I'm Ba-ack!

So, here I am with the seriously cute William Anderson, a.k.a. my friend Bill, up at the Laurapalooza. More about him and said gathering later. Meanwhile, long time, no write - not here anyway and why? Because I've been AWAY. Lovely, enchanting word hat is. Distracted. Out on the road I've been: Independence, MO > KCMO [at The Reading Reptile, the best children's book store in the land] > Clear Lake, IA, w/ thoughts of long-gone Buddy Holly, forever young > New Ulm, MN, where I conducted a bit of a writing workshop with a gaggle of 9- & 10-year-olds + a handful of teenagers (a handful indeed, let me tell you. Nearly knocked over by trouble-&-heartache vibes coming off them) in a house once lived in by Anton Ga'g, a wonderful artist who died too young, but not before fathering 7 children. He's known these days chiefly because one of them, Wanda, grew up to be a writer & artist, author/illustrator of Millions of Cats. Really, M. of C. was my introduction to children's books, thanks to Bob Keeshan, a.k.a. Captain Kangaroo, bless him, back when I was short & cute & Ike Eisenhower was in office.

From New Ulm, where I climbed 99 steps in order to look up the skirt of Hermann the German www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11260 over to Mankato, a.k.a Deep Valley, MN, to the 1st annual Laurapalooza, where I met Julie of Wisconsin, who sews swell prairie dresses, pinafores, & bonnets to be worn at pageants & other occasions, celebrating the life, the stories & values expressed in the work of the Ingalls's 2nd daughter, bless her forever.

I got to meet Miss Melanie Stringer, gloriously attired in a gown of brown + swellegant straw bonnet, a la Miss Ingalls, c. 1882; my friends Barb & George Hawkins, Maria Millen,

Lona Falenczykowski, one of the Founding Mothers of the Betsy-Tacy Society as well as the voice behind the microphone at KMSU-FM on Monday nights for Jazz with Miss Lona www.mnsu.edu/kmsufm/schedule/jazz. and of course, Bill Anderson, who knows all there is to know about the Ingalls & Wilder clans. Again, more about all of this and ever so much more, later on. Too much to tell

at this sitting. For now, I must be away.