The End is Near

No, not the end of the world.  Not even the end of The Great Clean-Out.

Bookends.

I know what you're thinking.  "Bookends?  She must be losing it."  Well, to set the record straight, I can't lose something that I was never in full possession of!  But yes, bookends.

To say "I have books" would be the ultimate epitome of an understatement. To say "I need books" might be closer to the obsession I have for bound, printed material.  Now that I have bookcases in which to store them, I need something to keep them from falling off the wall shelves and tops of the bookcases.

Hence, bookends.

So I shopped.  Google Shopping.  eBay.  Amazon.com.  And so many websites devoted to my goal: justbookends.com; book-ends.com; decorativebookends.com and so many more.

On eBay, I found some simple plastic bookends which were very inexpensive:

  I received yellow and pale green.  They're nice, but I wanted something more decorative.  I went back to eBay.  I was fortunate enough to find these magnolia bookends just after they were listed and I bought them immediately:

There are two identical bookends.

I continued to look online, but everything I liked was very expensive.  The shipping costs on such heavy items were astronomical.  When I sent my daughter some ideas for Mother's Day, I included a couple of sets of bookends.  She came to me and said if I really wanted to find decorative bookends I should check out Marshall's and T. J. Maxx's Home Store.

So last Friday I went to the strip mall that has both of those stores.  It was a nice spring day so I didn't mind if I had to park far from the door.  I'm trying to walk more, anyway.  As I went up and down the aisles in front of the Home Store, it began to look as if I wouldn't get in!  When I finally parked, I realized I was in front of Marshall's.  Okay, I started there.  Since my daughter is always trying to get me to "think outside of the box" or "go beyond my comfort zone", I opened my mind to the possibilities around me and thought "what does a bookend have to do?"  Well, keep books from falling, obviously.  So they need to be heavy, right?  Right.  With that in mind, I went up and down the aisles looking at all the decorative items that were heavy.  In the outdoor decor, I found these:

Not identical, but matching!

I loved the shapes and the colors of the marble.  Not really bookends, they were a little more expensive than I had planned, but I just had to have them.  I left Marshall's and decided that I would go to T. J. Maxx only if I could park.  Lo and behold, I found a spot just two in from the end closest to the door!

In the Home Store, there was a lot more to choose from.  I browsed (it had been years since I was last there) and found this little gem that I just could not resist:

I'm not sure where I'll hang it, but my mother wanted to put it in the living room!  Uh, no.  Probably in the storage/book room, but it's hanging in the kitchen for now.

There were so many bookends to pick from at T.J. Maxx!  I spent a good hour going back and forth, up and down the aisles.  I'd pick up a pair, find another and go put the first ones back.  At first I wanted something different than what I'd gotten at Marshall's.  But as I pondered all the choices, I decided to go with my gut and got two more marble bookends:

A half-sphere and a half-column. 

Again, I went with choices that are not identical, but go together.  These were in the clearance aisle, AND, I can mix and match them with the other marble pieces.

I wanted just one more pair of somethings,  Keeping with the natural substances theme, but something other than marble, I found these soapstone candleholders:

You can't see the holes for candles from this angle.   I'm thinking maybe some fake flower sprigs.

Mission accomplished!

I have a couple of sets of bookends downstairs that I think I'll switch out with the cheap metal ones my dad had.  There are pictures in front of the books down there, so you don't see them anyway.  One set is of brass musical symbols that my brother gave me many years ago for Christmas.  They are special to me because I know he put some thought into it.

I'm still waiting for Brittany to finish her room and get the rest of her stuff downstairs so I can assemble the last two bookcases and get the rest of the books out of my room.  Patience.  Aaaaagh!

Pomp and Circumstance

I just had to address this whole "Royal Wedding" business.  Thirty years ago, I watched a very frightened and nervous 20 year-old girl marry a man 12 years older than herself.  A man she barely knew.  She was the same age as me.  I did not watch Will's and Kate's wedding on TV, but I saw a clip of it on the internet.  Kate was an older, more mature and confident bride.  It was also obvious that, if not in love, she liked William very much.

