.jpg) |
| Caterpillar 1 - oldest, largest |
.jpg) |
| Caterpillar 2 in small round vase The Black Swallowtail nursery has begun! It amazes me how much they grow in one day... and already there are 2 more on the parsley, but they are very tiny and I will wait a bit before moving them. Update on DH's Bell's Palsy: He's doing much better. Eye and face seem normal, but meds working havoc on his stomach. Switched from Preds to antibiotics and doing somewhat better. I can't believe it's July already. Seems like the time flies by lately. We didn't see granddaughter this week due to DH's condition and apparently she was home with a sore throat this week - so probably for the best. We're in the process of getting rid of almost 54 years of book collecting... .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) We took 3 boxes last week and will take another 3 this week... and probably at least make another 2 trips after that. Our kids aren't big readers.... they read, but not at the rate we do. And I just can't throw away books... they're too precious. So we're giving them to both Half Price Books and to any neighbors (by putting them outside on the curb). I do use Kindle and read on my iPhone, but still read (and re-read) hard backs and paperbacks. I've been told that due to the Pandemic, that a lot of places weren't taking any more books, puzzles, or games. Apparently the last few years of isolating caused a deluge of these things... that now need to find new homes. But our disposal has nothing to do with the Pandemic - and more to do with de-cluttering and downsizing due to age. By the way, do you wordle? DH and I do... which is strange as much as I love words, I don't like crossword puzzles, but do like wordle! I'm so glad it's only a once a day thing. Both of us sometime during the day go to wordlenyt and play. So sometime during the day one of us with pass by and hold up 3 - 6 fingers to let the other know how they did. It's kind of fun... Ok, it's Friday and the 4th of July weekend! Have fun friends... and stay safe! I'm not a big fan of fireworks, but do love to watch "Independence Day" on TV! (and my birthday is July 6th - so the 4th has always been my birthday weekend - and perhaps 77 is something to celebrate - 2 lucky numbers, yes?) Hugs (virtual), Rian |
Rian, very good to hear about DH's condition, that is scary but a sad fact of life we're all getting older. And that's a nice assortment of books, but I'm surprised how hard it is to give them away--wow! When I retired and moved from my first apt in Pittsburgh to the one I'm in now, even those this one is bigger I decided to downsize and got rid of 95% of my hardcover books. But that was 2017, before the pandemic and I had NO problem donating them to the local library. Anyway, hope you have a nice Fourth of July and oh yeah Happy Early Birthday! That's a pair of lucky numbers alright!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dug. The library is an option too... but I do love checking out the Half Price Book stores! As for the 4th, the only thing we do is enjoy the neighborhood 4th of July parade with all the decorated cars, bikes, and kids! We can stand outside our house and wave at all the participants. Oh, and I made a frozen lemon ice-box pie for the 4th! It's so-o good - made with lemon curd, whipping cream, and condensed milk - with a home-made graham cracker crust!
DeleteSo glad DH is doing better and he has found meds that work.
ReplyDeleteI finally gave up hard copy books when I moved 18 years ago. Mercy a lot of books is heavy.
I now carry about 400 to be read books in one hand with my Kindle and it doesn't need dusting.
Early Happy Birthday. Oh to be 77 again.
Patti, you made me laugh with that 'dusting' comment... and also, you're the first person to ever say "Oh to be 77 again"! Thanks!
DeleteI also read and reread. And find surrendering books very, very hard. Like you, I simply cannot throw them out. They go to places where I hope someone else finds them and gets as much out of them as I do.
ReplyDeleteI know, EC... books are such a wonderful resource. They take you places you may never go and experience events you may never experience in reality. You want to share them, not throw them out.
DeleteI donated hundreds and hundreds of fiction books years ago, pared down almost nothing and switched to e-books on my KOBO. Now, however, I've been on a "real" book kick again and am in the accumulating stage. LOL. I won't let it get out of hand this time, though, because I know I don't want to stay in this townhouse after retirement, and so will downsize even further (this unit is 1200 square feet, already small by most standards). Good luck sorting out your decades' old collection!
ReplyDeleteAnd a very happy birthday in advance. I hope you'll do something extra special to celebrate. Maybe with the "77" it's a good time to buy a lottery ticket! :-)
Thanks for the birthday wishes. Buying a lottery ticket is something we never do... but you're right, could be a good time for it.
