Well, the winds came yesterday but, thankfully, they were much weaker than predicted. It rained a great deal and the rivers are high, but goodness, we are so grateful we were spared. I know that up in the higher elevations, the winds were much stronger. At the end of the day, the sun broke through and it was truly beautiful – apparently there was a rainbow, but we missed it as we were inside.
Glad that’s over!
A strange new world we’re living in and there’s not a day that goes by that doesn’t consist of some long conversation about it. The unreality of it. The trying to come to grips with it. Getting tired of disinfecting. Did we wash our hands long enough? Did we remember to use the hand sanitizer? The ripples created by this pandemic that impact everyone and everything.
We’re no different than anybody else.
This came in the mail on Saturday. It’s from an Etsy seller who lives in Ithaca, NY.
We’re starting a new collection here at the cottage. And this time, it’s one that both Don and I are excited about. We’re collecting vintage Penguin paperbacks – these are called tri bands. The tri bands came in different colors depending on the subject matter. I have three now: Twenty-Five by Beverley Nichols (an autobiography,) Pygmalion, and soon – Wuthering Heights, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey. We’re not so concerned with getting every one of them as some collectors are, but we do want to collect P. G. Wodehouse (Don’s favorite,) Agatha Christie, and other subjects and authors we love. I follow several people on IG who deal in these books, either in their bookshops or from their personal collections. Most of them are in England, of course. We’ll collect slowly. It’s fortunate that they are very reasonably priced, except for the rarest, of course. Don is very excited and knows exactly where he wants to place the collection somewhere off in the future.
I love to collect, but collecting with my husband is even better. And the fact is, my McCoy collection is big and I don’t need any more pieces. My Roseville collection is big and I don’t need any more pieces. My egg cup collection will be added to only if I really love a piece or if it’s something I find in my travels (and they’re tiny, so collecting more of them doesn’t involve any real space problem.)
Books, however? We can’t stop buying them. And we love the history of Penguins. If you’re interested in learning more, google the history of Penguin Books. It’s fascinating.
Okay. Maybe I’ll actually get outside today!
Happy Tuesday.
Your books brought to mind the home that Paul Allen built for his mother. His mother was a librarian and the home was just beautiful. The interior was all wood and the bookcases!! They were everywhere. One hallway had a wooden bench down one side, but underneath was space for all the oversized books. This photo spread was from the Sunday picture section of the newspaper. The Seattle Times/ Post Intelligencer quite a few years back. The house would make your mouth drool. It was built with plenty of space for books being the main focus.
And these times we are going through will stay with us for many years, maybe for the rest of our lives. Like the depression stayed with our parents. A bit more space for storage without having to get rid of our books! How will we ever cope? My hallway is not wide enough for a bookcase.
What a dream home! I can’t imagine having endless bookshelves available!
BTW, the upstairs hall shelves, whenever they get put in, will have to be fairly narrow.
Stay safe, Tana!
I am very happy the winds are finally gone. Makes for such a long day or night when they never stop.
Speaking of hot air, I am so glad I didn’t see the s#*t show yesterday afternoon. BUT, I have to admit I cried this morning listening and watching President Obama endorse Biden. Just listening to him speak is a gift. Most especially compared to what we have been subjected to for 3.5 very long horrific years. Also just watched Donna Shalala say she sent him a copy of the Constitution as it is obvious he has never read it….and she highlighted the 10th Amendment. yay!
Hope you can get outside to enjoy the day. It is cold here and we just had about an hour of snow flurries. ugh.
I saw one segment of yesterday’s sh*tshow, when CBS’s Paula Reid grilled Trump and wouldn’t let him off the hook. I was cheering. This is what EVERY reporter needs to do. And if Trump cuts them off, then the next reporter called on needs to ask the SAME question.
Happy about your election in Wisconsin! Good to know those judges were ousted. All the GOP/Conservative shenanigans were foiled. That makes me happy. Stay safe.
I, too, jumped up and was shouting “FINALLY”!!! And I agree, the reporters need to keep following up. I’m sure they would soon all be banned from those press conferences i.e. Voter Rallies, but maybe then they wouldn’t have those things every day.
On Saturday morning I saw someone out walking their dog wearing a shirt that said “Orange Lies Matter”. Yes, we are SO happy about the election outcome. It was another reason to smile last night. Oh, and our school district’s Referendum passed!! My hubs was part of the Superintendent’s committee, so we were thrilled about that, too. Find it interesting that Kelly was even allowed to vote as a state Supreme Court judge to let his own election take place, but am thrilled beyond all belief for Karofsky’s win!!
The other thing they should do – and I really believe this – when Trump is really berating a reporter and calling that reporter names – is to get up, en masse, and leave the room. It would make him crazy because he needs an audience, but even more important, it will send a strong signal that Trump’s business-as-usual isn’t going to fly anymore.
Very good news for Wisconsin and for your school district’s referendum. Huzzah!
what a fabulous thing to collect — and even better to collect them together. I love the penguins. I don’t think I have any but I’ll check and if I do happy to send them off. The tricolors are very striking — you can’t make a mistake with those!
I love that you can share that particular interest. It makes it all the more fun!
It should be a lot of fun, Jeanie. Stay safe!
Hi, friend I’ve never met. Best to you and your lovely husband, Don. I go to your posts first thing each day. You keep me sane. And . . . just because it’s been a while . . . LOCK HIM UP, LOCK HIM UP, LOCK HIM UP, LOCK HIM UP, LOCK HIM UP. And a final happy note: so glad the Wisconsin primary, which the republicans forced to go forward notwithstanding the risk to the people, backfired — as the clown in chief would say, BIGLY — on them! HA! BIDEN 2020!
