All I wanted was some corn to throw on the barbecue.

But my Saturday shopping took on a surreal turn when I was accosted by a stranger while perusing produce. As I slid an ear of corn into a bag, a woman said, “Stop! Don’t buy that! That’s genetically modified corn! Do you want to be sterile?”

Bemused, I put another ear of corn in the bag and met the stranger’s eye. “Ma’am,” I replied. “I have four sons; at this point in my life sterility would be a blessing.”

I thought that would put an end to her meddling, but I’d severely underestimated the tenacity of the PCGSP (Politically Correct Grocery Store Police).

Agitated, the woman poked the ear of corn in my hand. “Did you know if you plant that in the ground it WON’T grow?” The produce guy caught my eye and winced. More here. Cindy Hval, SR

Have you ever been tempted to berate someone for their grocery purchases? What would you have done if you'd been in my shoes?

The sun warmed my shoulders and a breeze ruffled the flags that stretched out along the horizon. I laid the red, white and blue bouquet next to a pot of yellow roses, and Sam stuck a pinwheel into the ground that soon spun in a blur of colors as the wind reached it. Tombstones jutted in orderly rows like soldiers standing at attention. The Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake is a beautiful spot and my father-in-law’s final resting place. For 18 years, my husband, sons and I have paid Memorial Day weekend visits to my father’s grave at Fairmount Memorial Park. My father-in-law’s death two years ago added this new destination to our pilgrimage of remembrance/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here.

Question: What will your epitaph say?

One by one they arrived at two-year intervals. First Ethan, then Alex, then Zack. Each baby welcomed with joy until our home overflowed with boys. Three is plenty we said. Three is more than enough. Yet something seemed missing. We had room at the table and space in our hearts, and following a five-year gap, an unexpected blessing arrived – our fourth son, Sam. At last our family felt complete. The years sped by in a blur of busyness. At one time I had kids in elementary, middle and high schools. I lived in our minivan shuttling boys from here to there and back again. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” seasoned parents advised. “One day they’ll all be gone”/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here.

Also by Cindy:

• Tribes keep language alive
• Lilac Festival float still diamond in rough

Question: If you're an empty-nester, how well did you adapt to the change?

One of the best forms of exercise doesn’t require expensive equipment, trendy fitness DVDs or a gym membership. Everyone from Thomas Jefferson to health guru Dr. Oz have touted the benefits of walking. All I know is that while my “Buns of Steel” DVD gathers dust on my shelf, my walking shoes wear out on a regular basis. Six years ago, I started taking a 3 ¾-mile walk several times a week because I wanted the physical benefits of a regular exercise routine. But what has kept me walking is the way it feeds my soul/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here.

Question: Do you have a regular exercise routine? Tell us about it.

North Idahoans know that huckleberries are delicious – the state fruit, if not a certain column by that name. The latter has helped put bread on my table since January 1985. But I’ve never heard of it being served as a main course for anyone’s supper. In her relatively short time with The Spokesman-Review, Cindy Hval achieved something that neither I nor any other columnist/reporter has. She wrote an article that was so good that a reader called to say that he’d eaten it. Cindy, for those keeping score at home, also subs for me during my vacations from the Huckleberries Online blog. She was poppin’ buttons last week over the description used by her fan to describe her Pig Out in the Park review. “Delicious” being one of the adjectives. The fan left an S-R phone recording: “It was so good that I cut it out and actually ate it.” Then, he backtracked and admitted that he hadn’t eaten it. Instead, he had licked the newsprint. Wonder how Cindy’s writing works on waffles?/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

Question: Do you ever call or write to the newspaper when you appreciate something that you've read in it?

Cindy’s fan loves column enough to eat it

In this SR file photo, Noah Krause, 7, of Spokane, Wash., shovels in a mouthful of almond chicken during Pig Out in the Park at Riverfront Park in Spokane.

A man was so impressed by Cindy's column re: Pig Out in the Park that he called the Spokane office to say that he had clipped it out and ate it. “It was delicious,” he said. Then, he admitted that he hadn't eaten the column but he had licked the newsprint. You can hear the phone recording on the link above.

Question: Have you ever had an unabashed fan?

Like many Spokane County residents, my summertime conversations are peppered with references to “the lake.” I’m usually referring to Diamond Lake, where my brother-in-law owns a home.

I love being on the lake.

I adore looking at the lake.

I just don’t like being in the lake.

