I always say what a great place McPherson was to grow up in, and share my thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of a small town. Remember the About Town column that used to appear in the McPherson Sentinel? Who was the woman who wrote that and how did she know everything? When we would come back for a visit, my parents' phone would ring almost as soon as we parked in their driveway, and the next day a note appeared in the Sentinel that we were in town visiting our parents. My mother often quoted "they." It always amazed me what "they" said about other people. I remember one time "they" said there was a car belonging to a certain single man parked in the driveway of a certain single woman all night. My thought was, who cares? I lived in mortal fear of what "they" would say that might get back to my parents. On the other hand, "they" were always there when needed and "they" supported all the stuff we did in school, and I loved that aspect of living in McPherson.