express themselves through the arts. We planned and executed all kinds of events to include Pioneer day. You remember that extravaganza? Actually, it was. We were honoring the first pioneers who came to Salt Lake City. And we didn't even know really much the background of that, but we got filled in.

[07:41] JANET OSBORNE: Right. But it didn't really matter that Logan was settled sometimes later. That was really besides the point. We took over Central park, which is now Merlin Olson. That's right, jer. And turned it into a festive 1847 celebration. I mean, we had people doing dutch oven food, a dunking booth, a painting for children, an auction for adults of art, and a watermelon bust and fishing for the kids in the Logan little irrigation ditch. And most of all, the best homemade root beer in milk cans and caramel corn.

[08:30] JERI MALOUF: And there were also artists. The local artists would secure a booth, and many dressed up in pioneer clothes. Remember the little hats, the bonnets?

[08:40] JANET OSBORNE: We did. I made some.

[08:41] JERI MALOUF: I think all our kids had those bonnets. And someone even brought a horse and buggy and gave free buggy rides. I think that was the hall family that did that.

[08:52] JANET OSBORNE: I don't exactly remember. But what I do remember that was the most important thing to everyone involved in that is that this event was completely managed by volunteers, and all the booths had to be nonprofit. There wasn't a single business official business involved, and that was good.

[09:17] JERI MALOUF: Well, by the end of August, we were recovered from Pioneer day and looking for something else to do. And so Holly Fair was created. We had several months to come up with a Christmas event that would equal or exceed Pioneer day.

[09:33] JANET OSBORNE: Well, we took over the old whittier school that's still standing today.

[09:40] JERI MALOUF: Well, they still use that. I think Aba still meets there, some branch of it, anyway. Well, we transformed that building into a Christmas fantasy land. The magic world of Dickens was recreated. Narrow alleys, complete with shops full of candy and toys, homemade toys that we'd made ourselves during the summer. Remember those stick horses? Oh, boy. Well, anyway, it was the setting for the pocket lady and the ghost of the Christmas past.

[10:10] JANET OSBORNE: Gosh, there were carolers who came and performed. There were hawkers. Can you imagine? They actually found and sold warm chestnuts.

[10:19] JERI MALOUF: They did. They roasted those chests.

[10:21] JANET OSBORNE: They roasted them. And volunteers wore costumes of the period. And we were amazed. But hundreds of children and their parents actually showed up to attend.

[10:34] JERI MALOUF: Well, the success of these events contributed to their demise, actually. Eventually, no one could be convinced to chair these extravaganzas. I remember Logan City hired a staff to continue pioneer day, but I really think without the crazy, enthusiastic creative energy of volunteers, it soon lost its magic. Well, and remember, we also worked for.

[11:02] JANET OSBORNE: The common good by word of mouth. We heard that Anne Hatchen was organizing the League of Women Voters of Cache Valley. And, boy, did we ever jump on the bandwagon to provide a louder voice for women. And your pet project, Jeri That was the study and the extermination of mosquitoes.

[11:29] JERI MALOUF: It was imperative for our sanity that our children be able to play outside without being devoured.

[11:36] JANET OSBORNE: But little did we know. Naive that we were. Don't you remember that? No matter how much. And we gathered a lot of scientific evidence that we were able to produce.

[11:49] JERI MALOUF: Including the disease encephalitis, carried by mosquitoes, which was a threat to the health of our children.

[11:55] JANET OSBORNE: However, as naive as we were, as I said, we were up against the powerful farm bureau who could not see the benefit of eliminating mosquito breeding areas.

[12:11] JERI MALOUF: You know, that was 1971. Excuse me. It wasn't until 2004, after developers had taken over much of the farmland, that a mosquito abatement district was adopted.

[12:24] JANET OSBORNE: Yeah. And the best thing that happened, I think, to both of us, Jeri was the League of Women Voters, because they consist. That group consisted of women to be dealt with, and we were able to establish protocols that brought change to the county and city. And they actually became persuaded to adopt a mayor council form of governing instead of county commissioners. Behind closed doors.

[12:56] JERI MALOUF: Yeah. Not only that, we began watching polling places. We were young women, most of us in our thirties. According to some, we did not know our place, which was to our advantage.

[13:13] JANET OSBORNE: You got it. Because I really learned about ignorance. Really was bliss.

[13:20] JERI MALOUF: You will remember that when our names appeared in the newspapers, we were identified as Misses Grayson Osborne and misses Karl Malouf

[13:30] JANET OSBORNE: Well, I don't know. But who put an end to that?

