Dear Mr. Keillor,
You and I have a lot in common. I grew up in a small town and my husband and I farmed for 25 years, hogs and grain, and never made a nickel. Your farming stories could've happened in our backyard. At one time, there were 30 or so seed/feed caps hanging in the garage. My husband drove a dump truck that had a bed that didn't work quite right, and it raised while he was driving past the K-mart, ripping out power lines and phone lines. Just like your story about the cherrypicker. I sang "The Green Cathedral" in a girls' trio in high school. I played the tape of that song over the phone to one of the women who sang with me ... she CRIED when she heard it.
Saw your Second Annual Farewell appearance in New York! Had ten cats at one time. Studied French for a year and adored the Cafe Boeuf. I tell your jokes to hundreds of donors at the blood bank where I work. Keeps them from having adverse reactions! My favorites are Bob, the grasshopper; nacho cheese; hot, cross bunnies; and, last week, the difference between roast beef and pea soup!
- Yr friend in PA
Dear Friend,
It's like we're the same person. "Green Cathedral" is a favorite song of mine and nobody sings it. I can't because I'm not a girl. I never did farm, by the way, and the small town I grew up in was about 12,000. And the most cats I ever had was two. I am quietly campaigning to get one or two for my daughter. It'd be nice to find a big mama cat with herding instincts who will sleep with my daughter and keep her in her own bed at night.