THE PAST IS NEVER WHERE YOU THINK YOU LEFT IT Yesterday, I was at Henry County Hospital doing an article for the newspaper. On my way out, I couldn’t resist a quick run through the gift shop to have a look at what they did with my book. Last week, the gift shop bought several copies outright. And there the books were, on display right next to the register. “Liberty?” the clerk inquired as she glanced at the cover. “Yes, the title is a play on words in tribute to my hometown.” “Did you ever know a Ruth Miller from Liberty? She’d be about 100 now if she was alive.” “YES! I knew her! She was the junior-high secretary and she was a bundle of energy. I was an office aide in eighth-grade. Her daughter’s name is Claudia and Mrs. Miller taught me to crochet.” “That all sounds right. She was a sweet woman.” I just realized that crocheting is mentioned in the book. And crocheting connects me to Mrs. Miller. Isn’t it funny how we are all connected to all the people we have ever known, the places we’ve been, the skills we have, and they pop up in our lives from time to time in unexpected ways? I hadn’t thought about Mrs. Miller in ages. In eighth grade, she started a crafts room and taught the girls how to do various kinds of crafts made out of odds and ends. Today they call it upcycling. We had the option of going to Mrs. Miller’s crafts room in what was the old Short High School (my eighth-grade junior-high building) instead of study hall. I loved it. And that’s how I came to crochet a brown hippie purse with fringe, and quickly move on to an afghan for 4-H. Learned: a life skill. What a nice memory from that little stop in the gift shop. Speaking of Liberty Junior High, my art teacher was Thomas Thomas. Mr. Thomas went on to teach art at IU East in Richmond. Heres a fun fact: my cover artist, Marilyn Witt, who is also recognized statewide for her pastels and oils, took art classes from Tom Thomas at IU East! We put that together one day at lunch back in the fall. The past is never where you thought you left it. I’VE BEEN ON THE ROAD the past four Saturdays with stops in New Castle, Cambridge City, Upland (it is pronounced Up LAND by the locals) and Hagerstown. Taking a home-and-family break this weekend. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on book-related topics. This week I applied for a big, juried authors’ fair that Brookville Library Director (and Union County High School grad) Melody Gault told me about way back in the winter. I won’t know for a while whether I made the cut. I do know it’s harder for indies to get in. I also paid $75 for booth space at the Fall Creek Heritage Fair in Pendleton, my adopted hometown of a quarter century. It’s always the Friday-Saturday after Labor Day and is one of the best crafts fairs around. For a decade or more (except the year my foot was in a cast) I’ve attended as a shopper with my longtime baseball-buddy mom Suzy Castrodale from Greenfield. It sure will be different to be on the other side. (More about that in a week or two). If it rains a lot that weekend, strike a match to $75! Oh, but Im thinking crisp, pre-autumn weather, clear, blue skies... My schedule is still largely open in October and November and I’m looking forward to filling it with some great weekend bazaars. What I’ve learned is that I really do enjoy the vendor experience. I usually don’t even get a chance to read the book I brought along, concentrate on the MLM Bible study, pay bills or do other little jobs that I bring along. It’s fun! I love talking to the peeps. So if you have thoughts on some bazaar venues, let me know. Meanwhile, a relaxing home-and-fam weekend is in the works. Wishing all of you a great TGIF and weekend ahead.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 12:21:08 +0000
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