DeleteI donated a TON of books before we moved from Illinois back to Hawaii. I no longer buy hardcover books anymore. I read only on my Kindle. How exciting to watch your swallowtail grow.
ReplyDeleteI love watching these caterpillars evolve into butterflies! I used to do this years ago, but haven't really had a garden in a long time. At this point, I may have to plant more parsley as there are about 4 more little pillars eating away outside... (will bring them in to save them from the wasps eventually).
DeleteA early Happy Birthday wish for you Rian!
ReplyDeleteI used to have several bookshelves, but in the last few years I've cleaned the majority out and only a few special reads remain. As you mentioned it was part of my decluttering and downsizing process.
Glad to hear that your DH is beginning to recover from the Bell's Palsy. I hope his stomach issues are resolved soon too.
Happy 4th of July!
Thanks, Mae. Happy 4th to you also!
DeleteI have recently started rereading books I have enjoyed in the past, and the funny part is that mostly they seem brand new to my aging brain. Or maybe I've changed, who knows? I love my Kindle but I still end up buying hardback occasionally. They are harder for me to read, my eyes get so tired these days, but I can still read them if I take time to rest the old peepers. Well, I can wish you a happy birthday and since I'm older than you (but not by much), I too can look at 77 as "young" (younger than me anyway). Happy and safe Fourth! And yes, I love wordle but don't like crosswords either. My longest unbroken streak is 55! I was recently stumped by "retro." :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan, I tend to re-read a book and still enjoy it the second time around. Like you, some still seem new (only occasionally in a book or movie I'll think I remember this part). Thanks for the birthday wishes. You are NOT much older than me. Wishing you and hubby a happy and safe 4th too!
DeleteOnce in a while I go through my books, but I add so many I do not believe the number decreases. I plan to keep them all and my kids can do with them what they want. Hopefully donate them all. I love Wordle and Quordle. I like that I can only play each once a day and that I am competing with myself.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder if books multiply on their own... for as you said, the number doesn't seem to decrease even when loaning them out or giving them away. But this is the first time we've given them away in large quantities. So maybe we will see some empty space on the bookshelves. We enjoy Wordle, don't know what Quordle is.
DeleteWhen I downsized and moved into an apartment, we sent 4-5 boxes of books to Half Priced Book Store. Even an old nursing textbook was worth some bucks. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteThere is something about those Half Priced Book Stores... interesting to browse... everything from old textbooks to new novels.
Deleteoooooh caterpillar competition, i am so excited for you!! looks like a good start at downsizing!! happy birthday my friend!!
ReplyDeleteNo competition, Debbie. I only have 2 in jars and 5 on the outside parsley. My parsley supply may run out at this point. I do have dill, but they seem to prefer the parsley. Thanks for the birthday wishes!
DeleteI play wordle every morning with my breakfast! It is fun & a challenge. As for books...we keep buying and then use Half Price Bookst o trade in of the ones we don't want to keep.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, Wordle is fun and a not too difficult challenge (although there have been words I've never heard of or used). And I have seen a few books at Half Price BS that I was interested in... so a trade is always possible.... although it may be 3 boxes of books for one new one.
DeleteDear Rian, when I moved from Minnesota to Missouri in 2009, at age 73, I gave away a slew of books--about 500. Many were about Black History. I'd h ad the books for ages because I studied Southern and Black History when I was in grad school in 1969-71. I gave all the books to t he Peter Clever school because many Black students studied there.
ReplyDeleteThen I came to Missouri and got rid of about 300 more books to the library. They are about Missouri history and many were about crafts and philosophy, etc. The library, I think, sold some on e-bay because there were first editions.
Then, Glaucoma made reading so difficult that I gave away all my novels because my reading is now only e-books. So that was another 300 or so.
I still have quite a library of books on ancient and classical Greece, many books on religion--mainly Roman Catholic and Jewish, and a lot of books on warfare.
So I do understand the need to give books away and also the pleasure of knowing that others get to read them.
Hope all is well now health wise and that you are having a lovely birthday. Being 77 is such a gift. Peace.
Dear Rian, I left a comment today here but it's probably going to come up Anonymous. I simply can't seem to figure any of this out--leaving comments on the blogs of others and responding to comments on my blog. It's a puzzlement for me. So, this and the earlier comment are from Dee Ready.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know that the Anonymous was you, Dee. And thanks for the birthday wishes!
Delete