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Isam Was Sheriff · The
Sky Is The Limit
About The Author/Purchase
BIRCH CREEK PUBLISHING Marshfield, MO ISBN 09760004-2-3
From The Book
| Toes | “When
he called he told me that on the beach 32 years ago I talked
about toes.”
|
| Native | “On my dining
table I usually have flowers and
a candle. This is as necessary as food.” |
| Natural | “I’ve had
three experiences in Missouri that were close to home, spontaneous,
and personal.
And I admit I felt Mama Nature was teaching me the truth
of it all.” |
| Food | “My first year in the Ozarks,
Danny asked if I thought I could, when he saw what a good steer Excel had become. I took a deep breath and answered,‘I need to.’” |
| Helpless | “We seemed to be the only customers who were disoriented by Frieda. I mouthed to Danny:‘What is this?’ ” |
| Controlled Burn |
“Matted
deadness trapped matted roots. The
fireteam began their choreography” |
| Orange Rolls |
“I bought refrigerated orange
rolls at our local grocery store. When Danny took them from the sack at home he said, ‘How did these get here?’” |
| Sensational | “When rain had stopped and
started continuously over several days, I hiked indoors on our
family-room treadmill while watching Oprah reveal and analyze Real
Life.” |
| Watching | “The most I’d ever been
involved in a political campaign before I moved to the Ozarks was voting, putting up yard signs one Saturday morning, and watching televised debates.” |
| Priorities | “ ‘Why do some men with
gray hair drive like friggin’ idiots?’ my girlfriend wailed in her email.” |
Well, no, I wasn’t born and reared in the Ozarks. In fact, I moved to Marshfield, Missouri on April 1, 1998, exactly three months after my 50th birthday.
But I have grown up here. Having moved far enough away that I was unknown to everyone in my community other than my husband, Danny, I was freer to challenge old habits and to mull over my new life on a cattle ranch in the Ozark Mountains. That’s what these true stories are about.
And because the native landscape has become so much a part of me, I asked a highly respected group of local photographers for help illustrating my book. I requested black and white Ozarks nature scenes: no people, no buildings, no machines. This group, the Webster County Camera Clique, is a club of amateur photographers. Their membership is open to anyone who has an interest in photography, either digital or film. They meet twice a month in the Webster County Library in Marshfield, Missouri. Sometimes one picture is worth ten-thousand words, isn’t it.
Most important, I’ve come to understand amazing Yolanda in (Judge) John Jacobs’s novel, McKinnon County Waltz:
“My theory is
you are who you are,
not who you were….”
Some Readers’ Responses
to
I Grew Up in the Ozarks…A
Love Story
“I like the fact that you think about things and aren’t afraid to write it down in a way that lets us know where you stand. You’re involved in your life and that’s the name of the game; this is evident in each of your pieces.”
“We enjoyed the beautiful pictures of the setting for your book.”“What a delightful, insightful account of you ‘growing up’ in the Ozarks! Just goes to prove, we never really grow up; we just learn more about life.”
“In this age of color photos, I had forgotten how dramatic black and white photos can be.”
“The one word that came to my mind—after I read your book and thought about your writing— is ‘crisp’.”
“The pictures and stories are so beautiful. You care and see all details. Even something so simple that some people forget to see and notice in ordinary life.”
“When I read about you and Danny walking among the fireflies and stars, I blushed: it was so vivid and so intimate, I thought I was there, too!”
“You’re writing about living in the moment, in the present, the only meaningful reality we have….String enough of these little slices of present together and you’ve got a life.”