Forty-seven years ago, tonight, I married the love of my life.  It was a photos outdoors in a friend’s flower garden before the ceremony kind of afternoon then to the church we attended in a town in northwest Kansas with friends and family. Our colors were burgundy and pink, and my husband sang to me as I walked down the isle with my dad. The memories survive but the marriage did not.

I start this way as I write today because that’s where my heart strayed this morning, but I have the remainder of the day to think about cheerier things!

I have another book in final edits titled, “Whoa to Wow, with a Nose Job and a New Pair of Shoes.”  It begins with a university sophomore looking into a mirror, in a night class called Theatrical Makeup. The assignment: to create a clown face, and a star was born in Markay the Clown. Dabs of makeup and me in tennis shoes evolved into a professional clown as a sideline and traveled through the rest of my university studies to my first teaching career and beyond.

I performed for students, library programs, back to my university to speak to theatre classes, parades, and advertising, and of course, children’s birthday parties. 

This book, starting with that night class in 1969, on to years of developing a clown persona, doing research on famous clowns, attending Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus performances, meeting some famous clowns, and joining Clowns of America.

This story shares the joys and laughter clowning brought into my life. Making others laugh has always been intoxicating to me, similar to applause to a stage performer.

Through clowning, I delved into puppetry, balloon animal tying, prop building, developing programs and routines, learning simple magic tricks, collecting clowns and elephants, and reading books on clowns, clowning, and the wonderful children’s books on these topics.

I abhor those who villainize clowns.

I did not travel with a circus, but applaud those did, bringing joy and laughter to children of all ages.

I am retired from teaching and from clown adventures, but I still delight in getting people to laugh.

Laugh is on my daily to-do list.