Once upon a time my ex-wife and a friend took a "ladies' night out" leaving me and friend's husband in charge of the kids. Friend's husband was a well-respected student of the Civil War, but he and and I had intentionally avoided discussion of the matter because there was a mutual feeling that we were on "opposite sides" of a Blue-Grey line.

While the girls were out and the kids were asleep, the two of us had no option but to engage in conversation. When the girls came home from their "night out" us guys kept the lamps burning until dawn discussing the economics of the United States 1861-1870. No arguments about "right" or "wrong", "honorable" or "dishonorable" -- just straight geeky economics.

Eventually he and I had to make breakfast for everybody when they started waking up. There we were in the kitchen: slinging grits, boiling coffee and frying eggs as we continued to discuss the effects of the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War on the economics of Blue and Grey.

Sometimes I miss that conversation worse than I miss the ex-wife.

-kirby-