A Box of Books

Does your local Friends of the Library group have an annual sale? I can't believe this was the first year I went...boy, have I been missing out! Now that I've purchased books on the cheap for so long, it's almost impossible for me to pay full price for them at a department or chain store. Furthermore, with my love of nostalgia, the kinds of books I'm looking for usually are rare, out of print, or so old that I can get a used copy; these can't be found just anywhere. 

Little did I know when I decided to check out the Friends sale that by the time it was over, I'd have gone there three times! The first weekend, my daughter and I scoped it out and bought a few things: a Nancy Drew for $1.00, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, also $1.00, a Hardy Boys, Pat Conroy's Beach Music for $1.00, and even some other kid chapter books from the 1950's for 75 cents apiece. 

After such a pleasant experience, I couldn't stay away the second weekend, when everything left was half off. I found another Harry Potter (this time, 50 cents!!!), Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher (an enormous book) for $1.00, and some beautifully bound old classics for $1.00 each. 

During this visit, I looked up and saw this:

Wow! I thought, what a gorgeous book! And only $3.00...I'll take it! I was so enamored that I paid little attention to what was on the inside. Once at home, I pulled out my precious find, excited to see what kind of poems Arnold wrote, and I discovered this:

Um...not quite the enlightenment I had in mind! The adage proved true, that one cannot judge a book by its cover. Immediately I notified my friend Liz of my find. She knows something about everything, is a trivia expert, a thrift shopper, as well as a collector of rare, fun books. 

I texted her some pages and we had a good laugh over the phone as Liz informed me that although benign and beautiful on the outside, Victorian books often contained obscure, unconventional themes within. Liz was ecstatic over the book, calling it a true find. I knew she had to have it because she was able to appreciate it a little more than I could. This is another joy of finding diamonds in the rough: they're not always a treasure to me, but I often know someone else who would love them. Liz said she was going to add it to her collection, right next to her "Uses of Baking Soda" book!

Here is another fabulous find from half-price day, one that I did keep:

I saw it the first day but held out until it was only $1.50. This little volume inscribed "Bertha Hildreth, 1895" contains information all about the human body and its systems, as well as about ailments and healthy eating. I was thrilled to make this find in addition to Arnold's Poems, and Liz was just as excited about it as I was. The upcoming final weekend of the sale consisted of filling a milk box with as much as you can cram in for a mere $6.00, so I didn't hesitate to invite Liz to accompany me.

Yesterday from two to four p.m. was book bliss. We flew in there, two women on a mission to jam as many cool book gems as we could into those boxes. First we scouted our favorite areas (mine: children's and classics; hers: sewing, cookbooks, and classics)...then we combed the place at least two more times. The first time you look, it's so exciting you're sure to miss something; we allowed ourselves some careless looks first in order to gain focus to then see everything more seriously. 

What I love most about thrift/book shopping with Liz is that she takes the hunt for treasure to a level of excitement that no one else can match. We both have a regard for "outdated" things that most folks would call weird or boring. Liz inspires me to rejoice in my book finding and enjoy this fun hobby! I had as much fun seeing all her finds than filling my own box, because Liz's taste and sense of humor are off the charts.

When we arrived back at my house, I wanted to dump the boxes out and look at all the prizes we had accumulated, but Liz needed to get home. Half-jokingly I told her to send me a list of all the books she'd bought. I should not have been surprised when, several hours later, that list did arrive:

Listen and Learn Russian CD

The Bathroom Trivia Book ii

The Book of Losers, 1980

The Standard Dictionary of Facts, 1922 (This was a find I made toward the end when we were saying there was "no way we could add one more item." It is a big, heavy-bound, brown book like an almanac. The list of presidents ends with Harding, and WWI is referred to as "The World War"...too cool!).

The Singer

Isaac Air Freight

Russian Bible, no date

Bible in Cambodian, 1954 (Can Liz read Cambodian? No! It doesn't matter...she just loves cool book finds...and I love that!).

Arabic New Testament, 1932 (See comment above!).

Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays

St. Fridgeta, 1966 (This is a small, red book whose humor within seemed like Liz, so I threw it into her box without permission).

The Gods are A-Thirst, 1942

The October Revolution-Before and After

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Today's Custom Tailoring

Vogue Sewing

English-German Dictionary (Liz used to live in Germany, as you may gather from the rest of the books).

Heidi, German edition, 1952

German song book, 1948

German Bible book, 1950

Three German story books, 1950's

A girl's book in German, 1957

Two German cookbooks

What a list! What fun to type it here and remember the joy of being with Liz as she found such a diverse collection! Now, you might be wondering...do they just find these books for the fun of it, or do they actually read them? The answer to both is, YES!!! Absolutely, we read these fun, strange publications (although maybe not the ones in Arabic and Cambodian)! There is immense joy in rescuing and resurrecting what the world calls obsolete. 