I like this photo.  They look happy and comfortable.

Anyway, the extravagance, pageantry, formality and fanfare was annoying.  I'm not sure why it bothered me this time, when it didn't 30 years ago.  I guess all that hoopla just doesn't impress me like it used to.  I think because I know more now.  I have a better grasp of what a wedding like that costs not just in terms of money, but time and manpower.  Not to mention making decisions according to propriety and an outdated protocol.

I think my niece's wedding was much nicer.  She spent some money for sure, but only on the things that were really important to her.  She kept her guest list small--only about 80 people.  And everyone had a good time.  My nephew's wedding was larger, more traditional and formal.  And, while his wedding was nice, it wasn't as much fun.

So, I'm glad the Royal Wedding is over.  God bless them and may they live happily every after.  I'm willing to bet my niece and her hubby will!

The Best Laid Plans...

...of mice and men gang aft agley.    That last means "oft go awry."  Technically, Robbie Burns wrote:  "The best laid schemes of mice and men, gang aft agley."  Whatever.

My daughter is over her cold and, last Sunday, put a second coat of primer on her bedroom walls.  If I was doing a comic strip, I would have put a blank frame after that statement.  Imagine crickets chirping indicating the deep silence.

*Sigh*  I still have two bookcases to assemble.  I still have piles of books in my room.  There are still boxes of Christmas decorations in the living room.  Everything is in a holding pattern, waiting.  Waiting for Brittany to get done with her room.

I wouldn't mind so much--God knows I am not very quick to get my projects done--but I can't even shift stuff in the room upstairs so I could at least get my bookcases set up.  She still has stuff all over up here.  Yes, I'm griping.  Complaining.  Not very productive, I know.  So, I've been working on all the give-away stuff.  I had stuff up here in my room, stuff in a couple of boxes in the living room, stuff in  my mom's bedroom and it all needed to be combined and packed up for drop-off.  I did that Sunday and Monday.

I had Tuesday all planned, with my errands to be done in a circuitous route (I hate backtracking):  Take my friend's kid's birthday present to the PO in Willow Springs, drop off a library book and pick up tax forms at the library, drop off give-away at the Amvets truck in Bridgeview, take my car for it's emissions testing in Bedford Park, head south to my bank in Chicago Ridge, and stop at Dollar General in Hickory Hills for a few sundries.  This is where Robert Burns comes in.

Well, the post office was empty, for a change.  That was amazing.  It started to go wrong at the library.  There was nobody there, either!  The two librarians at the counter and the research librarian all stopped when I came in and we had a bit of a chat.

Very nice, but I forgot the tax forms.  

I got to the Amvets truck and, because I had wedged the boxes and bags in my trunk so tight, the volunteer and I had to wrestle the stuff loose.  But, it was done.  Off to the emissions testing place.  I have to take 79th Street east to get there. It's not just that there are bigstupid trucks (yes, I ran that together on purpose!), there is a lot of traffic in general.  Even at 2:00 a.m. there is a lot of traffic on 79th.  It was 11:30 a.m., which was incredibly idiotic of me to time it like that.  People were heading to lunch!

I turned north on Central, bracing myself for the awful condition of that road.  It did not disappoint.  It starts out residential, then you pass between the Catholic boy's high school and a large elementary school.  I guess they leave the road so terrible to keep people from speeding by the schools.  But Central has been like that for as long as I've known it, which, since I've lived in the area all my life, is, well, all my life!  Then, as I reached the industrial areas, surprise, surprise!  They had fixed Central there!  I don't mean patching and filling pot holes.  I mean a new, level layer of asphalt!  It raised it enough, too, so that it wasn't teeth shattering to go over the railroad tracks!  But, then I had to turn on the street for the testing center and it was back to driving right down the middle of the road.  You have to do that to avoid the pot holes and chuck holes on each side of the street.  (Chuck holes are really big pot holes.)  If you met a car coming toward you, it was like driving with cars parked on the sides.  Whoever had the biggest hole on their side swings over and stops, lets you go by and then gets back in the middle of the road.  Driving in the Chicago area is like a macabre dance.  Not everyone abides by the pull-over-and-wait rule.  Then you end up playing Chicken.  I don't like playing Chicken.  So, for the one jackass who kept coming, I had to straddle the pot holes with my right tires in the gravel.  Thank God for new tires and no chuck holes!