[13:34] JERI MALOUF: It was probably our husbands. Probably so.

[13:37] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, sure.

[13:38] JERI MALOUF: I don't think they really kind of agreed with the roles we were taking sometimes.

[13:43] JANET OSBORNE: I know. Well, I have discovered that women usually take things rather mundane, and they make them into these wonderful activities that just take on a life of their own. I mean, we craved companionship of other women, and thus. Oh, my goodness. The sewing group began with us, and we were supposed to bring some craft to work on. But, you know, we usually just talked to a lot with each other.

[14:23] JERI MALOUF: I don't remember completing anything. But you made that humongous afghan that you knitted on broomsticks. It must have weighed 25 pounds.

[14:34] JANET OSBORNE: Well, you gotta know. You know, Grayson was at least six'five, so it had to be long and big.

[14:42] JERI MALOUF: Would you still have it?

[14:44] JANET OSBORNE: My lips are sealed. I'm not telling.

[14:46] JERI MALOUF: Well, I don't want it. I have plenty of blankets.

[14:49] JANET OSBORNE: Okay.

[14:50] JERI MALOUF: Well, we were enterprising. Our annual garage sales became history.

[14:57] JANET OSBORNE: Several of us would collect our priceless items for months. And the night before the early dawn of the sale, we were bringing our goods to a designated place because we took turns hosting and our spouses were actually invited to come to a pre sale the night before.

[15:21] JERI MALOUF: I had to send Carl out of town or time to the bedpost or we would end up with more treasures than we had contributed.

[15:29] JANET OSBORNE: I know. And he was our best customer. Oh yeah, we loved cars.

[15:33] JERI MALOUF: I know. And I didn't love you for it.

[15:36] JANET OSBORNE: I know it. But tough.

[15:37] JERI MALOUF: We still got a lot of that stuff if you want it back.

[15:40] JANET OSBORNE: No, no, it's fine, it's fine. Well, in the many years we held the sale, I only remember one unfortunate incident. It was somebody in your neighborhood that bought a box of magazines containing comic books. Great, great contribution. What we didn't realize, my goodness, that there happened to be several playboy magazines in that box. And his mother really made a point to bring this remember to our attention.

[16:15] JERI MALOUF: She brought him back. She was not a happy mom.

[16:17] JANET OSBORNE: No, she was not.

[16:19] JERI MALOUF: What the irony is, I know this boy now is a middle aged man and he remembers the incident well. And he was just really sad that his mother found the box.

[16:28] JANET OSBORNE: I know it. I know it well. And here's what I remember. After hours of playing store with our girlfriends, we would divvy up the money that we had made over glasses of wine. And there was a complicated system of tracking who had sold what to whom, and we always spent hours discussing. Is that really all I made?

[16:57] JERI MALOUF: We were happy to end up with a little cash. However, it wasn't about the money. It was about adventure and the camaraderie. We even had t shirts made for the event.

[17:07] JANET OSBORNE: I loved it.

[17:09] JERI MALOUF: Besides being industrious, sometimes we did things just for the fun of it. A dozen women would meet once a month for lunch. It was usually at someone's house, but occasionally we would meet at a restaurant. At Christmas time, we would do a cookie exchange. Each would bring twelve dozen cookies and.

[17:30] JANET OSBORNE: Trade twelve dozen, you know, twelve dozen times twelve. Do you know how many individuals.

[17:36] JERI MALOUF: I don't do math. Haven't you noticed? Yes.

[17:39] JANET OSBORNE: Cause I'm smarter.

[17:40] JERI MALOUF: Okay. It was a lot of cookies.

[17:43] JANET OSBORNE: I was. Well, anyway, our families thought this was the best thing we did all year. And we would return home, like I said, with twelve dozen of the most delectable cookies you could imagine.

[17:58] JERI MALOUF: I loved Marsha's whiskey cookies and I used to hide those from everybody.

[18:02] JANET OSBORNE: I can imagine. And we all loved your divinity because absolutely nobody could make divinity that group but you.

[18:12] JERI MALOUF: Well, this was, of course, before the time when sugar, butter, eggs and number eight red dye continued.

[18:20] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, sure.

[18:22] JERI MALOUF: Well, anyway, speaking of the holiday season, how about our winter adventures into the woods?

[18:29] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, sigh. Yes, it was cold, but that's beside the point. But, you know, we did those occurs to find the fresh Christmas trees and a half a dozen of friends. We knew our families would drive endless miles into Idaho, hike through the snow, because there was absolutely no automated, noisy, whatever those machines are that roar around now in the. In the perfect silence. And we would drag them back through the snow. And after tying them, you had to tie them on the top of your cars. We would have hot chocolate from thermals before driving on.

