So I’ve been trying to maintain some level of anonymity in this blog while still providing enough information for it to be an interesting read.  But recently it’s become complicated.  With dad referring to brothers and sisters, future nephews, aunts and uncles… it’s become a bit of a pain to keep up with all the obfuscation. The complexity has only increased with the addition of comments.  I’ve had to change names to “Mom,” “Dad’s sister” and the like, so you’ll know who’s talking without giving specifics.

So I’ve discussed the matter with mom and a number of other people who are mentioned, and from here on out we’re going to be using real names.

The lovers we’ve been following are Rita and Jeff, my parents.  They grew up in Brookings, SD (so the nearby large town is Sioux Falls).  Jeff has two brothers, Dex (the one he fixed up the car with early on) and Brian, plus one sister, Brenda, who has been mentioned a few times and can also be found in the comments from time to time (see last post).

Rita (my mom) has three brothers: the twins, Steven & Alan, and Dean (the youngest).

I have a sister (Alana) and a brother (Dana), who can also be found in the comments occasionally.

Hopefully being able to use names will allow us to establish relationships more easily.

These changes were prompted by a e-mail I received from my dad’s cousin Lori which I wanted to publish here but which would be impossible to comprehend without names.  It follows, edited for length and content:

Hi Ethan, Just thought I would write and let you know who the heck “Your Dad’s cousin” is when I write in the “comments” section. I am Lori, I grew up with your Aunt Brenda in Brookings SD. My dad is your [Grandma J’s] brother. Brenda and I are only 9 days apart in age so we’re almost like sisters. I just adored your dad, he was such a great person. He used to tease the heck out of Brenda and I but we loved it. I was only 11-12 years old when all this was going on but I do remember your dad going to Vietnam. I am really enjoying your web site and look forward to M-W-F when you put new letters up.  Didn’t want to bother you but wanted you to know who this strange person is writing in the comments section. – Regards, Lori

Oh yeah, my name is Ethan.  Glad to have you here.