Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Rainy Night Conversation...

Yesterday was just one of those lovely days.

By late afternoon my porch was full of neighbors and folks getting in and out of the rain that had begun to fall. I put the coffeepot on and set out cups and saucers as the crowd grew larger and the rain fell harder. Raincoats and umbrellas were tossed about on the porch and the conversation flowed. Reluctantly folks went home for dinner and as Aaron and Karen were leaving I was invited to share supper with them and other Michelle and Quinton.

I picked up a few things, shut off the coffee pot and headed over in my bright yellow slicker and umbrella.

It was one of those evenings for conversation. We poured wine. We talked about Civil War re-enactors and books and commentaries. Finally I pulled myself away to walk in the rain for my evening walk.

With my umbrella just barely over my head to keep the rain out, I walked through puddles of water and listened to the drumming of it overhead.

As I said, it was a lovely way to spend the evening.


Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Demoting a Perfectly Good Planet...

I have causes. Yes, I do. In college with my long hippie hair and short skirts I had firey speeches on campus about the Vietnam War. I plunked out tunes on my guitar (not very well, I might add) but made my point.

I have marched for establishing rules and regulations for gun control...drilling in the Arctic (against!)...and wrote letters against selling the Indiana toll road. (lost again!)

But this one is over the line. My telescope and I are rebelling.

While I have been dutifully doing my jobs organizing my school year...planning all my theatre events...the world has gone awry.

In Prague this week 424 astronomers have debated for days (?) on whether or not Pluto is a planet. They voted this week and demoted it. Pluto demoted? Rise up and speak folks of the world.

For one thing, the 424 astronomers represent only 5% of the world's astronomers. What do the other 95% have to say? Their decision was to place Pluto as a dwarf planet by the new definition, part of the sea of other objects that occupy the same region of space.

I represent other objects that occupty the same region of space. Will I be next? Will I be demoted? Will you? Where will it end?

1930. The year Pluto was discovered. Oh, be still my heart, what other events happened then? Elm Farm Ollie became the first cow to fly in an airplane and the first cow to be milked. First frozen foods. Hostess twinkies were invented. First night game in baseball. The Shadow aired on radio stations. Construction began on the Hoover Dam and the Empire State Building. Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood were born.

Think of all the changes? Think of all the textbooks and toys and science fair projects? What about the sale of all of those really small Styrofoam balls (used for Pluto) that will sit quiet and lonely on craft shop shelves.

They (the other 95% astronomers who didn't show for the debate or the vote) say this will be challenged.

What can you do? Write to your local astronomer...beg, plead..come on, we are talking about Pluto here. Quietly she sits in space oblivious to all of this hullabaloo.

Remain silent if you will. As for me...Pluto will remain a planet..the loveliest of all on children's artwork...the smallest planet hanging from the ceiling in the science room.

I vote Pluto remains.


Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The first day of school...

In the small town of Angola, today was the first day of school for the students. What a buzz around my neighborhood in which we house many children. (There are five boys in the house next door to me!)

Last night while walking and visiting with folks, it was the main topic of conversation. Everyone wishing the "wee" ones good luck and reminiscing on their own school days. (You know the stories...walking five miles uphill both directions from school after milking a herd of dairy cows!)

Matthew went to kindergarten today...that was certainly a milestone! Karen even snuck through the door (no parents allowed the first week!) and took his photo!

When I arrived home tonight one of the little neighbor boys was sitting out on the swing at his house. (He and his twin brother went to first grade today!)

"I can tell you something," he said, "school sure is hard."

I know alot of teachers who feel exactly the same way!!

Sunday, August 20, 2006

The Page Turners

After a summer hiatus, the Page Turners once again gathered to discuss books, authors, and a little local gossip!

There are still nine of us in the group, and we trade off locations each month so as to share the responsibility of cooking and cleaning! This month found us at the small upstairs apartment at one of our youngest members. The apartment was small but decorated with a combination of shabby chic and 1800 French art. It was a delightful setting with the early evening sun filtering through large windows and the scent of summer candles. We gathered on chairs and threw pillows onto the floor. (I took a seat away from the pet rats as the cage door was wide open and they had free range of the table they were resting upon!)

After a brief (OK, not so brief) how was your summer motif, we settled into the work set upon us. We pulled out our dog eared copies of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. The book was copyrighted 1943, but takes place in Brooklyn beginning in 1912. What a charming book! I was in love with it from the first page. Betty Smith had a style of writing that drew the reader into the past...part history...part story...part, "oh, I wish I could have been there!"

One of our favorite quotes from the book was at the beginning of WW1 when the heroine knows that war is coming. She writes, "Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry..have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let ms be sincere-be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute."

We compared the book greatly to The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wells, another book of strength and overcoming great difficulties.

We, The Page Turners, gave the book four pages.

Dinner of pork sandwiches and fruit and pasta and cream puffs was served and we ate as we had been sitting sharing the coffee table.

As darkness prevailed, we gathered our books and notes, and bid farewell until the next time when we will be reading Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.

Until next time, this is Maggie Mae. Remember, books take us where we cannot go except in our imaginations.


Lou Ann Homan is a writer, a teacher, and a storyteller. When she isn't meandering Indiana roads, she can be found in the small town of Angola where she shares The House at White Picket Gardens with her books and gathered treasures. She is available for storytelling and writing seminars! Please check out her website at www.louannhoman.com

Fresh produce stands....

Meandering down Indiana roads takes longer in August as I want to stop at all the small produce stands set up along the way.

It seems as if they are every mile or so..each one boasting with a homemade sign that something wonderful has been grown there.

