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Time Out For a Little Humor

Ever wonder who started the habit of reading? Slim Randles, a writer with a wry sense of wit explains.....

You’d think winter would give Sarah McKinley a bumper crop of readers down at the Read-Me-Now bookstore.

You’d think.

But for some reason, she finds the need each winter to have some crazy promotion to peddle books. Last year it was celebrating President James Monroe’s wedding anniversary (120 years now, and they said it wouldn’t last!).

We’ve come to speculate (our number one indoor sport around here) on what her promotion would be this winter and when.

Right after that cold snap we found out.

On a big banner taped up in the front window of her store, we saw: “Help Celebrate Orf Day! Come in and see the specials.”

After two days of fruitless speculation, we agreed to once again send Doc into the breech.

“Orf Day, huh?” Doc said, cruising nonchalantly past the section called “Love and Other Fiction.”

“I figured it was about time we celebrated Orf, Doc. He just never gets the kind of respect and recognition he deserves.”

Doc raised an eyebrow. “Hockey player, wasn’t he?”

“That was Orr. No, he came along a long time before Bobby.”

“Oh yeah,” Doc said, nodding, “the composer. I’ve heard his stuff. Carmina Burana, right?”

“That was Carl Orff with two f’s,” she said, smirking a little bit, “Orf was way before Carl.”

“I guess I’m not familiar with Orf, then, Sarah.”

“Granddaddy of them all, Doc,” she said. “Orf was the first reader.”

“One of those cave guys?”

“Near as we can figure,” she said, with a straight face. “You know, we don’t have a lot of written history of those times.”

“So what did Orf read?”

“Before written words, there were cave drawings, of course, but they lacked a lot in the communication line, so that’s when the first writer tried language.”

“And the first writer was?”

“Urglia,” Sarah said. “Orf’s wife. Near as we can figure, the first writing was a note to Orf telling him to take out the cave detritus, making him an official midden manager.”

“Well ain’t progress wonderful,” Doc said, grinning.
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Slim Randles is an author of several books, as well as the popular syndicated column, Home Country, which chronicles the lives of the guys and gals down at the Mule Barn Truck Stop who tell stories and wax philispohical about life and such things.
Slim's books include Sun Dog Days, Raven's Prey,  Ol' Slim's Views From the Porch, and Ol' Max Evans the First Thousand Years. Meet Slim on his Web site and read about the most important thing he bought for book signing events. A must-have for a cowboy.

Posted by Maryann Miller, who is a big fan of Slim's work and loved his book, Sun Dog Days.  However, she did not follow his advice on what to purchase for book signing events for her new book, Open Season.

Comments

  1. Love Sarah. She's creative and popular, I bet.

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  2. Thanks, Ginger. I like all the characters Slim has created in this fictional little town. They are all so unique, and funny.

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  3. Sounds like a place we want to visit more than once. It's great when a town can become like a character in a book.

    Morgan Mandel
    http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

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  4. I love the idea of unique promotions that catch people's attention. Fun post!

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  5. Ha! I have to love this. Orf it is then!

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