“This Thursday, November 3rd, at 9 am Central Time, Phil Johnston will be doing his Greenwood County history program on KOTE-FM. I expect that it will be one of his best.

Phil will be talking about the book, “My Flint Hills Childhood: Growing Up in the Flint Hills of Kansas” by Gail Lee Martin.

Gail grew up in the 30’s in the oil fields of Greenwood County and her book paints a very real picture of the time and place. This is a background very similar to Phil’s own personal history so I am sure it holds special meaning for him. In addition to discussing the book I understand Phil is going to be having a live phone conversation with Gail.

Gail’s book is not only well written, it is beautifully and professionally crafted with black and white photographs integrated with the text. Gail’s book won the 2010 Kansas Authors Club’s Ferguson Kansas History Award.

So remember, visit KOTE-FM’s “listen online” at 9 AM (Greenwood County Time/Central Time Zone). Just click on “listen live.”

One new fan is Gerry Brazil who wrote to her, saying “I just received a copy of your book from the Butler Co. Museum. This is without a doubt the best personal history book I have ever found! I am having the museum send a copy to someone who does a radio program on Greenwood County history. I am also having them send copies to friends who are working on a family history.  Your book may help inspire them.”

• My Flint Hills Childhood: Growing up in 1930s Kansas
• Clyde Owen Martin: Family Memories of His Life and Times

Book Store in Peabody, KS

Then we went across to Jack Rabbit Hollow book store. It is so much more than a book store it is the bright spot of the town. What a lovely welcome from the owner. She not only has a book store, which is much more than a book store, it is a shop for gifts; prepackaged soups, desserts and drinks; home and yard decorating with everything anyone would want.

Since this was her Christmas Open House as well as our book signing, she had set up a snack table with a crockpot of one of her packaged soups; desserts from her packaged mix as well a hot cider and some sort of tea all beautifully arranged in a front corner of her very crowded shop. She had us tucked in next to the refreshments with small fold out tables for us to put our books.

My, oh my, as the town people trickled in we were so busy visiting and telling about our books the time just flew by. Now and then there would be a crowd of 4 or 5 people and Cindy would open her book and read one of her poems or I would read a paragraph. Mostly I just opened my book to a certain story and show it to them & explain a little.

As the name of the store implies there were rabbits everywhere! But the greeter at the door was a big, yellow tomcat that thought everyone came to see him.

One lady came from El Dorado to see us as she had missed the signing at the museum. We came back home a different way and came down past old number 8 school and the farm where we used to live. All that has changed so much because of widening the highway.

PS I want to go back and look at all of Pam’s goodies and spend some money that I was too excited to do when we were there. Lovely old town!