[19:17] JERI MALOUF: I have to insert that. This year, our son Ned, who is now middle aged, went to Idaho to find us a Christmas tree. Did he? Yes, but he didn't hike through the snow. I think he just got one that was on the side of the road. We called it bush.

[19:36] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, good old Ned Lee.

[19:37] JERI MALOUF: Well, anyway, after we would get our trees, we'd decorate them and have a invite everybody over. We'd have a progressive Christmas party and a little Christmas cheer. And then there were also, don't forget our summer adventures into the mountains.

[19:56] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, yes, we camped together.

[19:58] JERI MALOUF: Not to be confused with car camping or trailer camping.

[20:03] JANET OSBORNE: No, because Carl was in charge and we had everything possible that we could survive, you know, everything. Anyway, we hiked with our little children at the time into these unexplored regions.

[20:22] JERI MALOUF: We carried everything in our backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, stoves, fishing gear, clothing, medical supplies. I always said that Carl could perform a hysterectomy in the wilderness. And then there was the food.

[20:36] JANET OSBORNE: Yes, like a lot.

[20:40] JERI MALOUF: You're right.

[20:41] JANET OSBORNE: Like a lot of food. And the children, however, I have to say, we also made them take their own backpacks, and they were expected to carry their own clothing at least.

[20:52] JERI MALOUF: Are we there yet? Would be a constant inquiry.

[20:56] JANET OSBORNE: Well, I had the theory that there had to be some demented forester working ahead of us making this trail longer because it seemed to take us forever.

[21:07] JERI MALOUF: I know. Well, we tended to wet feet. Too hot, too cold. I'm hungry. I'm tired. I can't go any further. Blisters and mosquito bites.

[21:17] JANET OSBORNE: Well, if I'm really honest, I thought it was very hard to be a good mother at those particular wife. Oh, well, that to be said, I know.

[21:33] JERI MALOUF: We would usually end up at some pretty place.

[21:36] JANET OSBORNE: Well, that's true. There was a lake where the men could fish and the children obviously would get wet and muddy.

[21:44] JERI MALOUF: Right. Looking back, it was a unique and beautiful experience. When our kids talk about growing up, they reminisce about those hiking trips. I thought they were in pure misery.

[21:55] JANET OSBORNE: I did, too, and I bored out of their skulls. But I think you're right, because all of them went on to work in the Tetons later. And they hiked everywhere every time they were off work.

[22:08] JERI MALOUF: They did not learn.

[22:09] JANET OSBORNE: I know. It was amazing. And we saw absolutely, particularly in those days, incredible back country in Utah and Wyoming and Idaho. What a blessing to have that so close by.

[22:26] JERI MALOUF: The pictures are great.

[22:27] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, yeah.

[22:28] JERI MALOUF: As our children became more independent, we had to find other entertainment because they grew up and didn't want to come with us anymore. It was in the eighties, and we were in our forties. Janet, you were already involved with the women's center at Utah and working on your doctorate.

[22:44] JANET OSBORNE: Well, I have learned that you never know when you begin an association with women where it might lead. This job put me in touch with amazing women. Some of them needed help, and others, gosh, were willing to give that help. A scholarship was established at the center to provide reentry women an opportunity to complete their education. And we.

[23:16] JERI MALOUF: How many did you do through the years?

[23:18] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, my gosh.

[23:18] JERI MALOUF: Entry women.

[23:19] JANET OSBORNE: Oh, it was hundreds.

[23:21] JERI MALOUF: Really?

[23:21] JANET OSBORNE: Hundreds.

[23:22] JERI MALOUF: That was so good. It gave those women a second chance.

[23:25] JANET OSBORNE: It was. And it brought what I thought was pretty interesting, particularly at that time, that it brought women together with an event called remember hands across the valley, Jane dancing. Put a on that track.

[23:43] JERI MALOUF: Yeah, that was wonderful.

[23:44] JANET OSBORNE: It was great. And while I became connected with many new amazing women. Lucky me. You know, I kept my old friends quite close. And you, Jeri served on that women center's board for many, many years.

[24:03] JERI MALOUF: I didn't know you could get off.

[24:05] JANET OSBORNE: I know. So I never told you.

[24:08] JERI MALOUF: During the eighties, I took a big step and moved the preschool to a private location, and it became morningside school. I was now teaching full time and managing the business side, which was no easy task. It all took time well.

