Last night in Kansas City I went to bed while watching TV with warnings of storms and possible tornadoes.  I awoke to the sound of sirens blasting around town, so I jumped out of bed, ran around the bed twice, and grabbed my bathrobe.  My thought was that if I had to evacuate my room, I’d at least have my bathrobe on and be ready.  After all that I was worn out, and having received no instructions from the hotel, I decided to go back to bed and prayed.

When morning arrived there was storm damage around the area.  Apparently there were tornados last night.  A fellow traveler described hail the size of quarters and fierce wind and two inches of rain   He said the rain felt like needles, it was coming down so hard.  I’m beginning to feel like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz!

Life on the road isn’t all it's cracked up to be.  I’m an early riser, but getting up at 4 a.m. to make a flight is early, even for me.  I arrived in Kansas City at 8 a.m., only to find the hotel wasn’t able to check me in until 3 p.m..  Not my idea of fun--and there wasn’t a yarn store in sight!  But, I did get to have lunch with my brother, and the day picked up after that.

Of course, the best part is meeting my readers.  They are by far the most generous and friendly.  One gal drove all the way from Chicago to Indianapolis because she mixed up my travel days and missed me in Chicago.  Why did she drive all that way?  Because she wanted to give me chenille yarn--yards and yards of it! 

I’m fully prepared to give a little speech about 20 WISHES, and any of my other titles, if asked, but I’m finding I hardly need to talk about my books at all.  I overhead ladies discussing my books, and they’re virtually selling my books to each other while they’re standing in line. Bless you!

I’m in Kansas City through Saturday, May 3.  Come on by if you’re in the area—I’d love to see you.

I’m in Chicago, my first tour city.  I’m excited and enthusiastic and I’ve already managed to do some shopping.  My hotel is near Michigan Avenue, which is the main street for all my favorite stores:  Nordtrom, Nieman Marcus, Macy’s and Sacks.  So, I had a nice long walk yesterday, purely for the exercise, you understand.

I’m looking forward to meeting my readers in Chicago.  Tuesday evening I will be on my way to Indianapolis, the next stop.

My bags aren’t packed, and I’m not ready to go . . . but I’m getting there.  I’ve sorted out the knitting projects I’ll be taking:  at last count it was four.  I know that sounds like a lot, and I can’t possibly finish each one, but each is necessary. 

My books are ready to go, too.  Wayne bought me the Sony Reader and it’s a good thing, because five books arrived that need to be read for a contest before June first.  And so . . . I’ve got a total of eight books  plus the Sony Reader ready for the suitcase.  Then of course there are clothes to pack.   I’m just not sure if I have enough underwear for seven weeks.

Wayne and I had a wonderful weekend—our last before I head out on tour.  We went down to the local Farmer’s Market on Saturday, where I picked up a coin found here on Florida’s Treasure Coast—so called because of all the shipwrecks located off shore.  It’s a Piece of Eight and minted, if that’s the right word, in 1675.  I bought it for Wayne to thank him for his encouragement, support and love during this upcoming tour.

This is my last weekend before I leave on my 20 WISHES tour and it seems I have a hundred things to do.  One of the most important is to fill the cupboards for my sweet husband.  He’s already given me a list of what he wants, mostly canned and frozen goodies.  Many of you already know Wayne is my hero, supporting and encouraging me while I’m on the road, and because he’ll be here alone waiting for me makes him a real prince of a guy.  And I’m not saying that just because he bought me a dozen red roses yesterday.

My editor and I are struggling to come up with a title for a 2009 reprint containing two of my earlier titles.  Both were published in the early 1990s and are two of my favorite stories:  THE COURTSHIP OF CAROL SOMMERS and FATHER’S DAY.  The books each have matchmaking children and their mothers are widows. 

Titles should be easy, and for me they generally are because almost always they come from the work itself.  Paula and I were on the phone an hour yesterday and came up with nothing.  I’m thinking this morning that LOVE RIGHT NEXT DOOR sounds pretty good.  For the other, I don’t remember.  Okay, so it’s a stretch, but at this point I’m not nearly as picky. 

Wayne and I spent the morning on the radio with Rhett Palmer, our friend in Vero Beach.  I co-hosted his show! 