My idea of swimming involves plenty of concrete, chlorine and NO fish or seaweed. My mother traces this aversion to when we lived on Guam. While my siblings enjoyed the white, sandy beaches, I refused to get off the blanket unless I was carried or wearing shoes. “It’s dirty!” I insisted.

So recently, when our family packed to spend a week at Diamond Lake, one purchase was absolutely essential – I needed a new floatie

A few summers ago the boys had popped my beloved aqua floatie with its comfy cushion, cutout for leg-dangling and built-in beverage holder. Read more. Cindy Hval, SR

When you talk about “the lake,” which lake are you referring to?

In 1937, John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” hit the bookshelves, Fred Astaire crooned “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” milk cost 14 cents a gallon, and 9 cents would buy a loaf of bread. And on June 9, Emil and Mary Larsen wed. Seventy-five years later, Emil, 99, still smiles when he recalls the day he first saw Mary. “She had long black hair down to her waist,” he said. “Her aunt owned a dance hall at Eloika Lake and got her milk, cream and vegetables from my father’s farm.” On that afternoon Mary and her brother had been dispatched to the Larsen farm near Elk to fetch fresh milk. Emil happened to be home. “I’d just arrived from working in Oregon,” he said/Cindy Hval, SR Love Story. More here.

Question: Can you imagine being married 75 years?

On her Facebook wall, Cindy writes: “You think you're having a bad day? In addition to it not being Thursday, I just found out that my favorite massage therapist is no longer at BrickHouse | Massage & Coffee Bar and I'm going to have to let a new person give me a one hour relaxing massage. Tough times.”

Question: How can you tell that you're having a bad day?

Last month Thor got an email from the vet notifying him that he was due for a checkup. I found the note in my spam filter. Very clever, Thor. But the vet was smarter and mailed him a postcard, too. It read: “Attention Thor! It’s time for a visit!” I found the card near the litter box and scheduled an appointment. Now, Thor is an extremely easy-going feline. Nothing rattles him except perhaps an empty food bowl, but more about that later. “You’re going to go on a road trip!” I told him. He yawned and covered his eyes/Cindy Hval, SR. More here.

Question: Do you have a pet with a weight problem?

Dale and Eva Eastburg embrace at their home in Mead on June 28. The Eastburgs celebrated their 70th anniversary in May. He’s 90, she’s 88 and they enjoy going to the gym three days a week.

Dale Eastburg has never forgotten the first time he saw his future wife, Eva. Neither has she.

“I was in the front yard and Dale drove by on his motorcycle and almost crashed, because he was gawking at me,” Eva said.

“I almost hit a pole!” Dale confirmed.

It was 1939 and Dale, a senior at Rogers High School, asked one of the boys in the neighborhood to introduce him to the dark-haired beauty with the stunning smile.

Soon they became inseparable. Eva attended North Central High School, but not for long. Dale grinned. “I talked her into transferring to Rogers.” Cindy Hval, SR Full story.

An amazing couple. Married 70 years, they still go on dates every Friday and workout 3 times a week. How often do you exercise?

For Amanda Furrer the dream started small. “I just wanted to win a medal,” she said. And she did. In 2007, she won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games. But that win only whetted her appetite for more and her dreams are now Olympic-size.Furrer, 21, is a member of the U.S. Shooting Team and will compete in the Olympics in London in August. … Furrer may have missed some social functions in high school, but she didn’t sacrifice her femininity. The self-described girly-girl said, “I love wearing glitter, high heels and make-up and I love shopping”/Cindy Hval, SR. More here. (Colin Mulvany SR photo)

• Other stories by Cindy: Love Story: Car wreck tests couple's character

Question: For female readers: Are you a girly-girl or a tomboy? For male readers: Which type of woman are you attracted to?

In other kid-bragging news, Super Sub Cindy writes of 20YO son, Alex, who conquered the Flamin' Joe's Code Red challenge. Egged on by the swing-shift crew from GU, he consumed 12 of Flamin Joe's spiciest wings in under 4 minutes without water, other food or condiments. He's pic's on the wall at Flamin' Joe's on the South Hill and he got a t-shirt. Was it worth it? Said Alex, “My whole body went numb for awhile.”

Question: What's the spiciest thing you've ever eaten?