[24:23] JANET OSBORNE: But, hey, we did make it to the 1990s, and we managed to turn the big 50.

[24:33] JERI MALOUF: Yeah, well, our friendship's always been nourishing. But our darkest day was September 1990. You awoke us early in the morning. Our stephanie has been killed in a senseless car accident. Let's go for a walk, he said. The four of us, you, Grace and Carl and I walked along the canal trail in our neighborhood. You were comforting me. We were still in a daze. Eventually, we were able to talk about Stephanie. Not out of grief, but out of love. Stephanie and I had a little extra bond as we shared a birthday.

[25:09] JANET OSBORNE: And, you know, a tradition that we still often carry on is. What kind of roses?

[25:16] JERI MALOUF: Yellow roses.

[25:17] JANET OSBORNE: Yellow roses. That was the thing that joined us.

[25:22] JERI MALOUF: With you to this day. How many years has it been? A long time.

[25:26] JANET OSBORNE: Yeah, it's at least 30. It's been a long time. Yeah. Well, we do, too. Well, it was. You know, I have to say that it was during those times that my circle of friends, and especially the women, nurtured me and understood completely what had happened. And in the nineties also, our directions shifted just slightly. Yeah, but enough.

[25:57] JERI MALOUF: Yeah. My career shifted from preschool to middle school. Same kids in bigger bodies. I entered this new career with gusto. English classes were going to be creative and fun. My goal was to open the creative minds of students. I commandeered other english teachers who'd been underlining the subject once in the verb, twice, to help me establish an arena for students to showcase their work. The young writers and art. Excuse me. The young writers and artists Fest has hosted thousands of middle school students in the past 25 years.

[26:37] JANET OSBORNE: You just have a cough. You're not contagious, are you?

[26:41] JERI MALOUF: Yeah, I'm trying to cough on you.

[26:42] JANET OSBORNE: That's what I thought. This is not good. Cover your mouth, lady. I know. Okay, well, thinking about this, I give you real kudos for doing that because you brought something to this valley that had never been here before.

[27:03] JERI MALOUF: It's worked out.

[27:04] JANET OSBORNE: And the young students children just benefited enormously from your efforts.

[27:11] JERI MALOUF: The idea is not everyone is an athlete.

[27:14] JANET OSBORNE: That's true. Which is another whole story. Thinking about that time, I got a call from Salt Lake, and a friend asked me if I wanted to be a part of organizing something called the First Crones Council. And I discovered crones in our planning and the first gathering we held in Jackson. Now, I'm 50 at that time, and I can relate to this cycle of women's lives because crones is about celebrating wise women, older women. And women gather at these events to tell stories. And they sing and they dance and they drum and they discover that older women have value. And we learn about ritual in the lives of women who have gone before us. And the highlight is, I remember clearly, Jeri in 1998 when my 81 year old mother, my sister Kay, and my daughter Lisa joined me in Salt Lake. There were three generations of women. And in a matter of days, I have learned more about we have each other than we could imagine. And that Jeri was a gift. It really was. A gift.

[28:47] JERI MALOUF: Yeah, the crone. I came in much, much later.

[28:49] JANET OSBORNE: You did?

[28:50] JERI MALOUF: But anyway, it is a true sharing of life and stories. I loved, loved, loved the stories. But when did 50 become old?

[29:06] JANET OSBORNE: When you turned 50, ladies, that's what.

[29:09] JERI MALOUF: It seemed old then. But it doesn't seem old anymore.

[29:12] JANET OSBORNE: I know. No, definitely not.

[29:16] JERI MALOUF: By 1994, we'd given up backpacking, and the four of us, you, Grayson, Carl and I flew to London with the us youth theater department, and you insisted that we have high tea.

[29:30] JANET OSBORNE: Well, for its sakes.

[29:31] JERI MALOUF: I think it was some fantasy you had.

[29:34] JANET OSBORNE: Well, we were in London. Everybody in London always had high tea. And I do have to mention, remember that I think the management had to resurrect a waitress to serve us from the past.

[29:52] JERI MALOUF: Yeah, she was somewhat confused. And the tea was quite comical.

[29:56] JANET OSBORNE: Yes, I know. Well, it was not, however, comical or so funny I remember. Anyway, when the bill came to $70.

[30:10] JERI MALOUF: $70 little teeny sandwiches.

[30:13] JANET OSBORNE: I know.

[30:14] JERI MALOUF: Okay.

[30:14] JANET OSBORNE: But we did get.

[30:16] JERI MALOUF: It was an experience, and that's what we probably. What we remember about that whole trip. That's true.

