Archives - Weekly Update

As I write, I keep hearing the theme song from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" in my head. Yes, the countdown to the annual sugarfest is on. Update: There is no tiger print fabric available in our area to create a Hobbes costume for Cory. I know since I searched for it for three hours last Saturday. I came very close to buying an orange prison jumpsuit costume in an adult size and altering it to fit him and plunking stripes onto it, but instead I picked up a black sweatsuit and some orange and white felt for what was going to be an intense craft project.

I love Halloween. On tap this weekend, I am in search of tiger stripe fabric so I can create a Hobbes costume for Cory as he and his friend Stephen want to be Calvin and Hobbes for Halloween. Of course, I have combed the Internet trying to FIND a Hobbes costume, or a tiger costume. I found one in kids’ size 2. Where is a Tony the Tiger costume when I need it? Oh well, what would Halloween be without costume drama. Am I a bad mother if I suggest to him that he reprise the really cool retro ghost costume from a few years ago? Seriously, the year he only wanted a white cotton sheet was really quite lovely.

With all the traveling I do, you think my suitcase would be trained to pack itself by now. Seriously. Wednesday night as I went to pack for my trip to Indianapolis for Bouchercon, I hoped the clothes would line up and just fold themselves in. Atten hut....fold and march. Of course, I needed to rethink for cold weather. I had missed the "it’s getting colder" memo and walked around the block from my parking garage the other day with a light fleece sweatshirt on and realized everyone else had on winter coats, and scarves. I had not even added socks with my loafers! Flipping to the Indy forecast I saw numbers I had not seen in a while --- 30 and 40. I like 70 and 80. So I unboxed my turquoise cowboy boots and pulled out my turquoise vest --- and smiled. Sometimes it’s the little things. Forgot how much I loved those!

Last weekend I was down in Baltimore for the fall conference of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association. When I was sitting at lunch with a group of booksellers and authors on Sunday, I realized how interesting --- and invigorating --- it is to be a part of the book community. Over lunch we talked about books --- the ones we loved and the ones that disappointed. We talked about authors --- the debut ones we wanted to champion; the established ones we wanted to hear the latest news about. We talked about readers; I got feedback from booksellers about the people who came into their stores, and I shared stories that readers had passed to me through the years. Hearing their stories and telling mine created a real spirit of community for me.

Well, didn't September just zip on by! Whoosh went those 30 days. The other day I was in a store and people were talking about getting ready for the holidays and I felt myself thinking..."noooo, not yet!" I was just beginning to think orange for Halloween.