Spring, We Miss You! Please Come Soon.

After another snowstorm threat that left us without an author for our event at Art Bar, I've decided to put my foot down and demand that spring arrive as soon as possible.

Don't think I know it could be worse. An awful lot of storms have passed south of us (sorry Chicago, and Indianapolis) while others have come up the East coast (my apologies, New York).

I'm grateful to Mother Nature that she cooperated last Friday for Malcolm Gladwell's event. I'm hoping she's as big a fan of Sue Monk Kidd as we are, and will make Monday, February 10**, a mild evening. Kidd is visiting Milwaukee Public Library's Centennial Hall for her new novel, The Invention of Wings. More on our Facebook page!

While we were first trying to figure out what to do about getting Tim Federle (visiting schools for Five, Six, Seven, Nate!*) out of town, Jill at Simon and Schuster informed me that folks were leaving early for a different storm that was walloping New York. Before I looked at the schedule, I assume he was going to New York and wanted to say, "What's the hurry? Everything's going to be cancelled anyway" but he was doing events in Washington, and they looked like they were out of harm's way.

So this morning Anne put together a display of field guides and floral stationery and felt birds and purses decorated with bees and butterflies, and the like.

And yes, Amie had Terrail cut down the in-store snowflakes a week earlier than my February 1st directive. "Enough snow, already," she moaned.

We're thinking flowers and birds and butterflies and bees and dragonflies. Heck, at this point, I might be okay with mosquitoes. Actually no, I'm looking forward to spring, not summer. Even 40 degrees seems balmy.

*Signed copies available for purchase, of course.

**Corrected. Thanks, Jannis!