Partonville Makes National News - Again!

This old editor once read a fortune cookie that said, "Distance lends enchantment to the view." When it comes to the complicated issue of "progress," sometimes it takes an outsider's view to lend clarity. But I've often wondered, who might that someone(s) "distant" view be?

Today it hit me: Since that Baumbich woman keeps writing books about us (see related article in next column), might it ultimately be the strangers reading our books who help us to see ourselves, maybe even themselves, in the truest light?

But then again, perhaps we Partonvillers should all just pick up a copy of Dearest Dorothy, If Not Now, When? and have a look-seeglean a distanced view, you might sayat ourselves. If we study our own stories and see what we can make of them, learn how well, or not, we've responded to the pressure, maybe then we can begin to tally up the surprising numbers of fine folks who've stepped up to lend us a hand.

Throughout our last year (which took Baumbich five books to cover) we've struggled, laughed, fought, grieved and partied together. If, in the end, we can simply learn to get along by delving outand receiving--hearty doses of grit and grace, perhaps we can redefine TRUE "progress," no matter what size this or anyone's town. In the end, it's up to us. Amen.

TODAY’S NEIGHBOR:  Jessica Joy
QUESTION:  What do you wish for most?
ANSWER:  A good night’s sleep!  Wait, did you write that down?  Of course I most wish for a healthy second child, and I mean that.  I’m just a little tired right now.
TIDBIT:  I’d like to publicly thank my husband Paul for loving me so well, even when I say dumb things. love you, Paul.

TODAY’S NEIGHBOR:  Sam Vitner
Owns Swappin’ Sam’s, which is a cornerstone (figuratively and literally) of Partonville.  Store motto: “If you’ve got the time, you’ll make the find.” 
QUESTION:  What is your political persuasion?
ANSWER: “They all lie.”
TIDBIT:  Sam’s dream is to one day make the Guinness World Book of Records for his collection of Dominoes which numbers “somewhere in the tens of thousands, I’d say.” 

TODAY'S NEIGHBOR: Nellie Ruth McGregor
Long-time resident.  On the United Methodist Church Altar Guild and a member of the Happy Hookers bunco club. Also plays saxophone in Partonville Community Band. 
QUESTION: What is your favorite color?
ANSWER: "Blue.  But it will soon be Splendid Rose since that's the new paint color I've chosen for my living room."
TIDBIT: Among her favorite things are, "Dill pickles, daffodils and May Belle's snickerdoodle cookies."

TODAY'S NEIGHBOR: Challie Carter. Lifetime Partonville resident and third generation farmer in the area. Says, "Black Illinois dirt is beautiful".
QUESTION: What is your favorite thing about Partonville?
ANSWER: "My wife. Think I'd dare say anything else in print?"
TIDBIT: Challie likes to take Sunday drives in the country ("what's left of it"), just to spy on how straight everyone else has—or has not—planted their rows of crops.

This reporter recently had the chance to interview author Charlene Ann Baumbich in her "messy" (and I quote her with politeness here) 10x10 office. Baumbich, seated in her blue, ergonomic office chair, spun to greet me with a bright smile and a breezy voice. Her husband, George, hauled a kitchen chair upstairs into her writer's nest for the interview. After they cleared a space for the chair (which wasn't easy), I was seated and our casual conversation began.

While sipping fresh-steeped herbal iced tea (lots of ice), Baumbich, dressed in a sweat shirt and jeans, laughed and cried while talking to me about her latest books, which are, as you know, about our fine town and its residents, including the newly relocated (but are they really here for good?) city slickers.
Baumbich, true to her characters, is as animated as Arthur Landers (and admits she can be as cantankerous), as feisty and spiritual as Dorothy (although not as old), as emotionally lost on occasion as 47-year-old city clicker Katie Durbin (although Baumbich is older and says she knows "squat" about real estate), and as young-at-heart as 15-year-old Joshua Matthew Kinney, a.k.a. Josh. (Yes, she has, in real life, gone on many a crawdad hunt herself, which is why she can write about them with such zest.)

