I fell off the turnip truck again, as I usually do when there’s pot roast involved.

Joanna Foreman and T. Lee Harris and I, of the Southern Indiana Writers Group, went up to Brown County yesterday to leave more copies of our books at The Book Loft (on past the Hobnob, past the ice cream shop, left at the corner). Sure we could have shipped them up at less cost, but any excuse for a road trip the personal touch means so much.

Before we went there, we had lunch at the Hobnob Corner. They had roast beef. ‘Nuff said.

We did some shopping. Things were bought. I got a Christmas present for my friend Jane, with whom I’m having lunch today, and bought myself a pair of silver and malachite earrings. Charlie laughed and said, “Like you don’t have enough earrings!” I said, “I don’t have enough green earrings!” Well, there’s no arguing with that airtight logic, so he didn’t even try.

The great thing about Nashville, Indiana is that it’s a tourist trap AND a genuinely cool place. You can buy trashy junk if that’s what you dig, or you can find treasures, if that’s what you’re looking for. And everything in between, and for any given value for “trashy junk” and “treasures”.

We sat down to rest and a passerby sat down next to me on the bench. I was showing Joanna and T what I’d bought, and the woman looked over and said, “I’ve got to see, too.” So I showed her and she was all, “Oooh! That’s beautiful!” and “Great price!” I wonder if she’s on the town payroll to go around and make purchasers happy with themselves. That would be a nice job to have.

WRITING PROMPT: Go to a shopping district in your town or a town near you, and watch people.

MA