Rhett does an amazing interview.  Over the years I’ve done plenty of radio and usually have five to fifteen minutes air time.  What’s incredible about Rhett is that he’s like the Larry King of radio.  My first interview with Rhett lasted over an hour.  You can listen to me, plus other interviews, at www.RhettPalmer.com.  Click on “Shows and Schedule” to find my interview.

My trip back to Port Orchard for the weekend got cancelled at the last minute (no, I wasn’t flying American Airlines), and so I have a three-day reprieve.  Three whole days in which I have nothing scheduled.  Oh my, this is such a luxury.

Well, first things first; I do need to write, but I don’t see any reason to be hard-nosed about it.  I’m convinced God opened up this time for me to shop.  I’m going to need new clothes for tour, after all.  Already I can hear my credit cards calling my name.  I’m sure there’s a sale somewhere.

Like Thomas Jefferson, I cannot live without books.  Last year, while on tour, I carted nine books with me.  I am not making this up.  Nine books.  I had my Bible, my journal, (actually, two journals) two or three novels, and then I found a couple of cookbooks I couldn’t live without.  You get the picture.  By the time I headed home my suitcase weighed more than I did.  A few months later I had rotator cuff surgery, which is a good indication of exactly how heavy the suitcase was.  In preparation for this upcoming tour my sweet husband purchased a Sony Reader and downloaded the Bible and several other books for me.  Technology is a wonderful thing.

I arrived dopey and cross-eyed from Europe and struggled with the time change.  All day Friday I couldn’t figure out the time, let alone the day.  I heard one isn’t supposed to experience jet lag when traveling west, but apparently my body didn’t get the memo. 

I slept nearly all of one day and listlessly walked around feeling guilty about everything that I should be doing over the weekend.  The good news is I’m feeling more like myself this morning and eager to get back to work.  Lydia is calling to me, and she’s upset that I’ve kept her waiting alone on Blossom Street this long.

Bonjour from France!

I’ve learned that the French have a marvelous way with food, wine and perfume, all three of which I’ve indulged in since arriving in Paris from London.

I found my first yarn shop, too, and because of their reduced inventory after my visit, soon there will be several hundred naked sheep wandering the French hillsides.

Am looking forward to meeting my French editor on Wednesday, and then I’ll be heading home after a fabulous European tour.

In the UK they say “brilliant” instead of wonderful.  I’m having a brilliant time here in London.  I met with my U.K.publisher and visited their offices in Surrey.  Today was the Stitch and Craft Show in Olympia, which was fabulous.  I was surprised at the number of people acquainted with me and my books and was delighted to find the auditorium where I spoke to be standing-room only. 

At the Craft Show I was surprised to find possum yarn (a blend of wool and possum fur) and immediately purchased several skeins.  I was first introduced to possum yarn when I visited New Zealand and have been searching for it ever since.   More so than knitting, the hottest thing at the show was needlepoint.

Last night I was treated to the play The Sound of Music.  I’ve seen it many times, but this production was truly brilliant.  It was so well produced that I had tears in my eyes many times. 

Tomorrow I'll be on the Eurostar (underground train) on my way to Paris for a few days of fun.  I’m so looking forward to that!

I’m enjoying Ireland just as much as I thought I would.  This isn’t my first visit to the Emerald Isle, but I did experience a first:  my first Irish coffee!

I also had my first international phone call using my Blackberry.  As usual, nothing is as easy as it seems.  I was in such a rush to get ready for my trip that I didn’t follow through on the international calling details I needed to complete, so of course my phone would not work when I reached Ireland.  I was finally able to get in touch with a phone tech, who immediately knew that I had not read my manual.  I promised I would do phone summer school—whatever it took—to get it working.  He made it happen, so I guess I’m going to summer school.  And can you guess where this phone tech was located?  Nope, not in Ireland—he was in Albuquerque, NM!

Even though I’m enjoying myself, this is a business trip, so I’ve been meeting wholesalers and signing stock.  I’ve met some wonderful people, and it was exciting to meet members of the international press. 

There was a wonderful shop right around the corner from my hotel that sold hand knit sweaters, and they had a bit of yarn, too, but that’s all I’ve found so far.  I’m hoping for more opportunities in London, which is my next stop.