Had a great time in the upper mid-mid west last week. Mary and Belle and I drove to Hartford, Wisconsin on Wednesday for a book signing. It was a ton of fun. I practiced pediatrics there many years ago and many of my old friends and neighbors were there. I hope they had as much fun as we did. One of the ladies called on Thursday and said she was almost finished reading “Messengers in Denim,” and wanted to know if it was OK with me if she showed it to he church’s youth minister. She felt it was a must read for teens as well as their parents! WOW that was exciting. I’ll let you know what comes out of that!
On Saturday we were in New Ulm, Minnesota. My folks and 5 of my siblings moved there while I was a freshman in college. Kathy, my youngest sister was born the following year. Mom is still living at age 96 and jokes she is going to live to be 100 or die trying! Still witty after all these years. Met a cousin of mine who has a cousin who is a song writer in Nashville. Isn’t every body I asked. No, this guy is successful. He wrote “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” and many others for Barbara Mandrel. You probably know him – Denny Morgan, I now qualify as his cousin-in-law. The signing there was another blast.
Sunday we drove to my sister-in-laws place in way northern Wisconsin, Tony. It’s a little place, couple of hundred people, but sports fans know one of its native sons, Jimmy Leonhard. He plays for the New York Jets; ran a kick-off back a couple of weeks ago. Doreatha, my wife’s sister, thought up the title, “Messengers in Denim.” Late Tuesday afternoon I came across her in the kitchen reading it with tears in her eyes. She was so pleased that I mentioned her parents in the dedication.
Lots of fun in Tony. But limited cell phone availability and I had to go to McDonalds to use my computer. Some how we survived the14 hour return ride and got home not totally exhausted, but glad to be in Tennessee.