Grandmother's Buttons: The Little Way of Ruthie Leming

There is a reason Grandmother’s Buttons settled in tiny St. Francisville, Louisiana many years ago. It isn’t the most convenient location from which to run a business. There are many limitations involved in setting up shop in a small, rural town, but we make it work. You may ask why? Because small town life is more than just quaintness. It is more than simply cute streets and picturesque buildings. While St. Francisville has these in abundance, it also has a steadfast community that you would be hard pressed to find in a city. In much the same way that the community raises its children, St. Francisville has raised Grandmother’s Buttons from infancy to adulthood.

[caption id="attachment_1538" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Rod's Sister Ruthie"]

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So imagine our excitement when we learned that our very own Rod Dreher was writing a book about small town life, entitled “The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret to a Good Life.” The book covers his sister’s battle with cancer and the way in which the community here stood by her until the end. As soon as he was old enough, Rod moved away from St. Francisville, opting for big city life and a successful career as a journalist. However, through his experiences with Ruthie’s illness, he came to learn the value of a small community again. He came to value the support it can provide and the overwhelming feeling that comes from an outpouring of love from an entire town.

We waited for months and months to finally get to read Rod’s creation. And it didn’t disappoint. Last weekend, Grandmother’s Buttons had the honor of hosting the very first book signing on Rod’s tour. Hundreds of St. Francisvillians came out to support him and Ruthie’s family, lining up an hour before he arrived to have their copies signed.

[caption id="attachment_1542" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Rod Dreher"]

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[caption id="attachment_1551" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Rod and his mother, Dorothy Dreher"]

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[caption id="attachment_1553" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Rod, his wife Julie and their daughter Nora"]

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We had the fortune of having the talented Emily Branton, a local school teacher and Rod's first cousin, perform for us as well that day!

Now we have to mention the Bopontamus Stew. Bopotamus Stew is a creation of the community in St. Francisville called Star Hill, where Rod grew up. It looks and tastes suspiciously like gumbo, but is delicious none the less!

British artist Alice Tait did a wonderful drawing of a map of the Starhill community for the book's endpapers. We are offering a limited edition 11" x 14" print of the map in our store and on our website for $25, half of which will go to the Ruthie Leming Scholarship Fund for West Feliciana students.