Something that most of you already know about me is that one day I will become a hermit. I’ll say goodbye to everyone and then basically vanish. And recently that goal (destiny?) has really gotten a huge boost, so much so that I have started keeping a journal of the things I need to do to accomplish it in the semi-near future. But my chronological cronies won’t have any of it. Even with my admissions of dreams of disappearing they continue to send me missives of all types with issues concerning our subset to pursue. Deep stuff, too. Serious quandaries a-plenty. And I love it! (I did ask them to keep me in the know, but I didn't really expect it to happen. And certainly not so fervently.) Anyway...
I had said in a recent post that even if I left it wouldn’t make any difference – the hobby of Sherlockian chronology will be just fine. We have some real powerhouses in our corner, a society which is growing, and a newsletter that is 43 issues in and showing no signs of slowing down. Brad Keefauver is one of my heroes in our journey and continues to astound me with his energy and passion. His ways of looking at what we do always amazes me because he thinks so far outside of that proverbial box. With his hand in things our efforts to bring chronology to a larger audience will never fail.
Max Magee has become that one guy that sends those emails that you just know are going to be unique and thought provoking. I’ve even had to write him back and ask for a bit more information (or a bullet point explanation) because I’d bet he types like his brain works – fast! As such he gets wrapped up in the excitement and forgets that we mortals read slower than he writes. I have several emails from him I still need to answer, I just have to find the time to wrap my brain around his thoughts and put words into sentences. I am very impressed by some of the things he comes up with, including a possible well-hidden pun from the pages of the canon that this old dog had missed. He’s another reason we’re in good shape and always will be.
Bruce Harris will remain on my list of incredible chronologists for all time. This guy has a great nose for ferreting out ideas and connections about the original cases, and it leaves me in awe. I actually feel quite inferior to him in ability and output. (Not that it’s a contest, and not that I’m anything special. Just sayin’.) Bruce and I, along with a few others, correspond with each other by typed letter. It’s very cool to drag out my 1951 Underwood Champion Finger-Flite typewriter and churn out some pages. (I named it Gregory. As in Peck. As in my style of typing. Cute, eh?) I'm often sorry I'm not in the company of these men more because the conversations are unfailingly wonderful. I waffled about going to Minneapolis this year, and when I finally convinced myself to go, I found that registration had been closed due to fullness. Sorry, boys – I wanted to be there.
Both of these men have contacted me (and others) recently about problems they’ve found in various cases. I love what they’ve discovered, and the one Bruce came up with is a doozy! I have to type my response to him, but first I have to decide if what he said in his letter is a good reason to re-think the dating of ‘The Illustrious Client’ (ILLU) or not. And it just might be. Again, I love that they keep me in the loop. That they won’t let go of my rope. They still consider me part of the group even though I’ve been a ghost for some time now. It’s an honor to be amongst all of these guys, and I truly have no desire to let them down.
As I said before, The Sherlockian Chronologist Guild is still flourishing. You can check out the website here. It all started off as an idea, as things do, and has blossomed into a nice little mailing list that keeps growing. We have quite a few members who contribute, and occasionally get what might be called a guest article from someone else out there with thoughts about chronology. If we could get everyone on the mailing list to send something in for publication, however, the whole thing would be unstoppable. It could be a thought or an idea. Or a cartoon. Or maybe even something found in an old newsletter or journal from some long-gone society. All of it is acceptable, though, because we timeliners don’t expect everyone to get as involved as we are. We just want to spread the word about our endeavor and help people understand that this part of the larger hobby can be fun and doesn’t have to cause glassy-eyed looks from others when the subject is broached.
Sometimes it feels like I repeat myself on here. I hate that, but I'm afraid my idea box has gotten low. I'm working on restocking it, though, and have come up with some good stuff. Now I just have to put in writing. So, I'll end this here and get to work. You know I adore it when you make it all the way down, and I look forward to visiting with you again. I'll see you next month, and as always...thanks for reading.
