MI NUEVO AMIGA

I have no idea if that is the correct way to say that sentence.  I hope it means, "My new friend."

*************************

Several weeks ago, my long-time friend, Lori  and I were in a Michael's store which is many miles from the one I usually frequent here in Tucson.  We happened to be nearby on another errand and I needed some paint so it seemed like a good idea to just stop by that location.

As we were leaving, I noticed a large display of baskets.  In one of the baskets was a book which caught my eye.  What I paid no attention to was a lady kneeling on the floor beside the display.  It did not, for a moment, occur to me that the book couldn't possibly have been part of the display.  As if directed by a source outside myself, I reached for the book.  I picked it up.  I saw the title.  I saw the cover illustration.  I flipped it open.  I fell in love.  I said something clever like, "This is wonderful."

The kneeling lady said, "Thank you.  I wrote it."

Can I just say we talked?  And talked.  And talked.  And talked some more.

We exchanged e-mail addresses and website addresses and promised to get together soon.

"Soon" finally came.

May I present mi nuevo amiga, Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford.

That name is a mouthful, isn't it?

It should be.  She is the child of Eastern European Jews who immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Nogales, Arizona...of all places.  She was raised with all the influences of a Jewish Nana...and  Mexican housekeeper/Nanny,  too.  She learned to talk in both English and Spanish.  Eventually, she married a man of Mexican descent.  A Jewish/Mexican/American...at least by heart and soul, if not by blood.

She will henceforth be referred to simply as Roni.  (Like Ronnie)

Roni and I got together this afternoon, finally, and had a royal gab-fest!  We talked, as fast as we could, for a measly hour and a half.  It could have gone on much, MUCH longer...but both of us had other things to do.

I want you to go to her web-site and read all about her and her delightful bi-lingual children's books.  Would you, please?

http://www.butterflyheartbooks.com/


Just in case you don't read every word on her site, I have to tell you this.

She had given a reading and talk to a fourth grade class. Of course, they wrote thank you letters to her which she has posted on her site. One of the letters had this question for her.

"How many books do you think you will write before you perish?"

Perish!!!!

That, from a 4th grader! Cracked me up!

A postscript presented one more question...."How old are you?

Kids do, indeed, say the darndest things!

I do believe I will have more to say about Roni and her books in the future.  But for now, I just wanted to introduce my newest friend to some of my older friends.

Not that kind of older, ok?



Get over it!

Let's be grateful for how old we've gotten to be.

Think of the alternative!