[30:21] JANET OSBORNE: Yeah. And it was fun. You were good traveling companions. I know.

[30:25] JERI MALOUF: Another fun trip was the trip to Portland to visit old friends and watch our son perform with his New York dance company. He was thrilled to see us in the audience.

[30:36] JANET OSBORNE: I was so impressed with Ned, little Ned that we had, I had in preschool and had grown. My children had grown up with him do that. He was absolutely so talented, and he had found a niche.

[30:52] JERI MALOUF: He was still trying to learn how to fly.

[30:54] JANET OSBORNE: I know he was. And it was very athletic, actually, but beautifully choreographed. It was incredible experience. And I think I realized, Jared, that moment, that our children really were becoming adults, and they were finding their own way, their own niche, their own way to have meaning to them.

[31:18] JERI MALOUF: Well, you know, the century turned, and we turned another corner with retirement insight.

[31:25] JANET OSBORNE: And, you know, the retirement is the best job I've ever had.

[31:30] JERI MALOUF: I like it, too. However, retirement doesn't mean we quit. It's just a new start.

[31:36] JANET OSBORNE: Right. Because since retirement, dear one, we've done many, many excursions together. In 2010, remember, we accompanied our daughters, Lisa and Annette, to Washington, DC. And it was then we actually realized they were in charge of us and bossing us around. And I liked it once I got used to it.

[32:03] JERI MALOUF: Well, you're right.

[32:04] JANET OSBORNE: And the girls, I have to give them credit, they were great travel guides.

[32:09] JERI MALOUF: Well, we have continued doing a lot of activities we've done for years, too. Not just the trips, but, like, the tailgate parties before football games.

[32:18] JANET OSBORNE: Right. That we would cheer if they even made a first down, which we were.

[32:27] JERI MALOUF: Happy if they did. Even when our interests took us different directions, there were those activities that kept us connected. We have met monthly for book club.

[32:37] JANET OSBORNE: Right. And we did that even during COVID We discussed books by means of Zoom.

[32:42] JERI MALOUF: And this past year, we completed our 200th book.

[32:46] JANET OSBORNE: I know. And we've also been connected through the Cache Valley Women's Club and has been a constant for us for. Oh, gosh, more than years. And. I know.

[32:56] JERI MALOUF: And when you and Grayson downsized, you moved in with us for a few weeks. And I loved that. It was like playing house. I did miss you, though, when you spent several winters in Scottsdale.

[33:08] JANET OSBORNE: Well, you know what? That reminds me about, Jeri because you were very generous with tuas. Good friends allow friendships to ebb and flow. And I thank you for that, for being a constant thread over the many years.

[33:23] JERI MALOUF: The feelings are definitely mutual.

[33:25] JANET OSBORNE: Well, now we're in our eighties and able to sit back and listen and be the observers.

[33:31] JERI MALOUF: It took a little practice, but once I caught on how it's done, I quite like it.

[33:36] JANET OSBORNE: Right. And organ recitals, and I'm not talking about music, has become part of our repertoire.

[33:42] JERI MALOUF: Yes, comparing notes is quite informative. It's just not us. Our friends have like experiences.

[33:49] JANET OSBORNE: Right. How are you sleeping?

[33:51] JERI MALOUF: I'm awake a lot at night. So am I. I discovered this wonderful sleep aid.

[33:57] JANET OSBORNE: Ambien?

[33:59] JERI MALOUF: No. A peanut butter sandwich and a small glass of milk.

[34:05] JANET OSBORNE: What?

[34:06] JERI MALOUF: No kidding. Milk and peanut butter both have quantities that produce sleep. Peanut butter contains the amino acid tritophin, which the body needs to make serotonin and melatonin, which can produce quality sleep.

[34:22] JANET OSBORNE: Well, who told you that?

[34:25] JERI MALOUF: Nobody. I googled it.

[34:27] JANET OSBORNE: Well, when you get right down to it, we are still in pretty good shape for how old we are.

[34:34] JERI MALOUF: Well, the anatomy of our long friendship is a reflection of our well being.

[34:38] JANET OSBORNE: You know, I know that it's friends we have throughout our lives that keep us vibrant. And we are always cooking up something new, including this idea to participate in StoryCorps.

[34:52] JERI MALOUF: It's really been fun dredging up these old adventures.

[34:55] JANET OSBORNE: So what's next, my friend?

[34:58] JERI MALOUF: Well, let's go to lunch.

[35:01] JANET OSBORNE: All right.

[35:04] JERI MALOUF: I it.