Rock City Shamrock Festival

Yesterday my publisher, Jim Johnston of Celtic Cat Publishing, and I traveled to the Shamrock Irish Festival at Rock City to sell books. Unfortunately, the wet, cool weather kept many people away, but Jim and I had a good time anyway. The festival was held in the outdoor pavilion which explains why we stayed cold all day. The outside temperature was 44. The inside temperature was the same unless you sat right next to the large stone fireplace, the only source of heat in the room. Plastic hung over every window, but it did little to keep out the bone biting cold.

I started out wearing two sweaters but finally added a thick coat on top. To keep warm Jim and I sipped cappuccinos, and ate lamb stew and corned beef and cabbage. We also tried one of the Irish beers. The only way to really stay warm was to stand in front of the fireplace, but unfortunately, all the other vendors and bands were standing there, too, so it was hard to squeeze in.

Among the bands was a Scottish band, the Chattanooga Pipe Band. Between the drums and the pipes, there was no danger of falling asleep when they played. It was mesmerizing to listen to and watch them in their black and red outfits with their red plaid kilts. I have decided I want bagpipes at my funeral. They make such a mournful sound.

We also heard the Molly McQuires, an Irish band that sang sassy Irish folk songs and other tunes and got the crowd singing and dancing. We didn't have much luck selling books yesterday, but Jim was invited to read some of his stirring poetry from his wonderful book, "Exile, Poems from an Irish immigrant." Hearing Jim read was the highlight of my day.

I like the cold weather

Everywhere I go I hear people complaining about the cold weather. Not me. This year I am finally getting to wear my winter coat and all the sweaters I haven't used in years. I actually wore gloves and a muffler during those cold days the past few weeks. The one day of snow we had in Oak Ridge last week will probably do me for the year though. I like to look at snow, but I hate to drive in it. Of course, I had a hair appointment the morning it snowed, and I couldn't possibly cancel that! So off I went at 8 am, slipping and sliding down the side streets. The main ones were fine, but I drove very cautiously that day. The snow melted before my grandson even had a chance to use his sled though so he was disappointed. I was fine.

Holidays 2008

I have fallen down on my blogging. Thanksgiving hit, and I've been on a roll ever since, not on my blog, however. Got the Christmas decorations up right after Thanksgiving including the new frosted greenery I found on sale at Marshall's last year. As usual, decorated the guest bathroom in snowmen including the shower curtain, the rug, and every inch of available space. It looks really cute, if I do say so myself. I even have snowmen soap and a snowman night light in there.

We went for a smaller tree in the living room this year. Actually, it's one I bought at the Festival of Trees last year, about 3 to 4 ft tall. Decorated it in lots of red ornaments and myriad tiny twinkling lights. It's sitting on a small table so the cat hasn't bothered it much. Dan hung blue lights outside, and I added a tree with colored lights and wooden ornaments made by our good friends, George and Judy Kidd.

We've had a good Christmas visiting with our chidren and grandchildren, Chuck, Michele, Damien, Daniele, Candie, and Tailen. I always hate to see them go though. I refuse to take down any of my Christmas decorations unil Epiphany on Jan. 6. I may even leave them up longer than that. It's really fun to sit in the living room with Noel, the cat, and a glass of wine savoring the holiday decorations. I'm in no hurry to take anything down.

Opryland Hotel visit

Here we are at the lavish Opryland Hotel in Nashville while Dan attends the state school board meeting. Christmas decorations are everywhere from poinsettia trees to glimmering lights that transform the gardens to a fairyland. I have walked myself to death visiting the shops and the mall across the street.

None of my shoes are comfortable anymore. Maybe I'll start using roller skates instead. We ate at our favorite restaurant, The Water's Edge, last night. I have never seen such a spread of appetizers, salads, breads, soups, vegetables, pasta, meats, and desserts. I ate so much hummus and veggies and pasta I had no room for dessert, but what a delicious meal!

Another benefit of book signings, meeting people

I have spent the past few weeks going to numeous book signings and meeting lots of new people. At the local fitness center where I exercise, I've discovered many old friends I haven't seen in years. Everyone seems to have a different workout schedule so I've been selling my books at different times, early morning, lunch, or late afternoon. That way I see just about everyone who goes through the doors of the club.

Saturday I did a signing at Jefferson Drug Store and renewed acquaintances with so many people. This place is a quaint little restaurant with gift shop that reminds you of Mayberry. The lady who rings up the sales, Peggy, is just as friendly as Aunt Mae. I had a hearty breakfast at 8 am with my friends, Pat and Joanne, then went into the gift shop to sell my books. My husband Dan and daughter Candie came down about 12 pm and we ate another hearty meal. While in the restaurant, we ran into an old friend we hadn't seen since she was about 4 years old, Victoria. She had turned into a beautiful young lady with long dark hair and striking brown eyes. She is now a high school graduate. Seeing her was the highlight of my day.

Book readings and signings

Well, I had to admit to my publisher that I got a little carried away with scheduling readings and signings for my new book. I forgot that even an energetic person like me has to rest once in a while. When I looked at my schedule and realized that I had scheduled 7 talks/readings in a two- week period, I almost fainted. Doing readings isn't a problem, but when you have to prepare talks and workshops, you need time to do it.

I talked to the Roane County Writers in Kingston on Oct. 16 and had a wonderful time with them -- after my friend, Fay, and I finally found the library. I had gotten directions over the phone, but naturally I didn't write them down coherently. The only words I could read were "near the courthouse" and "on Kentucky Street." The library is near the courthouse but not that near. Fortunately, I had the library phone number so we were able to call and get more specific directions.

On Oct. 23, I speak to the OR Chamber of Commerce Diplomats on the power of humor. I'm pulling that talk together right now in-between working on the 5-hr humor writing workshop I'm doing for the TN Mountain Writers on Nov. 1. I get to rest a little after that workshop and don't need to prepare another talk until Nov. 12.

My grandson's football season is almost over so I'll have Monday nights free again. It's been a lot of fun watching him on the freshman team, but I don't enjoy watching him get tackled by some of the behemoths on the field.

KWG anthology launch

This was a great week for the Knoxville Writers' Guild (KWG). We launched our 8th anthology, Outscape: Writings on Fences and Frontiers, at Laurel Theatre on Thursday night. Edited by Jessie Janesheck and Jesse Graves, the anthology is a real treat with dozens of talented writers represented, I am very proud to have my memoir included, "Seashells, Hula Skirts, and Bob Hope: Memories of Guam." I lived on Guam in the early 1950's when my father was stationed there with the US Army. It was a magical time for me, and I hated being evacuated because of the threat of attack by North Korea.

The KWG also had readings at Barnes&Noble today where several of us read our poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Coincidentally, the piece I read on Guam was one I composed in a writing workshop I took from Jeanne McDonald at the TN Writers' January Jumpstart two years ago. Jeanne also was one of the readers today.