Traces of Past Lives

A student once gave me a set of very old books. They were worn and tattered, just barely hanging together.

Recently I moved them to a different spot and paid attention to the drawings and signatures within them. I like to wonder about the individuals who once touched and used these volumes. What were their life stories?

 This car drawing is on the inside cover flap of the Idylls book.

The Julius Caesar volume had pencil doodles and this one drawing on the introduction page.

Other volumes belonged to Emma and Joseph.

I am a fan of cursive writing and believe it should be part of the school curriculum.

A person's writing style is as unique as one's personality.

Lazy Saturday Schedule

 No plans for today. Letting the day unfold on its own.
 And so far it's off to a lovely start. 

 First, a wonderful phone conversation with a dear friend.

 Secondly, two banana nut breads turned out just like the recipe said they       would. I had clipped a recipe from Tuesday's Commercial Appeal and tried it this very morning. 

 Corkey and Jason sampled the cake before it had a chance to cool. They gave their approval.

I sampled the banana bread after our simple lunch of bologna, tomato, and pickle sandwiches. YUMMY! Actually it tasted identical to a family recipe I have used. But this newspaper recipe required no buttermilk.


Now I'm writing this blog post.  Later I plan to read.

Below is my newest flower painting. I hung it on a wall all by itself.

Recently at our Goodwill Bargain Center I picked up a couple of old books for a dollar each. I placed them under the wooden bowl I found in Indiana. The one has a beautiful cover.

Happy Saturday!

A New Treasure

There are friends who just get you. My friend Mary is one of those. She knows me well.  After all we met in eighth grade, and our friendship has endured through the years.

Today we reconnected. What a pleasure it was! We both have a love for old things and have collected special finds over the years. Our home furnishings have stories that go with them.

Old books appeal to me and have for a long time.

When I was a little girl I was fascinated by the books stored in an old shed on my grandmother's farm.

When teaching became my career choice, an interest in textbook copies grew.
I have a small collection of children's schoolbooks, mostly English, spelling, and reading.

So getting back to my visit with Mary...
She presented me with a special gift. Like I said she knows me well.

Not only does this book have old textbook pages, it is designed to hold journal pages in the back. Plus there's Mary's inscription on the inside cover...how special that message is to me. What a treasure to cherish the rest of my years! 

 I love that the school pages deal with grammar. My favorite subject to teach was Language Arts, and explaining and drilling parts of speech was a welcome challenge.  

To write or not to write inside this unique book???

Thank you, Mary, for this book and all the wonderful times we have shared.

Friends forever,

Love, Sandy

Old Books

 Old books



have such

 

beauty.

 

 

Therefore, decorating with them just makes sense.

 

 



Collecting my thoughts...

There's nothing like an hour or so of browsing to take my mind off more serious problems like the worsening condition of my mother.  Searching for small treasures frees my mind of depressing thoughts. I was glad to stumble upon 2013 calendars at Big Lots. These smaller desk versions are my favorite size. And Susan Branch's artwork and messages are always delightful.

Since the Goodwill store is next to Big Lots I had to check it out. This time a group of old books caught my attention. I selected three from the assortment. 

 

 

In the Harvard text were my favorite William Wordsworth's lines of poetry.

 

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind    

 

I will miss these little guys tomorrow. Back to school they go. Having them around during Fall Break week was a real treat.

 

I need to turn off lights and call it a day. Let's aim for a productive week and find moments of bliss.

Like the Look

After seeing Mamie Jane's(http://mamiejanes.blogspot.com) recent post about the look you get from removing book covers, I decided to try it. I used a few old college books and saved their covers for future projects. I really was pleased with the worn look. 

  

Book Art