I finally get to the testing center and the little sign says it'll be an approximately 6 minute wait.  Not bad at all, I thought.  Then I pulled past the building and saw the lines!  Every bay was open and had a minimum of five cars in line.  So I waited.  Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling into place for the test.  Now, 15 minutes, with those lines especially, was not bad!  BUT--if they had said 15 minutes up front, I would been a much happier camper.  Why the subterfuge?  A lot of those people were probably at lunch from work.  Not everybody has the flexibility to sit there nearly 3 times longer than they estimated.  It's the principle of the thing, ya know?  Oh, yes, my car passed.

Heading south again to go to the bank, I came up to the shopping mall that had a pet store I liked.  Impulsively, I turned in and bought cat food and litter.  The prices aren't cheap, but they're not ridiculous and I wanted the bigger flavor selection they offered on the canned cat food.  My old cat, Jessie, is very finicky.  But that's a story for another time.  When I was checking out, I found out I no longer was a Preferred Customer.  I had to apply for their new savings card.  Well, isn't that precious.  It just so happens there is a bookstore at the other end of the mall.  I couldn't just drive by.  I mean that literally.  After wondering through the store and purchasing two books--hey, one was from the 60-cent bin--I finally got to the Bank of America at Chicago Ridge Mall.

It should have been no big deal.  My mother got a small check from a refinery for sending her silver dental work in.  I had thrown a couple of old sterling silver chains in, too.  It was a whopping $6.74.  I just wanted to throw it in my account.  My mom signed it and I signed it.  Let me point out, I have done this before!  They wouldn't take it since she's not on my account there.  Huh?  See italics.  But I counter-signed it!  Didn't matter.  She had to be there and to show I.D.  Aaagh!  I had to tell myself to breathe.  What. The. Heck.  Okay, okay, it's a small check, we'll take care of it another time.

As I was heading to Dollar General, I figured I'd top off my gas tank.  I'm trying to use only American-made gasoline and there was a BP on my way west.  I had been watching the gas prices the whole time I was driving around.  $4.05.  $4.03.  So I resigned myself to pay over four freaking dollars a gallon for gasoline.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  God must have thought I needed a little more pick-me-up than passing the emissons test and a walk through the bookstore gave me, because the price was listed as $3.98!  When I swiped my card and hit the button, it came up as $3.97!  I tried not to think about how I had paid $3.75 just a couple of weeks ago.

By then it was after 1:00 p.m. and I was tired of driving.  I decided Dollar General could wait, especially since I had the cat food now.  Instead of continuing west to 88th Ave, I turned on Roberts Road.  Bad move.  Oh, the traffic was okay.  It's just that, a minute after turning I saw the Tastee-Freez sign.  On another impulse, I turned in.  I got two Freezies (they're like DQ's Blizzards).  The guy gave me a cup holder, but one of the Freezies wasn't positioned properly.  Except I didn't know it then.  There were no lids on these things and I didn't ask because they weren't overfull.  As I turned back onto Roberts Road, the loose one tipped over.  I grabbed for it, trying to push it in the holder and keep the ice cream from slopping on the seat.  My hand is covered with caramel ice cream and I'm trying to keep it from getting on my purse or my books.  Remember, I've driving during this.  My guardian angels were working overtime because I looked up in time to keep the car in my lane.  The stupid Freezie promptly fell over again on my purse.  My Tignanello purse.  My fabric Tignanello purse.  I grabbed it again, this time keeping my eyes on the road while trying to shove the cup in the holder.  Caramel and ice cream were on my fabric seats, my purse, books and steering wheel.  After five more turns, I was finally in my drive way.  Have you ever tried to make turns with one hand?  Because I never let go of that stupid cup until I was in the house.  After all that, I realized that the guy hadn't put the chocolate syrup on mine!

