The past Saturday I joined other authors at Grand Blanc-McFarland Public Library.  What a blast.  I sold a few books, I traded a few books, and I met a bunch of interesting people.  And something sorta miraculous happened:

Author Amy Mayhew is a Durkee. She and Love-One traded geology stories, and I piped in about Jim Durkee, who claims the Durkees are = Native American descendants, Durkee meaning “weapon maker.” Turns out many of Loved-Ones stories matches Amy’s, and she confirms the Native American heritage. “I’m often asked what tribe I’m from,” she told me. Amy is the author of Raging Soul, a decade of murder, a lifetime of redemption.

The poet, Thor Bacon stepped over to my table to ask me about my Crandell heritage.  Yes indeed, Thor is descended from the same lineage as I am.  He’s even visited the Crandall homestead the same as many of my cousins and uncles. According to our shared genealogy, Crandell and Crandall are the same families. Thor is a talented poet whose book of ramages, Making the Shore, captures my heart. “Ramage is a eight-line poem pioneered by Robert Bly,…the ramage asks us to put ourselves in relationship with sounds of [the word] themselves,” according to Thor’s preface.  He also reminded me that this is National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) and I haven’t written a single poem.

Here are a few more things, in no particular order, that make me pause with delight:

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] It’s National Library Week.

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] A beautiful review of A Ship of Pearl on “GoodRead.” I seldom check reviews, unless I’m updating my own reading list.  Oh my, I almost cried.

This novel is one of the most hopeful and well written pieces I have read in a long time. Just like the central theme of the poem about the Chambered Nautilus, the novel unfolds one memory at a time, with each piece of the perspective creating the whole. As the teller of the tale, Eldie,… (for more go to GoodReads.com and search for A Ship of Pearl.  For a reason unknown to me, my novel show us as A Ship of Pearl and A Ship of Pearl, a novel.)

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]Miss K birthday and her new phone.  We faced time on our way back from Michigan.  There are some really good things about kids growing up.  Staying connected is certainly one of them.

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Laughing out-loud with Loved-One. Our happiness at a McDonald’s rest-stop was equivalent to a Sprite commercial. You know, the kind of extra-happy scene where people seem to be laughing in a way you never actually see in real life. Well, that’s the way our day went, in real life.

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Mr. D’s flute solo.  Ten minute of memorized music would be more than a challenge for me.  Mr. D is a high school junior.  Here he is.  Astounding.

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] A $12/mo cell phone bill for both phones.  That’s right, both phones.  We’re only two months in and both months we stayed within our 1 GB limit.  It seems like a small amount and each month we barely squeaked by.  Still, it’s kinda fun looking for wifi hotspots, keeping the maps function off, and limiting our online usage when wifi is unavailable.  Maybe that’s why we laugh so much.

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Ed Iannuccilli’s, EdWrites His stories about the ’40s and ’50s inspire me to keep writing my second novel.

[icon name=”book” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Visiting Mom and my sister Marcia.  Between Mom’s visit the previous week, and a visit this weekend, it almost feels like we’ve been together all week.

Any of the books can be purchased on Amazon. Please be kind to authors and leave a comment.  We really do like to hear what you think.

What makes you smile this week? Please leave a comment.  I’m sure you’ll make me smile, too.