"Did you know there was a real Dorothy?" Baumbich asks. "Although I only knew her for a few years, she was someone who touched my life exactly where and when it needed touching. She lived large, was a bandleader still playing in the community band in her retirement, scared me to death to ride with her (in her giant car), and made my heart merry and rich with her wonderful humor.

"Sadly, I lost my dearest Dorothy within weeks after losing my father and godmother, and just months before beginning these books. It is undoubtedly their feisty energy (not their real lives or stories) that fuels me to write about the importance of intergenerational relationships, the grace of laughter, and the gift called LIFE! Each of these folks—along with many others who have gone before me—continue to influence me for the better, all the way from heaven."

Here's the thing about nosey outsiders: they write down our every thought and word, then go and put it all into books. You'd think after five of said books, we'd be used to having our foibles and secrets set to page by now, but after reading Dearest Dorothy, If Not Now, When?!, the sixth book in the Welcome to Partonville series (at least they continue to advertise our friendliness, although sometimes we simply do not deserve it!), we all ought to be a might embarrassed by the way we've been acting lately.

For instance, wouldn't you think we could conduct our very own small-town mayoral election with less folderol than the big campaigns currently garnering so much national attention? Honestly, just reading our candidates' endless slogans makes me cringe. (What will we ever do with all the campaign buttons?! Harley, will you take them down at the recycle yard? Please let me know and we'll make it public.)

And what about the ongoing debacle over the mini mall? Why, I'm surprised that in the midst of it all, Katie Durbin doesn't just pack up and leave Pardon-me-ville for good--and you know what and who I'm talking about! Especially you, Sam Vitner . . . and George Gustafson, and those powerful landgrabbing Craig brothers from Hethrow.

And yet, even though we have our problems, and even though we might sometimes seemand acta little backwards (yes, I know the Press will receive letters to the editor for that comment, and yes, we'll publish them), there is satisfaction in knowing that our history is being accurately recorded, warts and all. There is richness in reading about friendships between some of our long-standing residents and holding them up as beacons of hope--especially when we take a look at nearly nine decades of the bond between our Dearest Dorothy and her good friend (and ours) May Belle. It's hard for some of us to imagine a friendship lasting that long, but it sure is something to shoot for!

And honestly, Partonvillers, who among us hasn't plum out-and-out sighed over our town's new (and "old") love connections made by . . . well, you know who I'm talkin' about! (Does the Fire Pit ring any latent bells for some of you oldsters? If you've already forgotten, make sure you read Dearest Dorothy, If Not Now, When?!)

But you know, one of the things I like best about that title is how much our lives might change if we lived by it, as does our very own Dearest Dorothy. And hasn't she been through it the last year? When you can remain "pedal to life's metal" and "prayers to the Big Guy" while making hard decisions about moving (Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet?) and driving (Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down! You're Wearing Us Out!), secrets (Dearest Dorothy, Help! I've Lost Myself!), keeping the peace (Dearest Dorothy, Who Would Have Ever Thought?!) and helping a grieving town through the holiday season (Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything!), you have no choice BUT to live with the "if not now, when?" spirit, right Dorothy?

Baumbich has hung around us for so long now that we consider her an Honorary Partonville Resident. Although she's not exactly from Partonville, she is, so she tells us, from nearby - at least in her own mind, whatever that means. If you'd like to contact her in Partonville, CLICK HERE

To book Charlene Baumbich for a reading and/or signing in your store contact Penguin Books

To request a telephone book club visit between Charlene and your book club, e-mail Charlene

As we reported in our last edition, if you’re interested in reading an interview with Baumbich (some think she’s more fascinating than we do) and checking out discussion questions those Penguin People have thought up, CLICK HERE.

We receive lots of e-mails about large print books and/or books on tape--both which are available.
  
Dearest Dorothy, Help! I've Lost Myself!
Thorndike Press; Largeprint edition

Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet?
Thorndike Press; Largeprint edition
 
Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out!
Thorndike Press; Largeprint edition
 
 AUDIO TAPES FOR THE FIRST FIVE are ONLY available through Recorded Books

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