Okay, my friend Dottie phoned and told me her feelings got hurt when she showed up unannounced at the home of her son and daughter in law, (which she does on a regular basis) and the DIL was cleaning house and said to Dottie that she should have called first. Dottie has always dropped in on people without phoning to ask if it was okay to visit.

She says that's the way it's done, especially with family. I sided with the DIL. My major pet peeve are people who "drop in" and "stop by" without phoning first. I told Dottie in my opinion it is rather rude and thoughtless to just pop in on somebody.

Now in Grandma and Grandpa's day when hardly anyone had a phone, or television or other entertainment, the women stayed home and raised children and the menfolk farmed and logged here in rural Mississippi--then when on weekends a car full of visitors drove up, it was a happy occasion. The women would chat and gossip and the men would gather up to talk about farming and hunting and whatever else menfolk talk about. But that was a long time ago.

Nowadays, women work outside the home, men work away from home, the kids have iteneraries chock full of activities--in other words it's busy lives all around. It's just plain polite to call first to see if it's okay to come for a visit. Even family should respect that. Just my opinion, of course.

susil