I’m hoping he is locked up for good when he is voted out. There will be so many lawsuits and court cases waiting. He should also be charged with endangering the lives of Americans by his reckless disregard for all the warnings he received about the coronavirus.
Great news about Wisconsin. I read all about it this morning. Stay safe, Chris.
What a great idea, Claudia! I really enjoyed “reading” your excitement and enthusiasm! Looking forward to watching your collection grow :)
P.S. Did you call around to your local nursery or chain stores to find out if they can let you order/pay online and either deliver or offer curbside pickup?
floretflowers.com has the most beautiful seed selection
gardeners.com has soil and seeds
qvc.com also has some live plants and gardening supplies
I haven’t called them yet as I’m not ready to buy anything for another couple of weeks.
QVC doesn’t have what I want. I can buy seeds online, I know. Just haven’t decided where to buy them from! Thanks so much Christy! Stay safe.
Great idea…time to start another collection!
I see you heard about the election results…I cried when I heard the liberal candidate was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That gives me so much hope come November.
It is indeed a strange new world…we went to the store for a few things. All dolled up in our masks, disposable gloves…wiping down everything we just brought into the house. Trying to figure out how to wipe down an onion…I’ll have to look that one up. Stay well!! ;)
Oh, Donnamae, wasn’t that FANTASTIC?? Especially since “he” said the minute he endorsed Kelly the Dems ran to try and get the election postponed because they knew Karofsky would lose. And, then Kelly voted (and I don’t get why HE got to vote) as a Supreme Court judge to HOLD his election. That loss was about the sweetest thing I have experienced in 3.5 years!!!!
FINALLY. And let us believe this is just the beginning….
Oh…I’m counting on it being just the beginning. All I have is hope! Stay well Chris! ;)
Good tidings for Wisconsin and for the country!
We’re never sure whether we’re disinfecting enough – we do what is recommended and then we wash and rewash our hands, etc. It’s exhausting!
Stay safe, Donnamae.
Claudia, your book reminds me of a visit to Shaw’s Corner, Bernard Shaw’s country house near London. He had a shack he used for writing. The shack was on a circular base with long handles sticking out. He was able to turn the shack during the day to follow the sun. We also saw his Oscar on the mantle in the parlour…what a little guy that statuette used to be!
Enjoy collecting the Penguin books. I collect smaller items, fountain pens and inks. I don’t call my stash of fabric and yarn a collection, since they get turned into other things.
Love Shaw. I used to do a one-woman show centering on his female characters. And Don is brilliant at Shaw. His Doolittle in Pygmalion is, in my mind, his best performance ever. Love the story about his shack, Wendy! So lovely.
Stay safe.
Glad no complications from the storm. The timing here was off as I thought it would be worse in the afternoon so I took off about 10 a.m. for the bank–turns out that was the height of the wind and rain. LOL. Luckily it was after both my husband and I got home that our power went out. The generator came on, and we reported it thinking it was a transformer outside our house which often blows. But when I went out again today, I saw a very tall tree had fallen onto the power lines about 3/4 of the way up the driveway. When I called our power company again this circumstance moved us closer to the top of the queue. The tree will of course have to be removed from the dangle but first the power company must come. So this may be some kind of operation. If we run out of propane, who knows if the delivery people will be able to get to us if there are work trucks in and out of our long, narrow, curvy, steep driveway. Ah! country living. I remember the Penguin books very well, good quality and great writers. I’m glad you and Don are sharing this passion. Take care and be well.
Oh, I’m so sorry, Nora. Not something you need to deal with right now. Stay safe. I’m hoping this is resolved for you ASAP.
Hi Claudia, I’ve kept all my Agatha Christie paperbacks since I first starting reading them in about 1970. I especially like the Fontana editions from the 70s with their covers painted by Tom Adams.
I do have one Penguin triband. It’s Appointment with Death dated 1952 and I think it might have belonged to my late father in law.
Honestly, its condition isn’t great, the main body is fine with yellowish pages but the cover and spine have browned with age and there’s about an inch of green cover missing at the spine’s base.
If you want it, I can certainly gift it to you but I won’t be offended if you decline, especially if you have a collection, it’s the spine that will be on display!
Happy Tuesday
You are so sweet to offer it. But with postage costs, etc., you should hang on to it, especially if it belonged to your father-in-law. Stay safe, Dee Dee!
We had the high winds all day yesterday and today feels like winter. It’s only in the 20’s with the wind chill factor and we’ve had gusty snow flurries on and off all day. I feel like a fat slug because I haven’t been out walking in two days. I did do a nice yoga workout yesterday though and some squats and planks, but walking makes me feel more energetic.
Penguin Books…have you seen The Penguin Classics Book? I believe it came out last year:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0241320852/?coliid=I2SAHE8STIZHO&colid=1673VJ62ZCJJR&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
They’re not the same thing, Melanie. I’ll write a bit more today to clarify.
I hope the weather gets better for you, for me, for everyone! Stay safe, my friend. (And Happy Anniversary!!!!)
glad the weather was better than what was forecast and that you didn’t lose power!
those vintage penguin books sound like the start of another lovely collection. how nice that you and don can share the search and enjoyment.
worked today. i am glad to be home and showered.
hope everyone has an easy night. stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
They’re also rather petite, so they won’t take up too much shelf space! Stay safe, Kathy.