Hey, Gail. For just a moment, I thought the title of your article was a suggestion we return to a time when political conversation wasn’t dominated by those on the far right or left, and we once again seek compromise and bipartisan solutions to “meet in the middle!”

Back to your real topic, my wife was on the phone with a friend who had just extended an invitation to come to their home for dinner. When she turned to ask me if I wanted to accept the invite, I responded, “Ask them what they’re serving” — implying the answer might determine if I said yes or no. My wife was aghast, and replied (in a firm whisper), “I’m not going to do that!”

Of course, I did this for fun, but it became a thing (ok, one of the weird things I’m known for). But now, many of our friends’ invitations include “Would you and Harper like to come-over for dinner? Tell Harper we’re having barbecued chicken. And no, you can’t bring anything!” (I added that last part because it’s another pet peeve we can discuss later.)

By the way, I have no dietary restrictions and accept all invitations from people I enjoy, including those who write beautifully. Nice job!