The stands are as varied as the folks who grow the gardens. Some are quite lovely with tablecloths and umbrellas and the produce displayed in old baskets. Others have drug out the old enamel table from the barn and just set the produce down upon it.
Some are attended by the gardening folks..others just provide a metal box in which to place the coffers.

Yesterday afternoon while meandering, I came across a pick up truck just sitting in the August sun full of Indiana sweet corn. The farmer was asleep in a lawn chair with his John Deere hat slung down over his eyes.

He awoke in an instant when my Jeep pulled in and began to help me fill the bag with fine, sweet corn. The air was pungeant with earth and corn and waves of August heat. After twelve ears were stuffed into the bag, he proceeded to give me one more, a baker's dozen.

I thanked him for growing the corn..selling the corn. I know how much work it is!!

Last night Karen, Aaron, and the boys shared the sweet corn with me. Matthew and Jonah ate it right off the cob (as all Indiana children do!) with corn dripping down their chins.

As for me, today I think I will go looking for peaches!


Lou Ann Homan is a writer, a teacher, and a storyteller. When she isn't meandering Indiana roads, she can be found in the small town of Angola where she shares The House at White Picket Gardens with her books and gathered treasures. She is available for storytelling and writing seminars! Please check out her website at www.louannhoman.com.

Monday, August 14, 2006

One wedding and two birthdays...

Yesterday, August 13, was just one of those beautiful days. My friend, Kimberly, and her sweetheart, Aaron, were married in the smallest of ceremonies with 75 of their closest friends in attendance.

Her wedding was actually pretty informal...still wasn't sure which dress of wear as of last Thursday...didn't have shoes on Saturday...but by Sunday all was well.

We had decided to have the wedding party here at White Picket Gardens (that was decided a long time ago) so I spent the week end getting ready for the event....borrowing chairs from neighbors, arranging roses and plates and the wine bar.

It was a beautiful day with the perfect temperature....not a cloud in the sky. The house was jam-packed with folks...babies...old folks...from one end to the other just sharing in their happiness.

By the time all was picked up Aaron and Karen came over to share in his birthday (and Adam's, although Adam is in Florida)...my twins are now very old (can't bring myself to give their ages!!)

All in all...it was a friend and family day...I love days like that. Let's just hope they all live happily ever after.


Lou Ann Homan is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who lives in Northern Indiana, but spends her summers on Ocracoke Island. She is available for writing seminars, storytelling, and speaking engagements. She can be contacted at locketoftime@aol.com. You can read more at www.louannhoman.com


posted by Annie @ 7:49 AM 0 comments

Friday, August 11, 2006

Reflecting...

It is a lovely morning in northeast Indiana...the night temperatures dropped into the 50's. I could feel the chill in the night as I reached for an extra blanket...

When I return from my summers with Philip, I notice the change in geography. My neighborhood is green with trees and flourishing gardens..my own garden, well tended by Aaron, is in good shape with black eyed Susies blooming and lilies. New raspberry buds have formed giving me the impression that October will bring a healthy crop.

The old house is aired out...it welcomed me home with my stores of treasures gathered from my own travels..my own own.

Neighborhood friends, school friends, family have welcomed me back as the prodigal daughter..just gone for a while.

But, oh, how I miss Him. I miss our conversations...I miss touching his shoulder as we pass...I miss breakfast and late nights on the Pizer.

But for now...I'll wrap up in my sweatshirt with my hot coffee in hand..sit on my own pizer and just think.


Lou Ann Homan is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who lives in Northern Indiana, but spends her summers on Ocracoke Island. She is available for writing seminars, storytelling, and speaking engagements. She can be contacted at locketoftime@aol.com. You can read more at www.louannhoman.com

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Five nieces and a sister-in-law...

I arrived home two days ago from Ocracoke...I stood in the airport in Norfolk and watched Philip walk away...My heart was absolutely in a dulled state of pain. This summer was so wonderful. It was a long day of flying (and thinking, I might add). Karen picked me up at 12:30 in the morning in Fort Wayne and we made our way back to the House at White Picket Gardens. The air was cool..the moonlight made pathways for us on the highway and shrouded my house in shadows as we pulled in.

The last couple of days I have spent acclimating myself to life inland...filling the larder...renewing acquaintances...spending time with Jonah and Matthew.

This morning I was visited by five nieces and a sister-in-law of the woman, Daisy Garman McCane who lived in my house in the 40's, 50's and 60's. She was married for a couple of months and with an early death to her husband she opened up a boarding house here at my Picket Gardens. She slept downstairs (in what is now my library) and rented out the four rooms upstairs. Well, we have determined that she rented out three and her live-in boyfriend (posing as a renter) took the last bedroom by the large tree. (That room is now my child's bedroom complete with tea sets.) He died in this house on Christmas Day. The rooms were rented for $5.00 per month. She did not cook for them, but she did clean and ironed for a nickel a piece (shirt, etc.)

They described in detail the house and her furniture and regaled stories of visiting. They all signed the guest wall..wiped tears from their eyes and hugged me good bye. It was a great morning for all of us...I like knowing who came before me.

After a bit they all climbed back into their van and went on with the rest of their activities.

They said Daisy would have like what I have done with the house.
Somehow I knew that.

Lou Ann Homan is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who lives in Northern Indiana, but spends her summers on Ocracoke Island. She is available for writing seminars, storytelling, and speaking engagements. She can be contacted at locketoftime@aol.com. You can read more at www.louannhoman.com

Congratulations Trine!!

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