I Love You, Pioneer Woman, But Not That Much

About three years ago, my daughter introduced me to http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/. It’s the first blog I started reading regularly, and it’s written by a fellow Oklahoman. If you are one of the few internet users who hasn’t yet seen it, go take a look. Ree Drummond, the “Pioneer Woman,” has taken the blogging world by storm with her writing style, photography, and cooking skills.

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This week, her cookbook debuted, and she started a book tour. Last night she came to Full Circle Book Store in Oklahoma City. I decided to go buy a couple of cookbooks and have her autograph them.

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Now, I knew Pioneer Woman has more than a couple of fans, so I determined to get there before the crowd gathered. When I had a hard time finding a parking place, I thought there might already be more than a few people there. But I didn’t expect this.

The line ran from Ree through the store and out into the mall—way out into the mall. This was at 6:30, when the signing began.

Customers went into the store to purchase cookbooks, then returned outside to stand in line. I bought my cookbooks. But I figured that with hundreds of people already in line, everyone who was coming to the book signing was already there. It would take a good hour or more to reach Ree, and I knew that my old legs weren’t up to standing that long.

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I decided to be smart about this. I knew I’d be more comfortable sitting for an hour or two, so I plopped down into one of the mall chairs. So what if I was at the end of the line? I already had my books, and I was comfortable.

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So I sat and read—all the way through the cookbook. I couldn’t see the end of the line, but it had to be getting closer to me, right? After all, how many people could possibly show up for a book signing?

As I sat there, a number of people stopped and asked me what was happening. What were all these people buying? I tried to explain, but non-blog readers just didn’t get it.

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About 9:15 I finished the book and decided I’d walk for a while before getting in line. By the time I found the end of the line, reality sank in. Obviously, while I was sitting, more and more people got in line. She still had a couple hundred books to sign.

By that time, my eyes were focusing about as well as my camera did for this shot.

Since I live close to Full Circle Book Store, I considered going home for a couple of hours and then returning for her autograph. But it was already 9:15. I’m old, and I was tired. So I went home and stayed there.

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This morning I’m still marveling at this phenomenon. I console myself with the thought that if we insist upon having heroes/heroines, at least Ree has done something to merit this kind of attention. She’s not just a pretty face, or some obscenely overpaid sports figure. She’s actually talented, and she has worked hard.

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Congratulations, Ree. I love your blog, but I’m sorry to say I don’t love you enough to invest more time in getting your signature. Actually, you’re probably grateful that I didn’t stay. Writer’s cramp must be quite painful after giving so many autographs.

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Today’s post on The Pioneer Woman has Ree’s report of the events at Full Circle. I’m glad she had such a good time. Since she’s an Oklahoman, maybe our paths will cross sometime, and I’ll be able to congratulate her in person. But I doubt she’ll find me standing in line.