As I finished my last column, I had just gotten the news that Helen Wagner who played Nancy Hughes for 54 years had passed away. This show would not be the same without seeing her on her periodic visits. I always looked forward to seeing Nancy if only for a glimpse of her in a scene to see that she had not been completely relegated to obscurity. I thought the Nancy Hughes character was just as vital as Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless -- where were the storylines for Nancy in her later years? Where was her love interest or some problem in her life that we as an audience could watch her deal with?

Her infrequent visits were worth it though -- she'd visit with Katie and have a chat with her about being a widow. On her last visit, she had that great scene with Casey about Alison -- those were those moments that I have missed so much in Oakdale.

I remember her scenes with John Dixon. Dr. John always wanted her respect. I remember her friendship with Ellen Stewart as they talked in her kitchen drinking coffee -- discussing their children and their problems.

When I started watching ATWT, there were always those scenes with Nancy fixing breakfast for Chris and Grandpa Hughes. The Hughes is still the great family of Oakdale once headed by Grandpa Hughes then Chris and Nancy now by Bob and Kim. There was not a lot of action in the early years; it was just about families dealing with family issues -- one of the things that drew me in. The Hughes rallied around each other; if something happened to one of them, we saw the whole family at the hospital waiting for word.

I will miss Helen Wagner as Nancy Hughes. I know the show ending soon; I thought we still had time for more visits before the end. She was the true matriarch of the Hughes family. As I think back to the anniversary show when Nancy and Chris celebrated their last anniversary together, we saw Penny, Donald and so many others back for this event. I hope Nancy Hughes gets the proper sendoff; it should be fitting of the contribution she made to Oakdale and the fans who have loved Helen Wagner for so many years. This is another major loss to the world of daytime drama.

What Happened this Week in Oakdale?
• Carly is going to go ahead with her plan to shield Parker when he wants to tell the truth. I know she is afraid of him possibly going to jail for the assault on Gabriel. She kicked Jack out in order to hide what she was really doing. Jack and Carly were moving in the right direction as they were communicating and fighting through their issues; things have taken a wrong turn here. Carly was doing so well for a while here -- I don't like this latest story development; before they were adults fighting for their relationship and now Carly is being manipulative and lying which will not help things with Jack.

• After all these years when Margo just washed her hands of Craig and his many transgressions, why now would she want Tom to defend him? I watched in awe as she did something we have not seen her do before. Well, the truth of the matter is that Craig is not guilty of hurting Gabriel. Why hasn't Craig just shouted out that he was Gabriel's father? Craig has never had a problem admitting he was the father of his children -- so why now leave everyone to believe that Gabriel had no relatives? I found this to be out of character for Craig.

• Is it just me or has Vienna taken this trying to trap Henry with a baby thing too far? You talk about character assassination. Vienna used to be this free spirit who traveled the globe and now she had resorted to using Casey as an unsuspecting sperm donor to marry another man. This is not the Vienna Hyatt that sailed into Oakdale.

• On the other hand, what is wrong with Henry? If he wants to be with Barbara then just admit it and move on. Why the sneaking around with Barbara when it is obvious that he no longer wants to be with Vienna? What is the point of all of this when there is a simple solution -- al simple adult decision, right?

• Yes, I am still scratching my head at all the things that Emma Snyder is doing to get her granddaughter away from Emily and Paul. Why would Margo call Emma when she knows that Paul has custody of Eliza? I was shocked to see Emma in the Interrogation Room with the baby when Paul, Meg and Emily arrived at the police station. I do completely agree that Emily was wrong to leave a baby in the car for any time alone to chase a story. We know that Emily is more business woman than mother.

• When is Katie going to realize that maybe Chris Hughes is the man for her? When is going to stop spending all of this time matchmaking for other people? It is a waste of time or is it just a diversion to hide behind so she won't feel anything herself? It may work this time for her and Chris; they are much older and they are being brought together a lot. I like them together. I don't want Chris going back to Alison Stewart again; please don't let him make that mistake again.

• Now that Noah has his eyesight, how long will it be before he sees the truth about Reid and Luke? Why now that he is getting better that he wants Luke again -- he pushed Luke away so many times before. Reid is obviously attracted to Luke and Luke is in a quandary about who to choose. Does he go back to his first love because he wants him back or does he give this new man who sparks something in him a chance? This is an interesting triangle.

Now, it's time to open up the mailbag and see what readers have to say: