In the upstairs hallway of our condo, there is a paperback bookcase that houses three of our book collections. The first three and a half shelves are comprised of the paperback part of my collection of mysteries that are set in New Orleans. It is amazing how many of these there are. There are the well known series like the Dave Robicheaux novels by James Lee Burke and and the Skip Langdon and Talba Wallis novels by Julie Smith or the stand alones by well known authors like Tami Hoag. There are also the shorter series (some of my favorites are by O’Neil DeNoux, Dick Lochte, J.M. Redmann, and the Corrington’s) as well as single books in well known series or stand alones by well known mystery authors that are set in New Orleans.
These are followed by Nero Wolfe mysteries. I have almost the whole series but I am missing Curtains for Three, one of the books of short stories. I finally purchased it as an eBook since when I was on a Nero Wolfe reading jag recently, I craved one I hadn’t read a million times! I must say though that while looking at my Pinterest boards satisfies my collecting urge, looking at my eBook shelf does not, so I am still on the hunt for that final volume. The Nero Wolfe books fill up most of the next shelf too. They are followed by a few other favorite mysteries.
The Nero Wolfe reading jags are unpredictable. They can be set off because I am fresh out of library books or because of an urge for comfort reading. The last shelf holds books for a predictable reading jag. I used to love reading the short stories in magazines at Christmastime and really missed them when they stopped appearing. So I began buying Christmas romances (this is the only time of the year I read romances). I prefer the ones with four short stories and one called Blue Christmas which takes place in Memphis and references Elvis is my favorite. Unfortunately like magazines there seem to be less and less of these published each year so it is good that I’ve kept some favorites for rereading.
The last time I mentioned my music posters I wrote that they had to follow two rules. I just broke the rule that I had to have actually gone to the concert because this poster really met the second rule – I have to find it graphically appealing. I love the flower guitar and the title of the show. A reporter said he would have put it in his list of must sees for the title alone – The Day the Music Thrived!
I have become quite enamored of buttons lately so when I saw these button blocks by Lisa Bates at the Country Living Fair, I just had to have them. When they caught my eye Lisa wasn’t in her booth and the women who were filling in didn’t know how much they cost, so I reluctantly left without purchasing them. Luckily after hearing a great set by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, we headed back to the booth area so my sister could pick up a birdhouse she had purchased. We found Lisa Bate’s booth again but didn’t see the button blocks which had been packed up. Lisa was glad to unpack them and I happily picked out these two.
One of the collections featured in the guest bedroom is the Peacock Collection remaining from the time when it was our bedroom. A subset of the Peacock Collection is the Peacock Fan Collection.
It was a beautiful day today for the Memorial Day parade in our small town. My husband came downstairs dressed in blue jeans and a red and white striped shirt so I donned my patriotic socks and we set off with our small flags for town.
Saying hello to friends, checking out everyone’s patriotic wear (red and blue shirts, star earrings and scarves, red tights, and lots of Red Sox t-shirts and hats), clapping when the veterans march by, waving to all the kids in the parade, and dodging the flying candy are all essential aspects of the half hour parade.
I was listening to a radio show the other day and the DJ and his son were talking about a bluegrass festival they had gone to. “You enjoyed it right?” said the Dad. “Yeah” said the son, “but you wouldn’t let me buy the stuff I wanted to buy because you say experiences are better than stuff.” Actually, he said it backwards but after they straightened that out the father said that some stuff was okay to buy at the festival like ice cream. His son and I exclaimed in unison “But eating ice cream is an experience!” They stopped talking to spin some tunes but I continued to muse on the stuff you could buy at music festivals. Like CD’s, but then isn’t it an experience when you listen to them? And hats, but isn’t it an experience when you wear them? And toys, but isn’t it an experience when you play with them? And stuff to hang on your walls or put on your shelves (the things I like to buy at festivals), isn’t it an experience when I look at them?
When my older daughter lived in Boston an artist who drew posters for bands and clubs gave her a selection and I got to choose one. I loved this take on Little Red Riding Hood.
Around this time I acquired a few other Little Red Riding Hood images and for awhile I thought I might frame them and hang them with the club poster. I eventually decided against a hanging collection. (I do have a collection of fairy tale books but that is the subject for another post!) Now thanks to Pinterest, I get to collect images of Little Red Riding Hood and other fairy tales on my Fairy Tale and Fantasy board.
If only the Pinterest board collections would stay there. When I started pinning I found many great fox images and created a board called Foxes and Hares. Now, of course, I’m seeing foxes everywhere, literally. This poster advertising the Tuesday Farmer’s Market is hanging all over town.
Does this mean I’ll acquire a real as well as a virtual collection of foxes?
My husband makes pancakes every Sunday and for many years my younger daughter would help. Her contribution was to make a pancake in the shape of a letter that signified something that was important to her that week like a D for dance or a C for competition. Now that she is all grown up and celebrating her own first Mother’s Day, all our pancakes are round. So it was a nice surprise today on Mother’s Day that my husband made me two M’s for Margery Mom.
Mmmmmmm!
Any surface in my home is likely to become a display area for one of my collections. Perhaps fittingly, the stereo speakers operate as display pedestals for my woven musical instrument collection. I bought the first two at an African drumming and dance performance many years ago. Now they are one of the things I enjoy searching for at shops while vacationing.
The speaker on the left hosts the first two purchases – the green one in the middle and the purple one in back to the right of it.
The speaker on the right features the more brightly colored ones. I suspect that some of these may be rattles rather than instruments.
Many years ago my sister gave me a patchwork pillow she had made. My response (after I said thank you, I hope), “Where is the other one?”
I really do like to have more than one of everything. A few years ago my daughter gave me a picture that features a blue guitar. Of course, when I saw a painting of a blue guitar at a crafts fair in Texas I had to buy it.
And I always knew that I wanted a small painting of Northampton to hang with the small painting of Chicago that I bought my husband a few years ago, so when I saw small paintings by Devin Koller featured in an article about the closing sale at the Northampton Center for the Arts I knew we had to check them out. We found the perfect one!
Collections and Other Stuff I Like 