He was a single dad raising seven children. She was a single mom with five kids. In 1966, Mel and Darlene Le Claire met when she moved into a house behind him in south Spokane. “Our kids played together,” Darlene recalled. His oldest was 13 and the youngest just 5. Her kids ranged in age from 14 to 7. The kids ran back and forth between the two houses, but the adults didn’t meet until Darlene saw Mel walking past her house. He was so handsome, she said, “I thought he was worth meeting”/Cindy Hval, SR Love Story. More here. (Colin Mulvany SR story)

• Also by Cindy: Veteran recalls months of Japanese captivity

Question: Thirteen kids! Do you come from a large family?

Thirty years ago Meghan Slick’s birth made the newspaper. Now, it’s her newborn son’s turn to shine. In this tangled tale of moms, babies and doctors, Payton Slick seemed a bit bored by all the fuss. Eight days old at the time of this interview, he yawned, hiccupped and declined further comment. So his grandmother, Cheri Erpenbach, started the story at the beginning, with the birth of Payton’s mom, Meghan. Erpenbach went into labor with her second child on a chilly November morning in 1981. They called her doctor, John McKenna, and she and her husband, Michael Erpenbach, headed to Sacred Heart Hospital. They didn’t get far/Cindy Hval, SR. More here. (SR photo)

• Adoption reunion often rich for those choosing one/Cindy Hval
• Front Porch: The gift every mom wishes for/Cindy Hval

Question: Do you have any similar birth stories in your family?

I have a confession to make. I’m a girl. A girly-girl. I don’t like playing team sports, sweating, getting dirt on my hands or fishing. Well, I’ve never actually gone fishing, but it involves bait and bad smells, so I’m confident it’s not for me. I like pretty china, pink and smelling good. The irony of course, is that I have four sons, a husband and two male cats. My menfolk don’t mind me smelling good or wearing pink, but pretty china is wasted on them. They’re not interested in the plates – just what’s on them. Every so often, I need to spend time with my own kind – girls’ night out saves my sanity. Usually, I meet friends at an upscale restaurant where we enjoy food that we haven’t cooked and estrogen-laden conversation. It’s all very civilized. In fact, I started to feel like girls’ night out had become a little too tame and predictable. Then I heard some friends were planning a girls-n-guns get-together at a local shooting range. Revolvers, zombies and ammo? “I’m in!” I said/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here.

Question: Do you enjoy guns or target shooting?

Nebraska's Chad Christensen (2), home plate umpire Pat Spieler and Nebraska third base coach Will Bolt (6) signal a safe call for Richard Stock (39) sliding past Illinois catcher Kelly Norris-Jones in the third inning of an NCAA college baseball game Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/The Journal-Star, Ted Kirk)

On her Facebook wall, Cindy writes: “The only thing worse than watching Major League Baseball is a root canal. Unless they offer nitrous oxide. Then I'll take the root canal.” Dunno about you, but I (heart) Major League Baseball. I've followed it and the San Francisco Giants since I was 8 in 1958. Even pay $20 to MLB.com, so I can listen to any ballgame I want while puttering in my home office. How about you?

Question: Are you a true blue fan like DFO or are you an unbeliever like Super Sub Cindy?

Giggling newlyweds, golden anniversaries, glamorous weddings – I’ve covered them all as part of my Love Story series for this newspaper. And while I’m supposed to be objective and unbiased, I confess I do have a favorite love story – my own. Twenty-six years ago today, I walked down the aisle toward Derek, absolutely confident I was making the best decision of my life. The years have proved me right. We met at church. I spotted him sitting down the row from me and whispered to my friend, “Who is that?” “That’s Darrol’s brother, Derek,” she whispered back. “He just got back from flight school.” I’m afraid I don’t remember a single word of the sermon because I couldn’t take my eyes off the tall, handsome blond at the end of the row/Cindy Hval, SR. More here.

Question: Do you remember the first time you laid eyes on your true love?

It was the cold she noticed first. Two years ago, when Cat Davis returned to Spokane, she couldn’t seem to get warm. She thought maybe living in Arizona had left her unaccustomed to Spokane’s October chill. But days went by and she grew more miserable.She finally went to the doctor. “I was diagnosed with Raynaud’s disease,” she said. The disease causes arteries that supply blood to the skin to narrow, limiting circulation to affected areas.Davis was told she’d be better off living in a warmer climate, and she wanted to return to Arizona anyway. But once there her health problems continued/Cindy Hval, SR. More here.

Question: What would you do if you were given a death sentence?