Getting ready to move, particularly if you are seriously downsizing, is
something like putting away the pieces of a puzzle, after you have finished
using it. As a completed picture, the puzzle made perfect sense, but when you
pick up a stray piece on its own, you wonder what it is, and often, why you kept
it.
Not so with my extensive and now, overwhelming, collection of books.
Books picked up on my travels, art books with illustrations of some of the
ravishing exhibits I’ve enjoyed, well-thumbed favorites like “Sherlock Holmes”
and “The Rubyiat,” reference books, books I use in my work and a few I have yet
to read.
Oh, I know we have an excellent library in Branford, and I know
lots of information is available on the Internet, and I do make use of both of
those sources, but for me, nothing takes the place of having a vast selection of
the books I love and use right at hand.
I have decided I will have
shelves built in every room if need be, but the vast majority of my collection
goes where I go. Furniture, dishes, even some prized art work ... all is slated
for an “estate sale” next week, and today I took Chibi-chan, my beloved Siamese,
to meet her new owner, Arleen Kelly from Hamden, and I know they are going to be
great for one another despite my tears at having to part with my little friend.
(I am still looking for a home for Ginger, my talkative, companionable redhead.)
A book editor once explained that, “What is missing when you go to Amazon.com for books is the absence of opportunity
for browsing; for finding what you didn’t know you were looking for. Efficiency,
along with profitability and convenience, trample the subtle encounters that
give meaning to life.”
Coincidentally, I happened to read a review of the
just-opened Broadway show, “Matilda, the Musical,” based on Roald Dahl’s book,
and not only did the reviewer, Ben Brantley, predict a tremendous hit, his
review should encourage every parent to be sure this is one show their children
get to see.
Brantley says, “Matilda is about words and language, books
and stories, and their incalculable worth as weapons of defense, attack and
survival. It’s about turning the alphabet into magic, and using it to rule the
world.”
How refreshing and wonderful to have a delightful show for
children that also stresses the importance and wonder of words and
books.
This past week, along with packing up most all of my books, I have
been busy trying to quickly make the many decisions that go into completely
replacing a small, but extremely outdated, worn-out kitchen. Cabinets,
countertops, appliances, lighting ... so much to think about, and I have very
little time to accomplish so much.
Despite the time (and money) involved,
I was finding the entire project challenging and fun until I was told that
demolition of the old kitchen and replacing with the new would require three
weeks, during which time I would have no cooking facilities whatsoever, and any
furniture in the living room, which is open to the kitchen, would have to be
covered because of the ensuing dirt and dust. Guess I will be taking up
residence in the local diner.
What's Causing the Current Real Estate Market, and Will It Last?
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Potential buyers and sellers have been curious lately about what will
happen in the near term for real estate in Connecticut? Is it too late to
sell this ...
2 years ago
