Modern Communication

I sit with my iPad open to the FaceTime connection to my brother, a view to his shirtfront as he unpacks his suitcase, holding my cordless, on speaker, in the other hand, while my mother speaks to him about the text messages she sent him about his safe arrival home from Christmas. Her first. I make faces at my small self, presented me by my iPad, upper left.

Limited Edition

So, yes, I spent the second half of my holiday sorting, filing, and piling.  Three boxes to the goodwill, and seven bags to the recyclers.  I won't frighten you with the story of the fridge.  I know it was a year old, but honestly, there was no mold on it.  Ain't homemade yogurt amazing.  But I will tell you about the bookcases.  I have several in varying sizes, most with doors on, which is good, that way the books are held in place by the latch.  This doesn't stop me from getting more books, especially in the children's section of the library sale room...I can't resist the pictures.  I recommend Wings by Shinsuke Tanaka.  It has no words beyond the title and pictures that make me want to strive for greater skill.

When I have too many books they are piled on the floor under the bookcases...they also have feet as well as doors.  And when the piles get to big I pull everything out, pick out what is ready for a new life and pack the bookcase puzzle back together.  I find all kinds of treasures I have no seen in some time.  The King's choice, retold by K. Shivkumar and illustrated by Yoko Mitsuhashi.  Ah-choo by Mercer Mayer. Many others.  And, a handmade book from Christmas of 1989.  Written, illustrated, printed and assembled on Christmas Eve of that year by my co-workers at the Saskatoon Bookstore.  It is made on the back of index cards used for the then high-tech filing system for the titles.  The Lion who shot Bach, Little White School House, Last Hiding Place, and others. The story is about me trying to make the evening bus to get home for Christmas, and what I had to remember to take with me.  I don't know who was getting a shirt for Christmas, but it figured large in the story.  A very special limited edition.

Christmas dinner

 And the dog dined on bear.

four daughters, eight sons, three mothers, four fathers, two grandmothers, two grandfathers, three uncles, two great uncles, two aunts, one great aunt, three nephews, one niece, one great nephew, four grandchildren, one great grandchild, one turkey, twenty-six home carrots, one hundred and five home potatoes, countless peas, one pot of gravy, two pumpkin pies, and a tiny carton of whipping cream, whipped, three boxes of chocolates, two plates of goodies. Twelve people stuffed to the gunnels.

exercise book

 My mother and I decided some time ago, on the principle of use it or loose it, that in order to exercise our 'little grey cells' we would begin memorizing poetry.  We both are old enough that it was a school exercise when we were young, but we have taken it up again.  She has reviewed "Listen my children and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere".  I took up Humpty Dumpty's Recitation by Lewis Carrol.  A couple weeks ago she called to say she wanted to memorize the "Night Before Xmas".  She wasn't able to find a single copy in the book shops, could I make her one?  And could I make it so that she could glue in the pretty Christmas cards she gets.  Sure enough.  The book shops came through in the end, but I was already well on the way in making her a copy so she's getting it anyway.  She will get exercise in memorizing the poem: A visit from St. Nicholas (the actual title) and I got exercise designing and making the book.  Word of advice, don't chat with a friend at the crucial time of gluing the text block together.

My plan for the text was easy.  I pulled the poem off the net to save typing, then I corrected all the minor mistakes against the version in my 1959 Treasury of Poetry. Oh the intertube.  Reminds me of a game of telephone.  What was the original message? 

I spread the text of the poem over several pages of 8.5 by 11.  Then I cut half inch wide strips of cardstock to go between each page at the spine so that when the pictures are glued in the book won't bulge (as much).  And this is where I got into trouble.  I had meant to glue a strip to each page, then hole punch the whole thing, then lace it up with the covers with ribbon.  But a friend was over using my scanner, and we chatted while we worked.  And I glued the whole text block together.  Never say die.  I hauled out the hammer and nails, solving the problem in a jiffy.

I am planning to memorize the Grinch. Noise, noise, noise, noise, noise.