July 24, 2010|By Jonathan Pitts, The Baltimore Sun
It's about, for example, her relationships with her grown children, now vastly improved. Ewald has grown close to son Bryan, a guitarist who lives in Arnold, and daughter Jennifer, an oceanographer who lives in Virginia. "Very creative people, no thanks to Mom," she says.
She never remarried, but Ewald, now a professed Christian, finds something of a comfort even there.
"God knew I would spend a lot of years as a single person," she says. "I think he provided me with a wholesome way to get hugs."
In her best year, 1998, Ewald did more than 300 gigs, had clients booked months in advance and earned $60,000. This year, she has unbooked summer Saturdays —- and nothing at all slated for September.
Her earnings are projected to be about $35,000, one reason she's studying to get recertification as a notary public, a side business that has helped her financially in the past.
What the future holds, Ewald can't say. Clowns don't have crystal balls. But after a quarter-century, she does feel at home in a calling and plans to keep performing as long as possible, to market herself more aggressively online and hope for the best.
And that button she wears, the one with the weird acronym, IITYYOMAH? Is it some kind of secret clown password?
She's happy to explain that one. "If I tell you, you owe me a hug," she says.
jonathan.pitts@baltsun.com
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