West Virginia love...

It’s been a long time since I’ve tarried in West Virginia. Last nite I spent the uneventful nite at the West Virginia Welcome Center, so there’s great internet access here. I spent longer here than I had intended because of my rhubarb that I brought on the plane from my garden, all the way thru Detroit and then Philadelphia, driving thru rain and fog to Delaware, then Maryland, and now West Virginia.

I spent the morning cutting up rhubarb and strawberries – organic also but these I had to buy for $5.00…grrrrr – steaming them together, and making yummy sauce.

When I leave my truck, getting ready to hit the road, a very excited and talkative older white man approached me saying that he just HAD to talk with me – that he had seen me down the road and took pictures, he admits sheepishly until I emphatically encourage him to do so.

He was driving by when he saw my truck parked so he had to turn around and come back in order to talk with me and take more pictures.

While we’re talking, a white womyn stands on the steps and flashes me a thumbs up, joyfully proclaiming this truck made her day!

A young Black man walks over, also smiling broadly. He has “ARMY” written on his black shirt and is wearing a fatigue hat. Z he tells me he is called. I ask him why he’s advertising for the military. He’s at first a little confused, then seems to remember what he has on. He tells me he is not advertising for them, this is just his workout clothes.

Hmmmm. When we talk further, he tells me he’s a college student, despises the military, plays football, and is studying criminal justice – in North Carolina. I encourage him to invite me to come read at his college. He wants a picture with me and I tell him I’ll have to cover up the “army”. He smiles broadly and obliges as he drapes one strong forearm over the blazing gold letters and the other over my shoulders.

I sell one book to Lewis and gift Z a book.

Off to the Y