Books, Nature, News

A Roller Coaster of a Week

44 Comments

The past thirty-four days have been quite a whirl of ups and downs, starting with the wind storm that knocked out our power for a week, which caused us to lose much of our frozen food. Then it took us another week to get things back to normal. On the upside, there were the wonderful fairs where we sold lots of books and met some dedicated readers, both young and old.

Last week all those highs and lows came together for a concentrated burst that left us scratching our heads. Something in the stars? The Supermoon? Who knows? But on Tuesday, after the presentation at our library, Clif got food poisoning from a local restaurant. At least we think it was food poisoning as he had all the classic symptoms.  When he wasn’t running to the bathroom, Clif was flat on his back for three days. Poor guy!

There’s nothing like having a husband who is out of commission to make a wife appreciate all that he does. Holy guacamole, what a hectic week as I folded his chores into my chores. And, as luck would have it, we had another craft fair scheduled for the weekend, this time in the charming little town of Wayne, Maine. (I know. They rhyme. How cool is that?)

So on Saturday, after loading the car the night before, off I went by myself to Wayne, Maine. I realize I’m a little spoiled by having a husband who is happy and willing to go with me to the various events. But it is so great to have another person at the table, to take care of making change, to be there for bathroom breaks, to help with set-up and break down.

So that was the low of the week.

The high? The Wayne craft fair, which turned out to be small but mighty, with a steady stream of customers who, as it turned, were in the mood to buy books. It seems that like Brunswick, Wayne is a community that likes to read. By noon, I only had one book left. By the end of the fair, I had sold out. Wowsah!

As if that weren’t enough, there were two comments that certainly qualified as the cherry on the sundae. First, a woman stopped by and bought a book to send to her granddaughter for Christmas, and the granddaughter lives in Australia. Maya is going to Australia, about as far as she can go from Maine!

Second, a young teen stopped by my table and said, “My friend has this book, and she is going to let me borrow it. She said it’s really good!” And I didn’t know either the young teen or her friend. Oh, that made my day to have an enthusiastic young teen sharing my book!

After all that excitement, Sunday was a good day to sleep late, do some housework, and take a few pictures.  The day was very fine indeed, and off to the little park by the lake I went.

There were more empty benches,

A splendid white birch against a blue sky,

and a classic New England scene.

No more craft fairs or events until next year. Now, I have to organize my Christmas cooking, the cleaning of the house, and the wrapping of the presents. In between, I hope to get some work done on Library Lost, the second book in the series.

And I sure hope that life settles down, at least a little bit.

44 thoughts on “A Roller Coaster of a Week”

  2. Well it’s been a little bit of a crazy month!! Glad that Dad is finally feeling better and that the Wayne craft fair was such a lucrative one – both in terms of sales and making you feel good! 🙂

  4. I hope Clif is feeling better and I am so happy you had a great time at the Wayne craft fair. Sending you love and wishing you a peaceful remainder of the year! :o) xxx

  8. I am glad that the book went well and got good comments. I hope that Cliff recovers fully from the food poisoning. Although I enjoyed your pictures very much, I was hoping for a shot of a drain in Wayne, Maine for some reason….or perhaps a train.

    1. Alas, no trains in Wayne. If the weather allows, Clif and I will make a trek to Maine and see about drains.

  12. So sorry to hear that Clif has been sick. Another sell-out – Congratulations. It has been a whirlwind of a fall for you. Glad you may have a chance to catch your breath.

  13. Wowsa! SO pleased to hear about the sell-out and the nice comments. It makes one’s day, doesn’t it? XOXOOXOXOXO

  14. Dear me! As if this time of year, with crazy weather and crafts shows and everything isn’t stressful enough! But you’re a trouper!

  15. What a week you had, Laurie. I hope Clif is feeling much better now. I know what it’s like to have a supportive partner to do all those things at events and I’m also very glad when my husband can be there with me. Glad you sold out of books and that the word is getting around among your target readership. I know it will continue to do so. Maya is a fabulously interesting book.

      2. Yes, yes! Small enough to carry in her pocket. One from China Town? Poor things are sold in bowls on the street.

  16. Oh, boy, when it rains it pours. Hope Clif is back to feeling like his ol’ self. Congrats on being sold out – exciting. I’ve heard from many people that they want to buy ‘local’ gifts this year. Maya can’t get any more local for Mainers– Subject, author and publisher! 🙂

    1. That’s for sure. Clif is back to his old self. And you’re right. Maya is certainly local.

Comments are closed.