Whether she's inventing lemon-drop pie or teaching the family car new tricks, Ruth has a way of turning calamity on its head. She is the one who keeps us laughing in the writers' circle that meets every Tuesday at the Greater Randolph Senior Center. An Ordinary Woman is something rare in modern memoirs, the story of a happy life. Not that there aren't crises. These include the boyfriend who falls for an older sister, the lost job that necessitates leaving Vermont, the sudden death of a beloved husband, to name a few. What makes some of us see the glass as half-full when others see it as half-empty? The secret is somewhere in these pages. Ruth is a founding member of the group of memoirists known as The Hale Street Gang. Proceeds from her book will help fund the Greater Randolph Senior Center's memoir-writing project.