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Lily and Dick Butler have been married nearly 50 years, living for most of those years near Dublin, in a home in which Dick refuses to pay for central heating. But, lately several large sums of money have disappeared from their checking account, and Dick is unable or unwilling to account for them. He seems at times docile, but still rules his roost with an iron hand and has never become accustomed to being a useless old retired man. Lily is a victim of her times, the self-effacing woman with no aspirations other than homemaker. Ruth, their 40 year old daughter, is a single architect and ardent feminist who encourages Lily to exert her will and try to be less dependent on Dick.

After finding Dick under the bed with a gun one night, Lily reluctantly concedes to Ruth's urging to have him tested by a psychiatrist, who pronounces him manic-depressive. He is sent to a psychiatric hospital where he vacillates between a drug induced torpor and manic, dangerous, destructive outbursts. Rather than realizing how much better off she is without him, Lily becomes so lonely and depressed that she actually adopts a mouse as her pet.

Ruth, the classic sandwich generation, is torn between getting on with her life, trying to appease her demanding father, and trying to keep her mother from sinking further into her own depression.

The book provides some poignant, revealing insights into what makes a 50-year marriage work. Lily said "the truth is, we accommodated each other. Maybe I just accommodated him. We understood each other's weaknesses." The book is a sad, revealing, sometimes funny commentary on the most enduring and intimate of human relationships.

This is the story of a married couple who for fifty years
shared their life with each other.
Lily,the wife,has always been the type of woman with no
aspirations other than to be a good wife and mother(noble
in itself,if you are with the right man.)
Dick,her husband was the provider and worked outside the
home.He was not happy when Lily became pregnant,with
their one child.He also refuses over the years to put
central heating in their home.You know the type.
When Dick becomes really odd over some missing money,
Lily calls upon her unmarried daughter,Ruth,to help
rectify the situation.
Although Ruth is a forty year old woman,and a feminist
too,she does not see her parents clearly.
It is almost like they are consciously or unconsciously,
sending her the message"we need you to survive."
Ruth becomes entangled in the middle of their lives.
She has always liked her Dad,and hasn't seen any of his
imperfections.
They all go to see a charming,unorthodox, Dr. Walcott,who

tells them what he sees.There is some real humor in this
semi-sad tale.There is also mystery and action.
Ah,read the book,there is much in it that speaks to
these modern times of caretaking,and Family.

As Continental forces and Virginia militia units were engaged in winning independence, American quartermasters and provisioners struggled to provide these units with all the necessities of life, from meals and guns to meat, fodder for horses, the horses themselves, firewood, and every other type of material. Much of this was requisitioned from the civilian population and certificates were issued payable in either continental or state funds, depending on the units supplied, upon presentation to court authorities. Thousands of these certificates issued to Virginians were duly entered by the courts, and they provide a fascinating insight into the period of the Revolution. These "Publick" Claims booklets contain interesting and useful information about the contributions of ordinary people to the Revolutionary War. They provide some details of people's service in the militia or as guards for prisoners of war; they indicate where some bodies of troops were at particular times; and they identify providers of horses, wagons, cattle, grain, or other supplies. Much of the information in these booklets cannot be found anywhere else, which makes the surviving records particularly valuable. Also remarkable is the fact that records survived from virtually every county in the state at that time with the exception of the newly formed Kentucky counties. This makes the collection even more valuable in covering areas which heretofore in this time period have suffered from a lack of personal data. The "Virginia Publick Claims" are published by counties. In addition to a faithful transcription by Janice Luck Abercrombie and the late Richard Slatten, a complete index is provided for each county booklet. This series is an extremely important genealogical tool for searchers in Revolutionary-era materials.