All right, I admit it wasn't the worst day ever.  Not even close.  But the frustration it did have wore me out.  And I was afraid my mother would pout because I didn't buy a book for her.  Fortunately, a book I had ordered for her came in the mail, so she was happy.  So really, all the negatives were balanced by positives.  It just didn't happen according to plan.  C'est la vie!

The Great Clean-Out: Part Umpteen

I'm still plodding along with cleaning out.  For my birthday last month, my daughter gave me three 3-shelf bookcases.  I pulled an old one out that I had stored in my garage and then went and bought a fifth bookcase myself.  She was really annoyed that I bought the fifth one and asked me why I needed another one.  Huh?  Did I hear her correctly?  She's in and out of my room all the time and she has to ask why I needed yet another bookcase?

  

This is only part of what is still in my room!

I've assembled two of the new ones.  That was interesting.  I've assembled many "assembly required" items in my lifetime.  Nowadays, Sauder is the brand for self-assemble furniture.  They have a wide range of furniture and varying levels of quality.  I go with cheap.  I mean inexpensive.  These are still better quality than what I had 25 years ago.  I remember an unknown brand of chest of drawers I bought at Zayre (a precursor to Venture, which was a precursor to WalMart.  Yes, I am that old!)  That chest of drawers was so flimsy, it barely lasted a couple of years.  Then I bought an unknown brand of shelving units from Venture.  A little better construction.  They lasted several years and I even sold a couple at yard sale a few years ago.  This time, I went to Target.  They were called RE or Room Essentials, but when I opened the box, there was Sauder at the top of the instructions.  

They were not difficult to put together, per se.  Better adjectives (or adverbs) would be: tedious, time-consuming, awkward and annoying.  First, like the good daughter-of-my-father that I am, I counted all the screws, nails, caps, pins and doohickeys and made sure I had as much or more than the instructions said.  I learned this lesson the hard way.  Then, I separated the sides and shelves and unfolded the back.  I proceeded to align the top and sides, making sure the finished edges were in front.  Then came the tedious part--screwing the sides to the shelves.  Now let me be perfectly clear:  the instructions clearly stated no power screwdrivers!  Oh well, the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was gone from my right hand, so, no big deal right?  Um, yeah.  There were only four screws per side, but it seemed like there were 40!  I'd switch to my left hand, but didn't have the strength in it to tighten the screws.  After resting my hands a few minutes after each screw, and with eight screws total, I was done with that part in about 45 minutes.  Then I had to flip the sucker, I mean, bookcase, face down so I could nail on the back.  The back is just sturdy, coated cardboard.  It is packaged folded, so you really have to smooth it out and work it as flat as you can.  Then you have to make sure it's square, which, in turn, will keep your bookcase from being lopsided.  Even a slight list is bad.  The instructions said to place the nails about five inches from each other.  I'm no good at judging distances, so I looked around for a ruler, a tape measure, anything that would show me what five inches looked like.  I couldn't find anything so, since I didn't feel like running downstairs, I guessed.  I almost ran out of nails, but I noticed that I was going to run out so I started placing them farther and farther apart.  'Sall good.  (Note: As I'm sitting here typing this, I am up in my room and leaning against the wall opposite from me, is a yardstick.  Not just any yardstick, either.  A bright red yardstick!  Why didn't I see that two weeks ago?)   Anyway, I carefully stood the bookcase upright.  Looks great!  The rest was a piece of cake--slip little rubbers--ah, rubber caps--on little metal posts, insert posts into sides of bookcase and place adjustable shelves on posts. Whew!  

Let's not forget that I had help with this!  For the first bookcase, Bebe alternately watched me, sat on the pieces, played with the screws and chewed on the rubber caps.  Her piece de resistance was when I had just started nailing the back on and she jumped up on it.  So the back of that one bows in, just a little.  After I freaked out because I thought she would break it, she refused to come back and I had to do the rest by myself.  

