Author: L.E. Hansen

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At The Book Store

Or, the continuing saga of books with the eternal question: Do I have too many, or not enough? Or, on the road to the Simplified…

…So I made it to the 1/2 Price Bookstore. There I found a pleasant surprise in that the store buys books everyday and they do not limit the amount of books you can bring to sell. The books they do not buy are given to some charity. Or you can take them back of course. I was able to leave the cart of books there, and will be bringing the rest of the designated ones from home. It is a large bookstore and well organized so it’s very comfortable. There are chairs here and there, where you can sort through the books you have picked up while wandering through the aisles.

I made it out with only two books as a purchase. They are good finds and ones I have been thinking of pursuing. When all the accounts were settled I ended up owing only $2.49. (It is funny—costing me money when I have sold so many.)

I don’t even feel guilty.

img_1066.jpeg

These are the books I obtained from the book-sale day. Not too shabby. It could have been a great deal worse but I kept reminding myself that I was downsizing, cleaning out, simplifying.

And, there’s a great Italian restaurant just a few doors down. Now there I spent too much. But I was able to bring home the leftovers for the dog and cat. All in all, I’d say a success on the road to simplicity. And hope for the future.

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A Horde Of Books

Today’s the day. I have two huge bags filled with books and they are going to the half-priced book store. I’m hoping to have some purchased from me. Of course there is always the danger of buying more to take home. Fingers crossed.

Paperbacks Plus Bookstore

Both photos posted by Bibliotech.

This poster has a comment to savor. And that may be part of the many reasons there are to gather books. Those that time graduates into a problem.

As I will be getting new tile and wood floors, I really do need, quite must, make things easier. And I do, really, want to simplify, downsize. Make clean and simple. And it will sparkle with white (off white, streaked) floors. Not only must some furniture depart, but the hoard of books must be trimmed.

This means to stop returning to those books scheduled for departure. I put the stacks together, then go through them again and pull many out. This goes on for days. I wonder how I could have possibly decided to put certain ones into a pile for removal. What indeed was I thinking?

Lord. I was thinking about Clean and Simple. Fresh and Open. Light and Easy. The saints of modern living. There ought to be a prayer for the strength to at least keep books in the departure stacks.

And today’s the day 100 or so are going away. They are in the car. I am driving to the book store. Dear Saint [*insert appropriate saint name*] please let me get them into the store and sold. Please. I’ll be good for the rest of my life if only I am granted this one petition. I promise.

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This —or— That

I have always sworn to myself that I would stay away from politics here. Not because I don’t want to be controversial, but because I get so passionate and Crazed. Panicked sometimes. But I’m thinking that a spot or two here or there, a post of this or that—without taking on the full complement—might be sustainable. We’ll see. And here’s my first go.

Osnos-JoeBiden

Osnos-JoeBiden—posted in The New Yorker

Most commentators are pretty focused on the same things, starting with Biden being the only one (of declared candidates running in 2020) who seems willing to take on Trump. This is usually posited as a good thing.

I tend to agree, though I do wonder that Biden might be making the same mistake Clinton made in focusing on Trump’s perceived-as-horrible aspects, and is basically running campaign ads for him. With Biden’s campaign video of “the fight for the soul of America,” he is saying choose “this or that” with the assumption most of America will like “this.”  Biden said, “If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation. Who we are.” Well maybe, as America said before, it IS what we want, and the video is encouragement to vote for Trump—and the fundamental alteration of the character of this nation.

On the other hand—because there always is one—it is a direct volley across the bow of the expected Trump campaign and the composition of his base. Maybe some of his followers—and certainly the Democrats and Independents of this nation—do not want “that.”

At least Biden has made it clear. And it is either this or that.

 

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Happy Birthday Joel

Today is my son’s birthday. It hurts my heart to say that. It’s so easy to picture him here, to see him grinning and laughing. If he were here he would play with the dog, and the cat. He loved animals and was very good with them. He was great with computers and became a computer programmer. He wrote code. And he liked that. He loved Queen and sometimes I play many of their albums. Sometimes I can’t bear to listen to any. Bohemian Rhapsody can tear my heart out. Sometimes I have to listen to it so I can know something—I’m not sure what. But something pounded into me makes sense because you travel somewhere else with grief. He was beautiful.

“It’s funny the day you lose someone isn’t the worst. At least you’ve got something to do. It’s all the days they stay dead.” —Steven Moffat

You just want to take everything back. You want another chance so you can do things right. And you say over and over again: I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You want him to know that, you want him to know, so bad. That you are sorry.

I used to get drunk and cry and drink and cry and drink and write and cry. I didn’t care about any life here, in this world. I wanted to die. That I didn’t was a surprise.

Squeek was his cat. He had gotten her just before he died. He knew he would die, he just didn’t know when, or that it would be that soon. It took a very long time until suddenly it was done.

Joel

JoelasBaby

Joel as Baby

 

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A Non-Gargoyle Moment

It seems as if everyone is posting at least one gargoyle, oftentimes many. The gargoyles of Notre Dame of course. They are interesting and spectacular in what they represent, but usually they are the same as someone else has just posted, so I thought I’d find something different. And I did, the guy displayed below. I believe him to be just darling and a worthy comment for us. He will now look over us.

Cinou Delcuvellerie Follow · 4 November · David Burnham Smith-Great Britain -

David Burnham Smith-Great Britain

By the way, there were some posts about some people being taken aback by the forms of the gargoyles, apparently not having seen them before. As I understand it, they are to reflect back to evil, (Evil vs. Evil) and drive it away. If there were sweet loving representations on the structure, they would drive goodness away. This is the same principle as the mirrors you will find on some Chinese structures. The mirrors send back to you that which you are.

I don’t think our guy above will drive anything anywhere. I believe he’s just watching with a very friendly and loving spirit.