Homecoming for a president

Royal Oak Flea Market Finds: Smart WWII Soldier's Coat, 1895 Detroit Ledger

Steve gets the kiddie wheelbarrow his parents denied him

He's gonna put fruit in it (his parents are ok with this)

Hillary gets hands for her manicure station.

Talk turns to handymen...you get the picture

"It's hard work being president!" Seems like I've heard this line before and had something snide to say about it. Now there I go WHINING ABOUT THE SAME THING (Note to self, read previous blogs. Don't emulate THAT president). Feeling better, rested and happily for all of us, perky and grateful for everything. I am so mushy about all the people who came out in a snowstorm and on Superbowl Sunday to see what the big complainer brought back from New York, and to hear the stories which I love to tell. I feel like an old lady repeating myself: "The snow was this high!!!"(had to show picture) The people are so crazy!! (takes one to know one) and "I heart New York!" (did I mention I'm feeling better?)

Anyhoo, what a high to have customers who truly miss you and love what you do, read what you write then pack your store and buy things, bonus! They said they can't wait to see what I come back with next. You know I can't wait to go, especially this trip to Spain. I caught up with my local peeps first thing this morning at the Royal Oak Flea Market, bought a few things. I love this WWII soldier's coat, tailor-made to last and a great 1895 leather-bound Detroit business ledger, written in that beautiful ancient script with real pen and ink. As a writer, this sort of thing resonates with me. I love to hand write letters, but take the time for beautiful penmanship? Not likely. They barely teach cursive anymore. Can you imagine that a dollar's worth of goods warranted a hand-written entry into a thick hand-made leather book? Or that people engaged in pleasant conversation, spoke in complete sentences and used proper English? Now I do sound like an old lady.

I know the internet is what it will take to keep my business going, but you know my stump speech: it really does make a difference to people to see all this stuff together as I see it. Maybe it's my inner actress wannabe: the show of shows, my avant garde experimental theater, hey, weird sells some, really? ! Well they get called up on stage, it's interactive improv man and the performance thing is kind of my thing and people like to play, hence my love affair with New York and all those creatives. I got to be in their fun play (thanks for letting me out though, sheesh, long curtain call that one). Then there's the part about the art created in a booth or a shop. The players get to touch it, own it. It's the business model I wrote to give everybody a nice part and I remember you and your name, the thing you last bought, I tease you a little, you get your costume on (it's a metaphor nobody wore the showgirl costume, well I might have...) this is playing for adults! See Steve with the wheelbarrow, we went to junior high together. I took this picture to send to his mother because he said he really did want one of these when he was little and he didn't get it. She texted back, said he got everything he wanted, how hilarious is that improv? Hillary is one of those long time customers that I haven't seen in ages, she owns her own salon and we talk about doing everything ourselves and do we really need men for all that grief blah blah ha ha...but yeah, there's that naughty naughty...hey! we're adults and presidents so we get to have fun with the burlesque dialogue (there's some weird theater)..right, she needed the 6 hands for the manicure station.

But back to the stump and seeing and touching the items I sell mattering business model, building relationships and the how is our mutual friend, your chemotherapy, burying your mother, raising your sister's troubled kid when you retired, lots of not funny adult stuff people need to talk about and it really only happens when you are in front of someone and can read that they care, or seem safe..so I get a lot of good therapy with my captive audience, ha! Truth is it really has to go both ways to work. God, so much for proper English from the English major, but it's shootin the breeze at this hour and I feel less old, unless you ask Wyatt...speaking of the divine child, what a delight to have him come smiling through the door at the end of the day. How great that he's in a good mood and helpful, collecting up garbage, turning off lights, closing up shop, carrying home bags, no complaining. He still delights in the snow which fell lightly as we walked and he clowned delighting me. Hot cocoa is still good currency and he will probably remember none of this moment. Good for him, his life is so full of new and interesting things and fun play, that's how it should be. I will remember because when it's hard adult crap a day like to today is currency you really need but can't buy. You earn it the old fashioned way...see whiny blogs. Well that's tonight's address from the president. And I'm the decider here and I say quit imitating that president, I'm going to bed and then Spain!