Here is the list of what I managed to press into my own milk box:

Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert (no date, but old)

Tornado's Big Year, Trella Lamson Dick, 1956

Otras Gentes, Otros Modos (a Spanish reader), 1967

Al Buen Hablador (Spanish reader), 1958

Walden, Henry D. Thoreau, 1942 (a beautiful copy that looks unread)

Fräulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther, 1907

And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie, 1966 copy

The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane, 1951

Pepita Jimenez, Juan Valera, 1943 (This came from Spain; there is a price label of 150 pesetas on the inside jacket).

Mama, Get the Hammer! There's a Fly on Papa's Head!, Barbara Johnson

Two copies of B. Johnson's Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life (a book I love and enjoy giving to women going through trials).

Qui Est La? (children's French reader), 1966

Pan Y Mantequilla (Spanish textbook), 1974

Houseful of Laughter, Bennett Cerf, 1963

My Losing Season, Pat Conroy (first edition hardback)

The Oxford Book of Italian Verse, 1934 (No, I don't speak Italian, so I won't know if the poetry is like Arnold's or not!).

Der Rote Pull, Hans Baumann, 1954 (This book is completely in German, but Liz inspired me! It was so cute, I thought, why not?).

The Horse and Buggy Doctor, Arthur E. Hertzler, MD, 1941

Parnassus on Wheels, Christopher Morley, 1955 edition

Profiles in Courage, JFK, 1964

Castles, 1974 (children's book)

Horace Mann, Jessie Treichler, 1962

Science book, I Want to Know About... (jungles, rocks and minerals, small pond animals), 1972

Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller, 1949

Plays of Henrik Ibsen, no copyright but a nice little old copy

The Thurber Carnival, James Thurber...inscribed "Margery L. Eckland, 2-27-45 (not her birthday)"

So...there you have it. Two very different lists from two friends who share old books in common, and who spend little money on their preservation. Our only problems are where to keep them all, and especially when to read them all!

Until next time...

September So Far

Starting off with this: 

...Because I just can't have enough candles or flowers! What joy such small things can bring!

Well, I can't speak of September without first mentioning that my daughter and Mom had their birthdays at the end of August...on the same day! Eight years ago when baby number two was born, "Gaby" (as they now call my mom) said she just couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her take "her present" home!

We celebrated with "Cookie Monster" ice cream (so easy, you can't believe it), and tried and true cupcakes. The birthday girls had fun getting together that Saturday with family and neighbor friends.

The massive news of September is that Abue, age 96 and a half, has moved in with us. If you see her, please don't tell her I told you her age...she says when people know her age, they treat her like an old person. And those of us who know Abue can attest that she definitely does not "act her age"!

She arrived on Saturday, September 3, around 3pm: 

"Hey! Ya llegué!" 

We bought our house with the idea that the downstairs bedroom would be perfect for guests, or someday for older relatives who are ready to no longer live alone. After praying and discussing Abue's living situation for six months, it was hard to believe the time for her to move in had finally arrived. The wonderful part is that she decided herself to come...no one forced her to make this transition. Even better, she still has her home of over fifty years in Spartanburg, so she hasn't been faced with the sadness of seeing it sold. Hers is the ideal situation.

Abue's room is her own space, a type of small "apartment" within our home:

To the left of this television is where her private bathroom is located. The window in this photo overlooks the front yard and pond.

Here is Abue by her other window. We placed the recliner where she would have a nice view of the TV. Cable has been hooked up into her room, where never misses Wheel and Jeopardy, and can watch Telemundo to her heart's content. One thing I love is that both the bed and dresser belonged to Jeremy's grandmother...how special that now my grandmother gets to use them!

We even found the perfect photo of Papi for the other side of the bed, right by the window, next to God's Word. I think he would love this space of Abue's!

Just a little artistic posing...Abue looking into the mirror on her dresser. That's her mother in the photograph on the left, and some photos of young Abue and her sister on the right. 

Abue is independent, for the most part. She gets up late, fixes her oatmeal and café cubano, does Sudoku, reads Spanish books, and watches her shows. She also loves to sit outside and take short walks throughout the yard. Abue sometimes will go with me on errands, but is fine staying home, too. We still eat lunch in the kitchen, but now that there are five of us at dinnertime instead of four, our family eats together at the dining room table. Abue and I have a glass of wine some nights, but without fail, she's in her room by seven for her game shows. On Sunday, I introduced her to the preaching of John Piper as we watched a sermon during which he had an interpreter. Abue leads a simple, enjoyable life, and her being here is being used by God in different ways for all of us.

In the wee, dark hours of Sunday morning, I should've been sleeping. Instead, I was tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable, and rolling thoughts over in my mind...things I had to "work out." God keeps showing me that it's up to Him, not me, to do this working out of items I try to organize just so. After I finally fell asleep and thankfully woke up refreshed, the Lord showed me that day that I had no need to worry about anything; He worked it all out in His own way, with grace and love. Why should I be surprised? It only allows me to recall His goodness the next time I'm tempted to do His job. 

Here's something that I had to take a photo of, of course, "for the blog":

The fantastic part is that, while I was searching for a type of soup in Aldi, my daughter noticed this open door and pointed out the sign: "Look, Mom! Isn't that funny?" I'm definitely training her up to appreciate silly little things that make us smile. They're all around if you try to notice them. I loved telling her that I got a kick out of it, and all of us laughed together.

