i'll be doggone

Mr. Ralph snuck up on me. But not on purpose.

I was hogging a bench in the magazine section of Barnes & Noble the other day. My favorite bench is the one directly in front of the crafts and hobby section. To the left and well within drooling distance is the section with travel magazines and to the right are the pricey literary magazines.

Here I sat, thumbing my way through the periodicals, dreaming about traveling, writing and making stuff.

Magazines stacked around me, I rule the world from this prime piece of real estate.

'somepinkflowers, is that you? " Mr. Ralph asked as he made his way to my overflowing wooden bench. "When was the last time I saw you?"

I should have felt guilty about displacing so many magazines, felt bad about perusing without paying but my rational is this: For 10 years I worked in this store, helped open it up, in fact, and I have replaced tons of magazines relocated by other customers in the past.

Plus, I have a membership card  and I actually buy magazines sometimes.

When it comes to magazines about travel, writing and creating I have a feeling of entitlement.  I admit it, I do.

The last time I had bumped into Mr. Ralph he was in a wheelchair in the grocery store. Must have been sometime last year. Now he sported a metal, 4-pronged cane. Even at 70-something he seemed on the mend.

I jumped up to hug his neck because I am a good southern girl and that is what we do.

I met Mr. Ralph here in this same store about 12 years ago. As a volunteer he facilitated the store's creative writing workshops that met every other week for almost 8 years.

Doctors, home-makers, college students, best-selling wanna-bees...each benefited from the regular meetings where icy coffee  flowed with spirited critiquing.

"Have you submitted anything lately?" Mr. Ralph asked looking over at my stack of magazines.

Boy, did I know this question was coming.

Ever so slyly I pushing my beading magazine under the latest copy of Budget Travel. Where were Granta and The Sun when you needed them? Outside smoking behind some tree, no doubt, sub-referencing adjectives.

"Oh, you know, Mr. Ralph, I'm working part-time now at the library and I'm writing on my blog and I'm busy planning my next trip..." I grasped at all and any acceptable excuses reasons for not submitting, knowing none would suit Mr. Ralph.

(I think sometimes tenacity comes with feistiness in the elderly.)

I am usually at my creative best when finding excuses for not taking a stab at being published.

You know the drill. The dog ate my computer. That kind of thing.

Mr. Ralph is not quite sure what he feels about blogging. He likes something tangible that can be stacked up next to the  bed. He wants magazines with well-known names and books with hard covers.

Mr. Ralph can do things with a dangling participle you would not believe possible. He can spot a misplaced modifier at 25 feet. Do not get me started on subject-verb agreement.

Also, Mr. Ralph is very published.

We stood there visiting for a bit, talking about health and writing and politics. So much I wanted to grab Mr. Ralph by the hand and walk him to the nearest computer. I wanted to pull him into my blog so he could see what I had been up to.

The best I could do was wave my right wrist. "See this bracelet, Mr. Ralph," I all but shouted, waving the beads in his face.

"See the sweet, little flowers and the rosy-colored hearts. All those teeny silver beads. I made this charm bracelet yesterday."

Mr. Ralph squinted at my moving wrist as I tried to help the bracelet catch the light. I wanted it to look like a million bucks.

Why did I want so much to please him? Why?

Suddenly, behind his leg I spied something there on the bottom shelf. A familiar magazine stacked comfortably next to Sumerset Studio. I could make out the tasteful blue cover of the Artful Blogging Magazine. I could see the blue buttons, the pink flowers, the stacked tea cups.

I so know this cover.

Inspiration bloomed in my heart like the wild violets coming to color this week down by the creek behind my house.

One minute ago I had nothing, now I had my show-and-tell.

Grabbing the top copy I  read on the cover: Dance the Night Away at the Bloglandia Ball. Quickly flipped through the pages I passed the story by eb. I continued past the fancy dresses by Lea and Constance  and turned to the page with my overly-populated-with-exclamation-marks quote.

"Here, Mr. Ralph," I shoved the glossy, thick magazine in his hand, "Here. Look. See. There is my name. There is my quote. Two paragraphs. I am published right here, now!"

Mr. Ralph's  gnarled fingers curled around the illustrations of the swirling ball dresses. Hands that could edit words into prose in nothing flat.

"Well, I'll be doggone," Mr. Ralph said. "I'll be doggone."

"I'd like to stay and read more of this story, somepinkflowers, but I am on my way to visit my mother," Mr. Ralph explained, handing the magazine back to me with a slice of new-found respect.

"You know," he went on, "my mother turned 104 on her last birthday."

"Well, I'll be doggone, Mr. Ralph," I  said. "I'll be doggone."

[[These small heart-shaped metal molds were my mother's from the 1950s. She would fill them with cherry-flavored Jell-O and fruit, chill, then turn them up-side-down onto little plates for special occasions. We thought we were in high heaven as we say around here. High heaven.Oh, happy day! I bet Mr. Ralph's mother knows a Jell-O trick or two.]]

 

Comments

[Art Tea Life]

HIGH HEAVEN INDEED !
I'll say !

I could hardlyh keep my mind on your story because you had all this tempting WONDERFULLNESSSSSS going on that I had to only glance at while keeping up the pace of reading your story.

Mr. Ralph ! hahahha. That was GREAT ! What timing ! What great fun ! and I for one am sure I would have inspected said bracelet with much to do !

BTW - I have the same Bench Property here on this side of the continent....

You are wonderful. I felt like I was there watching it all - or perhaps I was sitting waiting with my polka dotted cup of lemonade while you cut chocolate heart cake .... ?

Love that china and WHERE DID YOU FIND SUCH DELICIOUS PINK SILVERWARE !!!

See I didn't miss it - I just need more time to really look at it. Going back now.

Happy Sunday Night Miss SPF and I am thrilled about your bit in Artful Blogging (What Pea Brain would think to edit you out.....?)

xo-PS next issue it will BE YOU IN LIGHTS and you can send Mr. Ralph an autographed copy , eh ?

[Art Tea Life]

Wait... chocolate or gingerbread ?

[rochambeau]

Dear Somepinkflowers!
I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of your writing in magazines and books. Your writing makes people happy.

More people need to know about your writing, photography and your whit. People that don't have access or don't understand reading blogs. The good thing about the blogosphere is that one thing can lead to another. You know? I have a feeling next time you see him you're going to do Mr. Ralph proud!

[kacey]

do you have any idea how hard it was to read past all those yummy photos???

As for blogging? It's hard to explain to the non computer people, and well, to some of the computer people--the whole concept of blogging.

[Britt-Arnhild in Norway]

A lovely story :-)
Your blog, with its love of travels shining through, is fastly becoming one of my favorite places to visit......

[eb]

I'll be doggone spf...

and I would say that

you DID Mr. Ralph proud

yes indeedee I do think so

in my funny little valentine heart

I think so

and this is why...

sometimes somepinkflowers

in my opinion only...

it is the creating

and then all that other stuff

publishing, recognition, etc.,

(which isn't all its cracked up to be anyhow)

happens of its own volition

and the joy in creating

and sharing (as you did with Mr. Ralph)

is the THING

the High Heaven Thing...

you are doing it miss

this is it

I am in High Heaven right now!

this very minute reading THIS!

and have the goosies

BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!

xox - eb.

ps - now I am going back to savor the goodies and sit next to you on that bench and admire your beautiful bracelet - maybe you will let me try it on...