AN OCTOBER TO REMEMBER--IF I DON"T FORGET SOMETHING

During almost 57 years of living, I don’t recall a single month that has been as jam-packed as this one. Basically, I’m holding on as I fly through the days, hoping and praying that I’m not forgetting something as I go.

When my little book came out in the winter of 2014, I had already booked several programs relating to it  and thought I’d see how long the interest lasted. I had no idea if I’d have an audience for a couple of  months, a year, or if I’d need to camp out at every little festival I could find to peddle my inventory a book at a time to break even.

A year and a half later, things generally have slowed down, but October has found me with three book programs on the calendar. Monday night I headed to the Kids & Kettles Home Extension Club in New Palestine.

At the end of the month, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, I’ll be at the Indianapolis Propylaeum giving an evening reading as part of its “Pages at the Prop” series featuring Hoosier authors. I am honored to give the evening program. Reservations are still available for that night out with the girls in that elegant venue. It’s a different kind of event and I love the excitement of new territory.

If you regularly follow any aspect of my writing, you’ll recognize that theme of  "new territory"  as my mantra for this year.

So it is with irony that what I am looking forward to most of all this month concerns old territory: home! And when I say home, those that know me understand that I’m talking about Union County. It doesn’t get any more “home” to me than the 4-H building within eye shot of Union County High School in Liberty.

A few months ago I got an email from Sharon Lindsey wondering if I would be the Union County Extension Homemakers Fall Jamboree speaker. Tears came to my eyes and I felt like getting up and running around the newspaper building. Would I? Little could she have known that this was the “gig” I had long hoped I would get.

As a 10-year 4-H member, that building was in many ways my epicenter. From dress reviews (they call them fashion reviews now) to Share the Fun contests, Junior Leaders meetings, display of my projects at the fair and numerous other events, including dinners prepared by my mother’s Brownsville United Methodist Church women, to auctions, I have spent hours in that building.

Extension Homemakers are among my favorite groups of women to speak to so to get invited home, well, I am humbled and elated.

But book events aside, what a month this is! My church pals and I had our fall getaway to one friend’s lake house in Brown County last weekend and from there, we headed to Madison to tour the farm belonging to another member of our group. She and her husband plan to eventually build a home there and spend their retirement back, way back, in the countryside. We also did a tour of barns that was going on that day.

I’ve got not one but two special publications to put out this month. One is the fall HER magazine for women, and the other is our once-every-175-year magazine commemorating that anniversary of our newspaper.

The daily paper where I work, The New Castle Courier-Times, is one of the oldest continuously operating newspapers in the state. We’ve got some big doings going on from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. If you reading this, consider yourself invited to a free meal and visit with our special guests, including Indianapolis media personality, author and humor columnist Dick Wolfsie and several other talented writers and artists who are affiliated with our newspaper as columnists or regular contributors.

I’m helping chair the special day and that includes such glamorous tasks as helping clean and paint this Friday in preparation.

I’ll wrap up the month with attending a Faith Writing Conference at Anderson University Oct. 30-31.
It’s a fulfilling month, to be sure, but I don’t mind telling you that I’m looking forward to a lighter schedule in November.

Meanwhile, I hope I’m not forgetting anything. Happy October, everyone.
 
 

---