The Bellbuckle Zinnia Stealer

Every year a gang of crazy ladies, which is made up primarily of sisters, mothers, nieces, cousins and one nephew, gather early one Saturday morning mid-October, big shopping bags in tow and dressed with any and every expectation of weather in mind because they've been through it all, and head to Bellbuckle Tennessee to the annual Webb School Craft Fair Extravaganza. They've been members of this gang for as long as any of them can remember and the tradition has been held before some of them were even in existence. Ask any of these coo-coos where you can find the frog callers, student pottery, the favorite Aunt when she's got the hankering for white beans, turnip greens and cornbread, hidden port-o-johns

or where the beautiful corner house with the crazy and colorful array of gorgeously wild and landscaped flower beds is and they can tell you in an instant. Trust me, we were at this craft fair when ladies were tipsy with crazy over country blue in their kitchens with dusty rose hearts and white geese on a grapevine wreath. There are booths galore and antique shops to boot with food and music and collectible loot.

The house on the corner of this ever so small Tennessee town, of which the train still goes through severely often and also houses two of the sister's most favorite old general store antique dealer, had the most elegant display of flowers this particular October, most of which was still in bloom. Flower upon on flower were identified by many a passerby and nine out of ten of those good-eyed shoppers had their eye on the giant red zinnias, and of whom most called every name but zinnia. They would stop, point and stare and look in amazement wishing their flower garden had turned out as nice this past summer so they too could still have wonder and beauty abound around their own terrace. But to one's surprise no one thought to take a snip of a stem as a souvenir of the day or of the hard work that went into their gawking. I once thought that if I had been the owner of such a yard I would be out and proud and not "out of town" as the owner of this masterpiece would be. I would be selling seeds and taking votes as to which flower they adored the most.

It just so happens that there was a thievery this past Fall at the fest. Not to name any names, but while one Aunt and two nieces were resting on a street curb eating fresh kettle corn listening to YeeHaa every time a new batch was done and handed to the next person in line with their mouth watering, waiting for a sister and her friend to try on and decide on a new outfit in a booth straight ahead, someone reached out and plucked a handful of giant zinnia seeds right from the center of a dried out bloom and trust me this gal knew what she was doing. Someone with gleam and stardom in their eyes on which efforts may fetch the Robertson County Fair 2013 Flower Prize.