“Clyde is more than an artist of paint and canvas. He is an artist of words.” This was to have been the opening of a letter which had been on my “to do” list for over a year. For a long time, I kept his article which inspired me to write. Unfortunately, it was thrown out in a frenzy of purging my stacks of inspirational articles, pictures, columns, letters and cartoons I had accumulated over some years.

I do not now remember the gist of “My Turn: Clyde.” What did strike me was his use of alliteration. Smiling, I  remembered thinking did anyone else catch this. There have been other times I noticed him turning a phrase which had a hidden meaning other than the surface content.

Reading these writings have been and are an enjoyment to me. In his most recent article his use of colloquialisms, i.g., whatchamacallit, those thingamajigs, doflochies, ol’ what’s her face, etc. are so familiar and comforting to me.
Having been partly raised in the mountains and becoming a “flatlander” (mountain talk for anyone not living in the mountains), I associate them with the mountains as my formative years were when I first heard them, thus “comforting.” There are many more tho’ less obvious phrases included in this piece.

As Clyde mentions, “ Suzanne Blackmer deserves a whole page in the story,” so too does Clyde. There are others who are more familiar with his shenanigans and life than I. Perhaps they can write the story or page before he zips down the line of his life.

We won’t forget you.

— Julie S. Cline