As April 15 and that annual tax deadline draws nearer, and many of us question how seriously God takes the “thou shalt not lie” commandment, I recall the last time I considered not being entirely truthful with the U.S. Government. It was October and I returning from a writer’s conference in Manchester England, and a few extra days exploring the north of Wales.
If you know anything about Wales, you know that it’s a beautiful country where more than 10 million sheep reside in a space about the size of Massachusetts. And where there are sheep, there are also sheep droppings. It’s nearly impossible to be anywhere in the north of Wales without stepping in it, literally. 
So on the U.S. customs and immigration form, the question was “have you been on a farm, in pastureland or in contact with any hoofed animals?”
Hmmm. As a product of America’s farm culture, I take the spread of Mad Cow disease and similar agriculture threats quite seriously. But despite my best efforts to scrape and wipe and soak my hiking boots, the evidence of my encounter with sheep was undeniable. Those boots were wrapped in plastic in my checked bag, and I knew they wouldn’t be walking the fields of my family or anyone else’s farm until they were thoroughly sanitized.
I also knew if I checked “yes” that I wouldn’t be back at my desk in Kansas City in time to file my story on craft artisans in Wales that appears in the March issue of The Crafts Report. I actually have two stories in this month’s issue. Check it out on-line at www.craftsreport.com or pick up a copy at your local Hobby Lobby or bookstore.
I’ve written for The Crafts Report since before I quit my “real” job to pursue this wonderful life of freelance writing. I’ve never missed a deadline for them, or any other market I write for, but I figure fudging to the federal government once in a calendar year just about tests the limits of God’s patience. I’m quite sure my Mother, and my Uncle Sam, would agree.
