Book Signing Postponed at The Learned Owl

Apologies to midwestern friends who hoped to see me at The Learned Owl Bookshop in Hudson, Ohio last Saturday.

I had to reschedule due to circumstances beyond my control. A colleague of mine became ill and I needed to stay here and work.

The Learned Owl does have copies of Moth at the Window available for purchase.  If you buy a copy and make a comment on this blog I will send you a personal note by snail mail. I hope to hear from you soon!

Hickory and the Moth

On my walk today I found some hickory. I like the feel of the smooth oval nut and I am captivated by the hull that surrounds and protects it.

The hickory tree is in the genus ‘Carya’ for the archaic nut-tree goddess, Carvatis. There are 12 species native to North America. The nuts are edible, although not all are palatable to humans.

Hickory is a food plant for the larvae of some Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly ) species including the Luna moth. 

This summer while kayaking on Lake Erie I saw a spot of green on a large rock. To my amazement it was a Luna. I had not seen one since I was a child in Ohio. It was a wonderful moment.  The Luna moth has a very short lifespan (a week). 

Here is a link to wikipedia if you would like to learn more about the Luna moth (Actias luna).

Gathering hickory nuts reminds me of Indiana. Here is a picture of me with my brother, mom, aunt and grandmother collecting nuts for cookies.  You can read more about my midwest adventures in Moth at the Window. 

Suffield Days - Phelps Hatheway House

Perennials blooming outside the summer house 

Many thanks to Lynn Mervosh and her team at the Phelps-Hatheway House for asking me to talk about the story and events that led up to my writing Moth at the Window.

And many thanks to all of you who turned out for the poetry reading on Saturday, September 12th. 

Moth at the Window - Poetry Reading and Book Signing at Phelps-Hatheway House this Weekend

I am so excited! On Saturday I will be reading poems and signing books at the Phelps-Hatheway House in Suffield, Connecticut during the weekend festival.  

Some of you may know that I grew up in Suffield, Ohio. As a result I feel that my connection to the Connecticut town is very special. 

Although I have lived in Connecticut for more than 25 years I only went to Suffield for the first time a few months ago after meeting Michele Holcombe, the former site administrator for the Phelps-Hatheway House, at a SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) meeting. Michele introduced me to Lynn Mervosh, the current site administrator, and we immediately began talking about an art quilt exhibit to coincide with the Suffield Days Celebration on September 12-13, 2015. Read more about the art exhibit at http://www.marylachmandesign.blogspot.com

One thing led to another and Lynn asked me to do a poetry reading from my book on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.!

I will be reading a few of my favorite poems and signing copies of the book (probably in the Summer House).   I hope you can make it. 

Remeber to get your raffle ticket for a chance to win "Autumn Splendor" by Mary Lachman 

And don't forget to visit the Art Exhibit in the Phelps-Hatheway Barn - open 10-5 Saturday and 11-4 Sunday

Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden
55 South Main Street
Suffield, CT

The Short and the Tall: Frances and Nelle

Nelle Johnson and Frances Clayton were lifelong friends. They both lived in Carlisle, Indiana. Carlisle is south of Terre Haute on Route 41.

Carlisle is such a little place that if you were driving past in the 1960's or 1970's and blinked while you would miss the exit.

Nelle and Frances led a caravan of five women on a cross-country camping trip in the mid-1960's. My mother was one of the women in the group, along with her sister, my Aunt Lucy, and Lucy's daughter, Carol Jean.

Learn more about Nell and Frances in Moth at the Window.

Mold Under the Covers

I am have located a collection of letters written by G.W. Clayton from the 1940’s. I marvel at the way he was able to turn a phrase. Was he unique in this ability or did a majority of adults write properly constructed sentences back then? I struggle with this question.

I feel certain he knew more about proper grammar than I do. I love to write but often I make several revisions before I feel comfortable with the final draft.

This past Sunday I pulled an old photo album from the closet at the base of the stairs. I was searching for a photo of my grandmother (Frances). When I saw that the edges of the album were laced by mold I grabbed the wet-chlorine-wipes and mopped off the top, sides and back. Then I pulled the others out and wiped them off too. Perhaps this was not the best approach but I hope it kills the mold.

These albums were stored in my mother’s farm house in a bookcase behind the living room door. There was no air-conditioning or air-filtration system of any type there. As a result I think the mold spores were deposited on the albums there and when the humidity in my basement stairwell rose to a certain level this summer it bloomed. Perhaps a new storage location would be best.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Do you think I should remove the photos from the old black-page albums and place them in something else?

Indiana Peaches

In August the melons are ripe in Indiana. Wonderful watermelon, musk-melon, cantaloupe and peaches like those delicious ones I ate as a kid.

I don't know what created the heavenly flavors. Maybe it was the Wabash River watershed or the lands that were reclaimed from the swamps that made the soil so fertile and harvest so lush and succulent.

I do know that Indiana folks love melons and peaches. It is something that reaches deep into their soul. I too have had it touch me. I am drawn to vine-ripened fruit that I know grew on the nearby lands. I can taste the difference between the local peaches and those that came from South America.

This photo is of my step-grandmother, Frances, and my brother and I. You can read more about Frances in Moth at the Window.