2005-09-27 - 10:01 p.m.
This is a Hat,----a real mother.
I�ve been searching for this book for at least a decade. I checked it out of the Salina Public Library when I first started working with leather.
Aside form the � The Man can�t keep us down forever� attitude that the book was written with; it really is a very fine book on leatherworking.
After lots of fruitless Internet book browsing, I had a sudden flash of brilliance.
�If you checked it out of the Salina Public Library, it is probably still there.�
�Of course!� I exclaimed, �Nothing ever changes in Kansas.�
And I was right.
I called the reference desk at the library and a very nice young lady answered. She said that they had several books on leather working and could I try and describe the one I was looking for. I began to describe the book, and though I remember all of its instruction on leatherworking, I could remember few details of the book itself. (Aside from its general militant hippiness.) But there was one picture and caption that had been forever burned in my memory.
�There is a section on leather hats, and in one of the pictures there is a bearded hippie with the caption, This is a hat, a real Mutha�
I added the proper �stick it to the Man� emphasis on �Mutha�
There was a stifled giggle on the other end of the line, �I�ll see if we have that book and give you a call back, Ok?�
I gave her my number and waited. I actually did the �fingers drumming on the table next to the phone� wait.
The phone rang, I snatched it off the cradle.
�Hello� Did you find the book?�
There was a quick shuffling of pages and then the reply
�This is a hat----a real mother�
She intoned the magic phrase with perfect librarian like diction, adding a bit of Kansas hard R emphasis to the �mother.�
Now that I had the title and publisher it was easy to track the book down on the Internet. I found a copy in Arizona for $15.00 and a week later I was anxiously tearing the envelope apart to admire my new treasure.
I was so happy that I even forgave the post office for tossing my package in the drainage ditch in front of my house. (nice one guys, next time just drive by and toss it in the general direction of my house.)
We moved this weekend.
We also went to Cattle raids this weekend.
I don�t recommend that you ever do those two things in the same weekend.
We pulled into Rockville at 7:00 Monday morning after packing and loading all day and night Sunday. I had to pull Jackie Chan like maneuver to get a 25� moving van up a driveway that barley accommodates a Chevy Tahoe.
Then we had to unload the truck, gas it up and get it back to the U-haul place by 11:00.
It was a busy morning.
But we�re here, I might go into some of the more harrowing aspect of the move, and I promised Budget that I would began an internet campaign against them as soon as possible.
I�d hate to let them down
Justus