One last thing...Does your local library have a shelf near the entrance/exit with discarded books for sale? All of our branches do, and most of the time, the books are only a quarter apiece. You surely know that I'm crazy about books, especially ones that I get for barely nothing. I darted into the library the other day to grab a video on hold that had arrived, and quickly perused the sale shelf on my way out. These were mine when I stepped out the door:

What a way to spend seventy-five cents! It truly is the little things that are big.

Until next time!

Learning to Teach Writing

A few days ago I mentioned the Writing Rhetoric book we're using this year in school. Today we came to the part that made me nervous: "Rewrite the fable of The Lion and the Mouse." Oh, how I detested doing activities like this as a child! For a week and a half, we've gone over this fable and done various activities to get us thinking about how this fable is written. But to have to re-write an entire story? I anticipated pushback, maybe even tears.

The story has to do with a mouse captured by a lion, who laughs when the mouse tells him that if he's let go, he will one day help the lion. The lion doubts that such a small creature will ever be of use to him. One day, however, when the lion is caught in a net, the mouse proves himself useful by gnawing him out. Our task now was to rewrite the fable, but with the mouse as the strong character. 

Surprisingly, both girls knew immediately how they wanted their stories to go. What followed, though, was the dread and bigness of having to convey the whole thing on paper. It reminds me of how we as parents often put gigantic plates of food in front of two-year-olds and command them to eat every bite. Just looking at the plate causes defiance and meltdown, because the task is overwhelming. My girls saw this assignment as an unconquerable plate.

At first I went down the road of, "Just try to write some sentences." Then I tried, "You know how sometimes I tell you to write sentences? Do that, then put them all together, and you'll have your story." No matter how I sliced it, that "big plate" was still there. One child's eyes began to fill...what to do?

I know that writing teachers would've come up with the answer immediately, but I'm new to older-kid schoolwork. My eureka moment came when my daughter asked, "Mom, can't I just tell my story to you?" I first said no, because I thought, just telling isn't the same as writing. Then I realized, sure it is; stories are "talk written down"! It doesn't matter who is doing the writing portion; it's the creative part that turns into the written part.

In other posts, I mention narration, and how we use it to assess what the girls remember from our reading. They simply tell me, in their own words, all they remember. I've heard more seasoned homeschoolers talk about how this basic narration later morphs into something more sophisticated when I (the teacher) begin to write down my student's narration; later, the student him/herself can begin to take the narration and write it down...and it becomes written...a story!

Whew! I cover our homeschool in much prayer, asking God's discernment and guidance. Times like today remind me that He guides in much more than what  books to use, or how much we should cover. He shows me how to do it, what it looks like when it seems impossible. He knows the answers before I even form the questions. He whispers and reminds, gently leading in ways so as to avoid tears and frustration. I thrive on His guidance and rescuing, because my own devices just don't cut it.

He also shows me that little ones can provide the big answers I'm racking my brain over. Just when I'm tempted to say no, I stop and think, "Wait...that's actually a really good idea!" Kids have an affinity for simplicity that we as adults have lost; they're worth taking seriously, as they think in the childlike way of Christ Himself.  

Best of all, writing in school doesn't have to be scary or dreadful...it can be fun! We don't have to view it as a formidable job looming over our heads, one that will take hours to complete. Just when I was preparing for a struggle, a way out was provided that enabled us to enjoy and learn from the experience. 

Without further ado, it's my privilege to transcribe two stories written by my sweeties, both about a mouse and how a smaller creature saved him. 

"The Mouse and the Bee" by A.H.W.

   Once there was a mouse cooking in his kitchen. A bee flew in while the mouse was making soup. The mouse thought the bee would make delicious soup. The bee cried, "Please spare me, so I can help you one day!" Eventually, the mouse gave in.

   A few days later, a human picked up the mouse by the tail. The bee heard the mouse's squeaks, and he came flying up and stung the human. The human dropped the mouse, and the mouse was free.

THE END

"The Mouse and the Bunny"  by M.M.W.

   Once there was a mouse and his favorite thing to drink was lemonade. He was making some for his dinner one evening, and a bunny hopped in. The mouse caught the bunny in a net, and the bunny said, "Please let me go! I will help you someday."

   A week later, the mouse's foot had a thorn in it. He squeaked, and the bunny heard him. The bunny rushed to him, then he saw the thorn in his foot. He pulled it out.

THE END

Just like fables, my own story has a moral: Don't complicate what can be made simple. Don't rush what needs to grow slowly. I can't imagine how long it would've taken my two kids to first come up with these stories, then sit and try to write the whole things out. There would've been constant erasing, pages being ripped out and thrown, crossing out and starting over...overall, an unpleasant experience. Now we don't have to dread next time; I imagine we will all be enthusiastic about future writing assignments. It's nice that the kids will get to take the reigns when they're ready, growing naturally as writers, learning slowly to enjoy and not despise it. 

Thank You, Lord, for always teaching me.