This afternoon we hold the memorial
for Mary's mother, Kathryn Whitford. We'll gather at "the farm" in Marquette County, Wisconsin, where Kay's ashes have been set down next to her husband Philip's and her brother Clay's, next to our sister-in-law Karen Whitford's, next to our friend Meredith Ackley's, and Meredith's mother Gladys's. It is a small ceremony - some fifty of family, neighbors, friends, and former colleauges will be in attendance. Both of our daughters are home this weekend and are involved in the ceremony, providing memories of Grandmother. Then Jenifer will read an appropriate passage from Thoreau's journals; and Jessica, who made Kay's last martini last September, will make another martini, will give each family member a sip of it, and - to say goodbye - will pour the remainder on Kay's grave. There won't be a lot of God-talk - that's not our way. Quite simply, we will hold her in our memory this afternoon, and will promise to continue holding her in memory.
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Tomorrow Fairwater will hold its Memorial Day parade and celebration. I'll be responsible for manning the "Fairwater Mercantile," as usual, while the museum is open after the parade. The parade and a visit to the museum's display honoring those from Fairwater who served in the Armed Forces are simple but powerful community rituals, and I'm happy to have a small part in them.
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Once my responsibilities at the museum have been completed on Monday, I'll climb into the cockpit of my little Saturn and head east. Sometime later afternoon on Tuesday, I expect to be in Dave Bonta's Plummer's Hollow. That's in Pennsylvania, folks. I think on Wednesday Dave will be showing me his neighborhood. Imagine having Dave as a personal tour guide! I can't wait. On Thursday we'll gather up a friend of his and head north towards Montreal, with some camping in New York along the way. We'll spend the weekend at a youth hostel in Montreal. Apparently the youth hostel doesn't have a problem housing greybeards, although Dave said his friend didn't check with them to see if they honored AARP discounts for the likes of me. (I think that was a dig about my age, don't you? Dave: Respect your elders!) In Montreal we'll be meeting up with some blog-buddies, drinking a lot of coffee and no doubt occasionally something stronger than coffee, and talking. And talking, talking, talking. And hanging out, eating some good food, and talking. Did I mention we'll probably do some talking?
There are, of course, two kinds of people in the world: those who get it that I am going to Montreal to meet up with some of the bloggers I read reguarly; and those who don't get it. I've found that if they don't get it, trying to explain it doesn't help.
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My schedule in Pennsylvania, New York, and Montreal is fluid, but the dead certainty is that I have to be back to Wisconsin by Thursday, June 8th, to check into my motel room in Baraboo. The Wisconsin Writers Conference is being held June 9-10 at UW-Baraboo/Rock County and I'll make two presentations of my talk "Lorine's Toolbox: A Working Poet Examines Niedecker's Poetics" and give two readings from my prose and poetry about farm life. I finished my preparation for "Lorine's Toolbox" on Friday! I'll be able to put together my readings while I am on the road, no problem.
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I'll be home and back at it here on Sunday, June 11. In the meantime you will continue to find the daily "Lines" poems here, the Sunday "Text for Today's Sermon," and the Morning Drive Journal entries. I also have the next selection from Ivan Burgess's Echo Echo set to go up on Tuesday, May 30, and a special "Saturday's Poem" for June 3.
In the meantime, please remember that not all who wander are lost.
While I am gone, think kindly of me, if you think of me at all.
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