Book Sale Day

Today is one of our most favorite holidays: Book Sale Day. Ok, so it’s not exactly a national holiday. Or even a day that anyone else recognizes as a holiday. However, we have adopted it as our own personal family holiday. We have the date written on our calendar and eagerly look forward to it each year. It’s the day that our local library has its huge used book sale. The library has little book sales throughout the year, but THIS one is the big one. There are tables set up throughout the library full of hundreds of used books for sale. There are no set prices: It’s totally by donation. Our library is located in a township hall, which used to be an elementary school. In the gym, a huge holiday craft sale is also held at the same time, but we have eyes only for the books.

On Book Sale Eve, I chose a pretty festive sweater to wear during Book Sale Day. The most appropriate sweater would have been one with books on it, but I had to make do with one with snowmen and snowflakes. Eric asked, “What should I wear for Book Sale Day?” I told him that he really needs to buy a festive sweater to wear on this day. But he wore plaid, which was good enough.

We almost had to forego Book Sale Day because EJ has come down with a nasty cold. But he said, “I’m not going to miss it!” So we didn’t. He was feeling a trifle better this morning. This year I took a few cloth shopping bags with us rather than use the library’s bags and boxes. It was very handy so I think I’ll try to remember to bring them every year. We bought about two dozen books. I couldn’t find any books by authors I enjoy, but I did find eight or so books by new authors to try. I also got another edition of Bartlett’s Book of Quotations, a Dictionary of Word Origins, three Ernest Hemingway books and one by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that we don’t yet own, and a series of books about English Kings. I sometimes read historical novels and I can’t always remember which king did what. I figured that with these books, I can easily refresh my memory as needed. I also found DVDs of three or four seasons of Stargate SG-1, which is a science fiction TV series we enjoy. All in all, it was a successful Book Sale Day.

We’ve had a mild winter so far. Today is a gray day with periods of light rain. It’s rained for several days and is supposed to rain for another couple of days, but snow is in the forecast beginning Monday night. I now have more books to cuddle up with on cold winter days. I feel like a contented Book Wyrm which for those of you who may not know, is a dragon who collects books instead of gold, silver, and jewels.

Did you know that Iceland has a Christmas Eve tradition called Jólabókaflóð, or “Christmas Book Flood”? It is a cherished cultural tradition, deeply rooted in Iceland’s love for literature and storytelling. It is celebrated on Christmas Eve and revolves around giving and receiving new books, often accompanied by delicious treats like hot cocoa, Icelandic chocolates, or even a special beer. The night is spent in the company of loved ones, reading and sharing stories, creating memories that last a lifetime. I think that holiday is absolutely awesome.

Every time I go outside, I hear a “chickadee-dee-dee” and the chickadees begin to gather around me. Sometimes they land on my head. LOL. I now keep a small pill bottle with seeds in my pocket, so I can quickly pour some into my hand and offer it to the birds whenever they appear. I don’t want to disappoint my little feathered friends. A few days ago I took Hannah Joy for a walk down the driveway. When I was nearing the bottom of the hill, I heard “chickadee-dee-dee.” I looked up and several chickadees were hopping from tree to tree, following us. Until then, I didn’t know how far their territory extended. I pour seeds into my hand and held it up, and several flew in to land on my hand. Hannah Joy was snuffling in the grass, her leash stretched out between us, and several chickadees landed on the leash before flying to my hand.

I have decided to wait until warmer weather to try to entice the squirrels and chipmunks to eat from my hand. In this season, t’s too chilly to patiently sit outside and wait for them to overcome their fear and approach me. But I’m imagining that eventually I will have birds and little critters following me whenever I go outside. Then I really will feel like Snow White. A couple nights ago, I chatted on the phone with our son and I told him I was becoming like Snow White. He replied, “Actually, I see you more as Radagast the Brown from Lord of the Rings.” I don’t think I’m THAT goofy, although Radagast is actually brave, good-hearted, and kind to animals which are not bad attributes to have.