“I wish I could tell everyone how simple things are, but am not even able to demonstrate it to myself.” — Darryll Gates

Saturday night I made it out to Super Fresh to enjoy the poetry and music of the Bosso enterprise group who performed before an audience of family, friends and curious listeners in the back garden.

The performance was scheduled for 8 p.m. I arrived a half-hour late just ahead of the hardest rain I ever heard. I think the metal roof increased the sound, and it lasted for quite some time.

Michael, who originally hales from Mapleview, was able to extend his voice above the sound of the rain pouring down. Eventually it settled, and the six poets read their works to a good-sized mixed audience. Each presented his or her set a couple of times. In closing, Michael said they would be back and when that occurs they might make room for local poets.

Regarding the hard rain, in Hawaii this would be considered a blessing. That’s how I thought of it.

Earlier that day I stopped at the fair hoping to catch up with Nancy Kruger, who keeps the operation in check. She is also a true character and a joy to talk to. She was not available the two times I looked for her.

I did run into Lee Bonorden and his “office manager” and spent some time reminiscing on one of those comfortable Mower County Fair benches. We covered some ground, and Lee even shared some secrets that already I no longer recall.

I spent some time benching with Bob Johnson earlier, across the street near the fish and game building. Bob suggested I should stop writing about Bohemians all the time, and I think he might have made a reference to Vaclav Havel, the Czech dissident, who became president. I didn’t ask Bob what his nationality was, but was informed later by his wife Lucy that he was Norwegian. Are all Johnsons?

I could have told him I was half Norwegian. Unfortunately, I wasn’t exposed to too much rowdiness, not to imply that Bohemians are rowdy. However, I will try to respect Bob’s request. Some time ago, Bob suggested a possible story to investigate that I haven’t followed through on yet. It would be worth looking into.

It’s too bad that some of the fair folks didn’t drive out to Mapleview for “a night of edgy tales and laughter.” However, if it were raining as hard at the fairgrounds as it had been at Super Fresh, folks would have been soaked getting to their cars.

It was nice to see the huge crowds at the fair of all ages and everybody seemed to be getting along. Even the cameraman from the “other paper” sat down with me and told me what to do with my camera — get a new battery.

I used to shoot a lot black and white pictures with a couple old Pentax cameras and now with a Nikon donated by a friend when she went to the new way of taking photos. I’m not sure I could stand taking all the pictures that seem to come with the tiny disks. For one thing, I would probably not know how to transpose them or make copies.

Skyler, our youngest, headed back to college Monday, after visiting a friend in the cities, and Casey heads back later this week. Then Echo and Ptolemy will be back in charge again.

This brings memories of going back to Mankato State way back when and attending summer school to catch up. It was highlighted by dropping out one summer session with Kato Kramer and hitchhiking to Oregon.

I still wonder about education versus text messaging. I’m sure the text messaging has cut down on the use of scrapes paper we relied on.

The trees probably don’t mind, and it allows us to be able to walk out of our house talking on our cell phone and getting into our cars and continuing our conversation as we travel. I would never hitchhike with a cell phone.

Last week I drove up to the cities to a publishing workshop and saw many drivers with cell phone in hand.

Perhaps when you’re younger and capable of multi-tasking, as most woman are; one shouldn’t be concerned, but it concerns me.

It’s good to read in the paper that a percentage of the contracted work is local, but I’m still concerned about the Iowa’s brick walls being carted in and the mess on Main.