I'll be in your fair city this weekend! I have a conference to attend, but Sunday and Monday night I'll be free. Powell's flaked on me for a reading, but I'm still looking into something improvisational at a cafe or bar, so if you have any ideas about a location, leave me a note here. Plus, we may have a very special surprise freak-guest for this potential reading....stay-tuned.

In other news, some of you may have heard this kid story, but it has a new punch line. A couple weeks ago, Rosemary and Isaiah were with their child-care person at the arboretum. Before entering, Rosemary caught sight of a farm in the distance and stood stock-still in that hypnotized kid way, taking in the scene, brain-gears whirring. Finally her child-care person said quietly, "You're really thinking about that place aren't you. Rosemary?"

She said, "Yes." It's always 'yes,' not 'yeah' or 'yup.' "That's my farm."

"Oh, yeah? Why is that your farm?" asked Jean.

And Rosemary said, "I lived there when I was a mama. When I had a baby." Long thoughtful pause. "And now I'm Rosie."

Isaiah, of course, has the inside track on this one. He and I were talking about what Rosemary said about the farm again yesterday and he concluded, "I think maybe she was a cow."