For the second bookcase (which I did the next day), I had Tabitha upstairs.  She sniffed the old bookcase, the new finished one and the pieces of the one I was assembling.  She climbed on shelves, played with--and lost--one of the screw caps, walked between me and the bookcase, and backed away and hunkered down when I was hammering the nails in.  She did not like the pounding.  But when that was done and I stood it up, she was right in there again!  

 With the old bookcase, there are three that I've already filled with books. The shelf space of the new bookcases are so big you could fit yearbooks or coffee table books in them!  There are also four small wall-mounted shelves on the wall at a right angle to the bookcases.  I managed to move my daughter's stuff from two of the wall shelves, but one of those was too dirty to use yet.

While she was gone for a couple of days, I started organizing my books.  Separating by size, I alphabetized, by author, all the trade-size paperbacks.  I started working on the regular paperbacks, but then my daughter came home.  She--finally!--sorted through the last couple of her boxes from the closet.  But immediately she put boxes in front of my bookcases.  She will get the stuff out of there soon, she says.  See, she needs to have everything in place in order to bring down the rest of her cra-ah-stuff.  She can't get the rest of her furniture until the room is painted.  The room can't be finished getting painted until she gets over her cold.  She won't get over her cold very quickly because she has to work.  And all the planets must be aligned at a right angle to the handle of the big dipper.  If you aren't sure, yes, that last statement was sarcasm.  I knew you knew.

So, I'm making her tea and, occasionally, letting her have one of my 12-hour decongestant tablets.  You know, the kind you have to show an ID for and can only purchase once a month?  Yeah, those.  Other than that, I check the planets' alignment every night!

 

Half A Century

I'm a quinquagenarian.  Yep, as of Friday, February 25th, as a matter of fact.  I saw it coming, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it--short of kicking the proverbial bucket.   That seemed a little drastic.  And melodramatic.  Even for me.

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.--French proverb

 Huh.  Here I thought I was smack in the middle of middle age.  What do I know?  Well, quite a bit, as it turns out.  Here are some of the things I've learn in 50 years:

I know the difference between having a cold and having the flu.
I've learned that life is like a box of chocolates, but you have to be discreet in spitting out the nuts.
I know that while what doesn't kill me may make me stronger, it still pisses me off.
I've learned that it doesn't matter if your friends are bipedal or quadripedal, it hurts the same when you lose them.
I've learned that love is worth the risk of loss.
I have traveled the universe and beyond in the pages of books.  And look forward to more!
I know that as soon as I run the dishwasher, someone will put dirty dishes in the sink.
Truth is stranger--and funnier--than fiction.
I've learned not to "should" all over myself.
I know that you'll never find a silver lining if your eyes are closed.
I've learned that God has a sense of humor.

There are still quite a few things that I don't understand, yet.  Like:

Why do you click the "Start" button to turn off the computer?
Is there anybody who actually eats an Oreo without twisting it apart?
Why are there birds that can't fly?
After God banished Cain, where did Cain find his wife?
Why do some people think it's funny when someone else falls down?
How do the words "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" carry so much healing?
Why does eating chocolate release endorphins (feel-good hormones), but not veggies or fruit?

Well, here's to 50 more years!  I intend to keep learning as long as God leaves me on this mortal plane.

Valentine's Day in Cyberspace

Matchmaker, Matchmaker,

Make me a match,

Find me a find,

catch me a catch

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Look through your book,

And make me a perfect match

I've never had that "perfect match."  Not that I'm complaining.  Much.  I often wonder what it would be like to be in love.  I've loved, but never been in love.  With Valentine's Day, my thoughts turn to that topic once again.
 
Matchmaking as a profession has been around for millenia.  The role of a matchmaker varies from culture to culture and from era to era.  The past few years has found a resurgence in the demand for the services of personal matchmakers here in America.  But the internet has had the biggest impact on the search for Mr. or Ms. Right.
 
There are sites that charge for their services like Zoosk, eHarmony.com and Match.com.  There are sites that offer their services for free--on a limited basis--such as okcupid.com and matchmaker.com.  Some of the sites that charge are very expensive, while others are more reasonable.  The limitations on the "free" part of their services also varies.  Some charge you just to sign up, while others don't charge until you want to make contact with someone.  And most sites offer discounts for longer term subscriptions.
 
