What do a cemetery and a heart attack have in common? Not what you might think. So there I was, home for spring break in the Midwest and taking a little side trip to place some cheery flowers at my parents' grave. The grounds were drab with only a hint of the green that is … Continue reading Stupid Human Tricks
Category: Oddities
Authors’ Second Thoughts To Raise Big Bucks
According to last week's NY Times Sunday magazine, Christie's is set to auction 75 first editions, including art books, each annotated by its author/artist, to raise funds for the PEN American Center. If you're close to Rockefeller Plaza between now and December 2nd, you, too, can take a look at these one-of-a-kind items. Don't drool, … Continue reading Authors’ Second Thoughts To Raise Big Bucks
Books as Art
Richard Wagener, wood engraver extraordinaire, stood at a table displaying his wares during Roadworks, an event sponsored by the San Francisco Center for the Book. His books begged me to touch them. I obeyed. Loom, Wagener's collaboration with the New Zealand poet, Alan Loney, pairs Wagener's wood engraved loom prints with lines from the poem … Continue reading Books as Art
Home(s)ward Bound
Our family is heading to Boston this weekend on our first leg up to the island in Maine, where we'll celebrate my father-in-law's life and legacy. Apropos of Peter's sense of humor, various family members have suggested that we give Peter a Viking funeral using his 18-ft. Interlake sailboat that we capsized last year in … Continue reading Home(s)ward Bound
Appalachian Trail Hikers on NPR
A couple of weeks ago, I told you about my husband's cousins who are hiking the Appalachian Trail with their two children. The children were reciting from Moby Dick and Frost's "The Road Less Traveled." NPR caught wind of the family's adventure and interviewed them on the trail. While there was no recitation during the … Continue reading Appalachian Trail Hikers on NPR
Moby Dick, Robert Frost, and Einstein on the Appalachian Trail
I'd like to introduce you to the Kallin family, my husband's cousins who live in rural Maine. The father (trail name: All In) is an environmental lawyer and their mother (trail name: Mama Bear) is a biologist and farmer extraordinaire. They pulled their two kids, ages 7 (trail name: Cartwheel) and 9 (trail name: Robin … Continue reading Moby Dick, Robert Frost, and Einstein on the Appalachian Trail
Wolves and Yellowstone Park
On the heels of our son's farm school where we discussed the impact humans have on Mama Earth, it's intriguing to see what happens when you reintroduce wolves to a place where they've been hunted out of existence. It's not what you would expect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q This video gives me a smidgen of hope, something I … Continue reading Wolves and Yellowstone Park
Mother’s Day “Rare” Book Treasure
Serendipity! One week after I posted the review of a book about the rare book world, Book Thieves, Rare Books, and Obsession, I wandered through the San Francisco Public Library's Spring Book Sale, a vast assortment of over 250,000 books separated into 70+ categories and filling up 50,000 sq. ft. of tables at the Ft. … Continue reading Mother’s Day “Rare” Book Treasure
Book Hoarding – Delve into the Psyche
I knew someone like Penelope Lively could explain why I hoard books (see post "Revealing My Boo--ks" to give you an idea of just how bad it is) in an NPR interview (via Literary Man's link): http://literaryman.com/2014/03/18/why-do-you-keep-all-your-books/ I feel so much better now that I have a "rationalized justification." It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
Better Than a Grammy
ver·sa·tile (versa-tea-lay) adjective able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities. "a versatile sewing machine" synonyms: adaptable, flexible, all-around, multifaceted, multitalented, resourceful;More archaic changeable; inconstant. So here I am, the swiss army knife of sewing machines (aka word knitting machines). Laurel Leigh has kindly nominated me for the Versa-tea-lay Blogger Award. And as I said in … Continue reading Better Than a Grammy
Jilanne Hoffmann 