Just a quick update before running out the door to the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls…this is going to be a weekend about the LHOP musical. I’ll be seeing the theatre, meeting visitors, signing autographs and talking about the show.  I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Any lover of the Little House TV series will enjoy reading Melissa Gilbert’s book, PRAIRIE TALE. Having known Melissa for 30 years I can tell you that she’s always been candid and direct. Her memoir is fun and revealing with wonderful insights into a life that has been lived in the spotlight, through good times and bad, from the time she was old enough to walk and talk.

On a personal note while Melissa and I are good friends now, we didn’t have an easy time working together thirty-years ago largely because of the difference in our ages…eight years. When it all started for us I was 23 and she was 15. Eight years is insignificant now, but at the time they were huge and it wasn’t easy for either of us to navigate the demands of playing even a chastely romantic couple on the Prairie. It was a wonderful fantasy for young girls to watch, but it wasn’t easy for her to do. All that said, while she was challenged by it she did an amazing job and the work we did together continues to be enjoyed by audiences all over the world. That’s a good feeling.

Get the book…its funny and revealing. I think Melissa Gilbert has a new career on her hands. She’s a writer now too.

Dean