LIVE BLOGGING FROM MAIN STREET, NANTON!

(Most reporters I know live blog about hockey games, Question Period, rodeos. I do slow trickles of traffic.)

The Nanton News Experiment news desk on Main St., Nanton. 

11:40 a.m.

Set up- lemonade stand-type newspaper “office” to distribute my Nanton News Experiment. Can’t help but think how Pierre Berton was 22 when he edited the Vancouver Sun. I’m 24.

12: 05 p.m.

Best. Bun-wich. Ever. Main St. Café ladies asked if I wanted one of their famous bun-wiches , it was on the house, with ham, sausage, egg, onion, lettuce, tomato, and, “Stop,” I said. “Just stop.” You had me at bun-wich …

1:05 p.m.

Talked with Ron Stewart who appeared to me, a happy cross of “Doc” from Back to the Future and my uncle Wayne. Ron reminisces to me about his time in radio and how once in the 60s when working in Grande Prairie, CN ordered him not under an circumstances to plug or unplug anything unless teletyped from Toronto to do so.  Dutiful almost to a fault, he didn't touch the plug, waiting to hear from Toronto and the entire country west of Ontario missed Hockey Night in Canada that fateful evening.

Hearing such has spurred me on for at least the next hour of watching highway traffic, knowing that working locally totally beats being told what to do from someone 4,000 kms away. Can you even imagine??

1: 20 – 1:22 p.m.

Robbed blind!

Passersby have been for the most part very reluctant to stop for seeds while I sit here, but I leave for one measely minute to get coffee and I get ransacked! Oh humanity …

Just another day at the office. Except, the office is closed so I work outside.

2:00 p.m.

Rain.

I like you rain, you’re good for hair growth and retention, but lousy for newspapers and laptops.  The former Nanton News office behind and slightly beside me has a perdy lookin’ canopy. The irony would be too much.

2:40 p.m.

Hoping the scent of rain in the air will remind passersby it’s still Spring and increase my seed sales exponentially. I’m starting to feel a little like the Wedding Singer – giving away my hard work for meatballs and whatnot. I’ve made trades today for a coffee, a cigar and the opportunity to play with someone’s puppy. Newspaper reporters don’t get rich trading journalism for favours. Actually, reporters don’t get rich, period.

2:55 p.m.

Ominous gunsteel clouds incoming.  Canopy even more enticing. 

3:30 p.m.

Alison Myers! Alison Myers from 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock news on CBC Radio stopped by MY office ... you know, just to chat. OK, so what if my "office" is just an old card table and I have a bona fide distribution of 28, Alison Myers was interested in MY newspaper. CBC Radio is the greatest. Maybe one day people will wear T-shirts with the Nanton News Experiment logo on it ...