The other astounding thing I found in Norman Hackerman’s desk that day in 2007 was this ordinary looking spiral notebook:

Inside it was anything but mundane. Norman used it throughout his entire long presidency–very nearly from the first day to the last–to keep notes about things he really needed to keep notes about. Sometimes there are no entries for a month or two, then a half dozen in the same day, all scrawled in his classic, nearly unreadable script:

I’ve since spent quite a bit of time wrestling with this. It’s almost diabolical–you can pick out just enough words to make you believe you can decipher the rest but then it’s a half hour later and you’re completely stymied. Now that I think of it, it’s a lot like spending time with him in person. I miss him and I cherish this book, which in its own way lets me talk to him for a little bit longer.

Bonus: This guy was so completely and comfortably inhabiting his outfit that when I saw him I thought “Hey, there’s a musketeer!” rather than “Look at that goof in the musketeer get up!” While I’m not sure precisely what he was doing, I am certain that it was something to do with today’s 24-Hour Owl for One and One for Owls Challenge. Shoot them a few bucks if you feel like it.

Extra Bonus: While I was taking pictures of the musketeer, someone else was taking pictures of me.