There are some lucky people in the world who do not have to dramatically downsize as they go into their “golden years.” We have not been so fortunate. Nevertheless, when we keep one eye on the budget and the other eye on our health, we understand that certain things must be changed.
This morning I was looking at my bookshelves behind the computer where lots of my treasures are and wondering if anything on those shelves could be moved out. Most of it is working material – albums for the photos, genealogy notebooks, cookbooks (down to four from about twenty), reference books for both genealogy and writing, some few craft boxes (for scherenschnitte – paper-cutting, for calligraphy and for note-card making,) and then a few special books that I just can’t bear to give up. It is those that I want to list for you today.
Albion’s Seed by David Hackett Fisher.
How to Win a Pullet Surprise by Jack Smith (a signed copy)
Jack Smith’s LA (Jack Smith was a wonderful LATimes columnist whom I read faithfully)
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
The Mormon Murders, by Steven Naifeh & Gregory White Smith
Stiff by Mary Roach (the world’s funniest book)
California Missions and their Romances by Mrs. Fremont Older (a book given to me in 1945)
Son of the Morning Star by Evan Connell
Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks (a novel about John Brown)
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
Gilead by Marilynn Robinson
Girl Scout Handbook, 1950
Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball
The Provincials by Eli Evans
Robert College: The American Founders by Keith Greenwood
One Hundred and One Famous Poems – Anthology 1929
After I typed this list, it occurred to me that my reference books are every bit as important as the ones above, so I’ll list those also, excluding my Genealogy books:
Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (1975 and woefully outdated)
Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style
Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations
Rodale’s Synonym Finder
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised
and an old well-used Holy Bible
I love my books. Over the years I managed to part with all the old college textbooks I had saved, which were my English and American Lit books and all my psychology textbooks, although the latter group probably would be so outdated now that they would be useless. I wish now I'd saved the Lit books.
In the first list above I do find a couple of books I’m ready to part with if I give them another fast reading.
I also see that I am never going to do anything more with the scherenschnitte so I can toss that box but will save the Exacto knife that I used (I love my Exacto knife and find lots of things to use it on besides paper.) I’m not going to bother with calligraphy anymore, so that box too can go. And card-making? It was a hope that I had enough creativity in my genes to make some cards, but I quickly learned in class that I do not. Why I’ve saved this stuff is beyond me. So out with that too.
Just writing this blog has given me direction for the day’s goal: clear a few more things out to provide space for new projects. There are always new projects. I’ll do that first thing. Having success at something so early in the day is a good way to start it, don’t you think?
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