Book Mouse

Oh how I could relate to this little creature.  Snuggled up on the shelf, reading his 'mouse' books - what more could anyone want?   Well he did ask for a cup of tea but I told him that my tea cups were too big for him and he might drown.

"Oh well" he said. "I might just have to figure out how to get it myself.  After all Stuart Little and Johnny Town Mouse seem to do quite well for themselves.  Yes, I know they get into mischief, but what would life be like without a scare or two to push us ahead?".

Hmmm, a learned little critter isn't he?!

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest counselors, and the most patient of teachers." - Charles William Eliot

"Quite" Unlikely

What should I find atop the book shelf but another Unlikely.  I’m a book lover and it seemed that she might be a kindred soul.

  

Sure enough I soon found out that “Quite” Unlikely had decided to read her way through all the books on the shelves.   However, she was worried because some of them might not be of any interest to her at all – or she might not understand them due to their esoteric subject matter.  I didn't want to admit to her that I myself had that same thought when I was in high school – to start at the “a's” and work my way through the stacks.  Of course it was a short lived dream, as I recall ending somewhere still on the first shelf.

However, I did have an idea for “Quite”.  I took out my large dictionary (especially large to her) and sat her down atop it. "If you read this one book, all the way through, its quite likely that you will learn all you need to know". 

I left her  studying the pages – I do so hope she gets further along than I did in the library.

"The more you read, the more things you will know,

The more you learn, the more places you'll go." 

Dr. Seuss

'Bibliophile'

Yes indeed, I did it!!  I made contact with my very first Piffle and it was so fortuitous because it turns out that he is a 'wordie' like I am.  I discovered him sitting on a pile of books - which I later found out he had liberated from the back of local thrift shop.  They are his pride and joy.   

Apparently he usually goes foraging for non-fiction books (any others might be too provocative) in the outdoor book chute at the library. He will sneak in there late at night and carry away as many as he can handle, sometimes bringing a helper along.  I can just imagine them - one inside, one outside with ropes holding the books and a lot of lifting and hoisting going on - such a rigamarole when he could go inside and check them out.

Once he has read them, both to himself and aloud to his loyal listeners, he returns them to the chute no damage done.  My only thought, as he elaborated on his plan, was that there must be some very upset library patrons - who could swear they dropped their books in the slot days ago and yet keep getting 'fined'. 

Having just discovered this 'lost tribe' I daren't be too critical or I'll spoil everything.  Remember, we're still keeping this under our hats.

"He that loves reading has everything within his reach." - William Godwin

Today I'm thankful for...

...words and books.

This old dictionary -- published in 1947 -- was a wonderful discovery made on one of my 'treasure' hunts.  Its heavy, full of so many words, their definitions and even some sketched pictures.  I can imagine the artist laboring over these very small illustrations and I am  grateful that I found this bit of history.

I admit that I'm old-fashioned -- I do all my reading in 'real' books. I love to turn the pages and to put book marks inside so that I can find my way when I come back.  The turning of a page still thrills me and I am so grateful to have the joy of the printed word in my life.

As you can see a tome this heavy sometimes does double duty as a leaf press.

"Every time I have to look up a word in the dictionary, I'm delighted." - Vivienne Westwood

The Book Keeper

She is the keeper of books.  The one who preserves rare old print.  The one who loves to turn the printed page with her well worn hands.  To see the words laid out on a piece of paper. 

She loves to be read to out loud. To listen to a loved one's voice reading pages from a much worn book.  To read out loud a book to a child, even if it means rereading it so many times that the words have been memorized.

She is the one who asks for quiet in the library (not because she doesn't enjoy a good conversation, but because each book is a sacred text to her).

She is the one who curls up in a chair facing the sun and reads for hours, never once thinking that she might be 'wasting' time.

"He that loves reading has everything within his reach". - William Godwin

What's in a word?

I recently opened the newspaper to see this headline!  It turns out that Oxford University Press is uncertain whether the 126-year old dictionary's next edition will be printed on paper at all.  Apparently so many people are using the on-line version that it doesn't seem cost effective.  Do you know how my heart skipped a beat when I read this?

Now I am not opposed to the Internet and all of its uses, after all I'm here talking to you through the wonders of this device.  But some things should not be tampered with!  There is something magical for me in looking at a dictionary.

I have two old dictionaries that I use and love and I do mean old.  The youngest of the two has a copyright of 1955 and the oldest doesn't have a copyright - I believe that page was long gone when I found this in an antique store. 

Both of them have illustrations throughout - especially the older one.  You can see by this page showing the evolution of the 'locomotive' that this book is from another time!  The pages are falling out but they are each a beautiful old tan color, having aged as if someone dipped them in tea. 

My 'newer' dictionary, being a little bit less fragile, is the one I use the most.  It is heavy having 1432 pages between the covers.  Some of the most wonderful pages are at the very back where there are lists of boys and girls names and their meanings, signs and symbols, weights and measures and even foreign alphabets.  Who needs a computer when one can page through this book and discover all these wonders.

Call me old-fashioned but I hope that the printed dictionary never, ever fades away into a totally technological world.  Now how do you spell 'enchantment'?

"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary". - Kahlil Gibran

"Elegant Stitches"

Perhaps you've seen this book, perhaps you are lucky enough to own a copy but if not, I just have to tell you about it.  "Elegant Stitches" is an 'illustrated stitch guide and source book of inspiration'.  The inspiration portion of that sentence is an understatement.  I was fortunate enough to find this book at a recent 'fiber swap meet'.  I immediately fell in love with it.

The book has a copyright of 1995 - so I know its been around quite awhile - but to me it is one of those timeless books -- the one that will stay near my worktable so that I can easily pull it out at a moment's notice.  The stitch illustrations are very clear and its smaller size and spiral binding make it so very easy to use.

 There is an 'extra bonus' for me because the author has a section entitled "Stitches for Left-Handers" - wow, do you know how rare that is?  Being a lefty, this section alone was exciting.

The last portion of the book is on free-form stitchery and the author Judith Baker Montano, shows illustrations which she drew in her journal and then translated into lovely forms of embroidery.  This is a curl up in a chair and read cover-to-cover book - knowing that if you do any embroidery at all you'll want to have it close at hand.

"Little moments can have a feeling and a texture that is very real". - Ralph Fiennes

Finding My Way

No journey ever taken can be attempted without the help of a map, a guide, a guru -- well I guess it could, but that's a good way to get lost. And so, as I began my exploration of encrusted beading, just last fall, I turned to those who were already following this path.

My first map came in the form of this book. Before seeing "Beaded Embellishment" I had no idea the various forms that encrusted beading could take, in fact I will admit I hadn't even known there was such a thing as 'encrusted' beading. I quickly discovered those oh so creative bead artists fashioning intricate pictures and then went on to discover the possibility of beaded purses and jewelry and sculptured items... well the list goes on and on.

My first encrusted beading project was this picture, aptly named "Autumn Journey". It was a good 'first' because it allowed me to practice all sorts of stitches on a flat surface. Thanks to Amy C. Clarke's and Robin Atkin's directions I began to explore (and stretch myself I might add). I won't even tell you how many beads I put on and took off in an attempt to finish this piece. Not only was I learning beading stitches but I was learning color and placement of the beads -- and probably the most important lesson learned was 'patience'!

I found out that Robin Atkins had other books and quickly ordered those too. By this time my head was swimming with possible beading projects -- all of this without really knowing a thing about beading itself. My dreams were definitely outpacing my skill. But isn't learning, exploring and dreaming what life is all about?

"Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind." - James Russell Lowell