There are sites for "mature" singles (what does that mean, exactly?) like maturesinglesonly.com and sites for Christians like christianmingle.com.  There are sites that cater specifically to blacks, gays, Asians, Jews, interracial and international groups, just to name a few.
 
At this time of year, all these sites are advertising all over the web.  I don't particularly pay much attention to each ad (I see a lot of them on Facebook).  But a week or so ago, an ad caught my eye:
 

 
I was immediately intrigued!  And that's not the only one!  There's singlecatlovers.com, PURRsonals.com and catloverdating.com--just to name a few.  Well, that got me thinking.  I know, I know, a dangerous thing.  What if, I thought, there are dating sites for writers and bibliophiles?
 
Well, a couple of Google searches later and I found bookwormsdating.singlescrowd.com and alikewise.com, for two.  For writers?  Writerspassions.com.  Bipolar?  Nolongerlonely.com.  Caregivers?
 
Caregivers?  Umm, no.  I found a few articles about dating when you're a caregiver, but no websites.  And, yeah, as one person said, "...just the mention of caring for an elderly parent will send a potential date running."
 
But, mostly, just like for ethnicity/racial preferences, whatever you're into, there's a site for you.  Running, skiiing, philately, woodworking, marijuana (yep)--it's all there.
 
After all that searching the web, I realized that I would rather talk to a person about my dating preferences.  There are still places that do that!  Great Expectations is a national matchmaking agency.  And there is even a Matchmaking Institute where you can become a licensed, certified matchmaker!  Of course, all this costs money.  A lot of money in most cases.
 
So, I guess I'll just stick with blind dates and the chance meeting in a bookstore.  Hey, it could happen!

Breakfast of Champions

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. --John Gunther

I heartily agree!  I do not like to rush through breakfast.  I like to take my time preparing it, eating it and lingering afterward.  In fact, I don't like to rush at all in the morning.  I don't always get it that way, but that's my preference.

My morning usually starts about 8:00 a.m.  After my ablutions, I get dressed.  Always.  Even when I'm sick.  Granted, if I'm running a fever or throwing up, I may just throw on sweatpants and a T-shirt.  But I absolutely have to have clean underwear.  After dressing, if there's time, I get on the computer.  A little before 9:30 a.m., I head downstairs.  After greeting Tabitha, I get my mother up and moving and head to the kitchen.

I get things started by filling my electric kettle.  I love my electric kettle.  I don't know how I managed before I had one and I will never be without one again.
 

In order to make tea, I need tea bags.  Or loose tea, but most mornings it's tea bags for my mother and instant coffee for me.  And, according to Tabitha, I'm not able to find the tea bags or coffee on my own.  She's very helpful.

Somehow, I manage to get the food prepared by myself.  Cream of Wheat, French toast or pancakes.  That's my basic repertoire of breakfast foods.  On rare occasions, I have muffins--either bought or home made.  Before I set the table, I clean it with Clorox or Lysol wipes.  The cats hate the smell of the disinfectant and it keeps them off the table--at least until after we eat.  Emmy harbors the notion that some day she'll get her own place setting--with plenty of meat on it!

Once the food is off the table--and the cleaning smell is gone--Khai decides it's time for some affection.  At this point, I'm usually savoring my coffee.  He figures I only need one hand to hold my coffee cup so I should use the other hand to pet him.

Now, I usually clean the sink after each meal.  Tabitha sticks close by as I work.

She's very good at making sure I clean the sink thorougly after the dishes are done.

And she insists on checking my work.

Hmmm, what's that tiny speck in there?

We go through a lot of dish soap and disinfectant wipes!

When that's done--on the days I don't have errands to run--I make a cup of tea for myself and we head to the living room to watch one of our recorded shows.  Old shows.

Before Gunsmoke, it was a half hour
show called Marshall Dillon.

The original!



I'd never heard of Chester Morris,
but these are good movies.

  

 During these shows I usually sort through and pack up boxes.  I have to keep the de-cluttering going!