My Dear Miss Blue,

You say his name is Franco: how trickily subtle of you, Miss Blue. The name, Franco, of spaghetti fame, my sources tell me, comes from the French, that being common knowledge.I have always thought of the spaghetti, Franco-American, as an unlikely competitor for the Real Italian Pasta. My father, GJB, of Real Italian Fame, scoffed at the can of Franco-American spaghetti our mother served when we gathered to Eat Italian Style, without Rolls, without Caesar Salad, without Red Wine. Soooooo Franco-American Orange in appearance. I agreed with his scoffing then and now, in retrospect, I feel his pain.

Write to me soon; I have had such a dreary time with the illness brought on by the riff raff coming into the building. I am initiating a new ruling, to be presented to the Board: Certificates of Wellness (COW's) issued only after being checked by an electronic eye to be installed at the front entrance. That should take care of the problem as I see it. I only hope the crowds there in Iowa and New Hampshire are covering their coughs and washing up after every handshake.

Love, Pearl