Having borrowed “Why I Can’t Read Wallace Stegner and Other Essays” by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn some years ago, a longtime Hotdish Hoedown guest unable to attend the 2002 potluck planned ahead.
While whipping up a batch of orange Jell-O and gelling it in a 8×14-inch glass pan, R.J. had carefully wrapped and sealed the 158-page paperback (University of Wisconsin Press, ISBN 0-299-1514401) in a Ziploc freezer bag, folding over the edges and securing them with scotch tape.
“The care he took in using two Ziploc bags, in double-bagging, really made the difference,” the hostess said. “Some party-goers thought the book wouldn’t make it, but it is in pristine condition, which is especially amazing, since he had the book knocking around his house for a couple of years before plunging it into gelatin.”
RJ labeled the pan “Thanks for the good read” and contributed it to the Jell-O contest, courtesy of his family, who carefully transported the literary work to the community center for the party.
“Ziploc has called several times,” the hostess added. “They want RJ and I to hit the talk-show circuit, to demonstrate how the book and the Jell-O were handled.”
— Updated January, 22, 2006; April 16, 2021