Thursday, August 19, 2010

TAADAA-IT IS MISS SUZY!!

Wellsir, sometimes things work out. I was in salvation Army doing my book job and ready to leave. Dadgumned people kept buying books and making big holes I had to keep refilling the places where those books had been. Hmmp, it would sure be a lot easier if people left everything in order and.... nevermind.  I don't do the children's books as a lady does them plus the religious stuff. So-- as I was getting ready to finish and I looked over and saw "Miss Suzy."
Now for you uninitiated, Miss Suzy is the story of a squirrel who is very neat and sings as she does housework and cooks acorn cakes. I have been reading this story to various small audiences for more than 40 years. This book not only caught my attention but it grabbed me by the mental throat. A few years ago I did an all out search for it and a friend found it at a garage sale.
I now have a new small audience that needs to hear this story. In fact, I may have more audiences later on and I really believe that their childhood cannot get started without knowing about Suzy Squirrel and how she and some toy soldiers chased out the bad squirrels.
I was wrong on the cost of the book. When I was looking for it before I thought the price was about $50.00, but something has changed. I believe that people who owned the book decided to sell it so the price has come down.
It is now available for $12.89 up to $40.00. Being a used book at Salvation Army and yesterday being a half price day, I didn't have to pay that.
This book is new(looking), clean and unmarked. That makes me wonder what kind of child had the book if they didn't even fold a page or mark it with a crayon.
Yesterday was a hugely successful day.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

rain

Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Wow! We got a heavy rain today and it has cooled off until one would think this is a nice place to live. Now that it is too late I wonder why I didn't move to some other place years ago. OK, so I am trying to live on an Oklahoma retired teacher's pension and this red neck, dirt pore state fits. But-- other than that, I mean.
It is only 17 days until Carol and I board the plane for Sydney and I have made almost no plans. I do plan on being on the plane and enjoying the ride, along with 400 of my closest friends. Unfortunately, the flight is only 14 hours long and that is hardly time to get to know the strangers who sneaked aboard while the cabin attendants were not looking. 14 glorious hours of wondering how a machine that weighs close to a half million pounds can stay up at 35,000 feet and keep you supplied with air and water. Hey, nothing to worry about, right?
Then, how do I know the pilot didn't skip class the day they studied "landings 101' or "The Art and Care of Landing Gear."  Somehow I think those classes would be important.
It seems to be early in August for us to get cooled off. I can remember having to go to football games with the band in September when it was too hot to breathe. But that was OK. It was football and nothing in the world is as important as football in Oklahoma. Actually, that seems to be true of too many other places now.  I have my theory of that but most people do not want to hear it, they just want to quit thinking and start cheering as cheering is much easier than thinking.
OK, that is too serious.
Let's think about kangaroos and running over them. Kangaroos should be issued a license and not allowed out after dark. I think that would work.
OK, so I don't have anything to say. I think I shall go read a book.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Finally back

Wellsir, yes you are correct. I haven't written in a long time. I sit down here at this typer and nothing comes out. Then I get busy doing nothing or time wasting and the day skips past.
Finally I did something. You may remember I am sorting and shelving books at the big Salvation Army store up the street. My sis-in-law called and told me of the Morris library redoing their holdings. They have moved into a new building so they are getting rid of 10,000 books. You are right! I didn't believe it either but it turned out to be true.
My 12 year old (and mom & two siblings) were coming over on Thursday. I made arrangements to go down and pick up a load of books that afternoon. I completely overloaded my pickup but we made it fine. I unloaded the books at the Salvation Army Friday morn and returned for another load. I did not overload this time and left ten boxes to get later.
It has been extremely hot here ever since June, in fact, June may have been the hottest on record. So, I parked the truck in the drive way and was going to wait until this morning to unload as that is when there are helpers at the Salvation Army store.  It was 107F here today and i had about enough working in the extreme heat.
So I woke up about 3:30 A M and wondered why. I lay there for a long time and way off I heard thunder. "Right," I said, "I remembered to water the two trees in the front yard and then it rains."  Then it rained -- hard-- then H A R D!  A good ol' fashioned toad floater rain.
By the time the third or fourth drop had hit I remembered the books. I rushed out to the garage and got a tarp but I couldn't get it to do properly as the wind was also blowing and I couldn't see because of the dark, the rain and the rain on my glasses. I got soaked.
Then I moved the little car out of the garage and backed the pickup into the garage. There is barely, and I mean "barely" enough room for the pickup in the garage.  I checked the books later and there is some damage but not as bad as I first thought. Grandson and I loaded two different days when it was over 100 F in the big building where the books were and then to have one of those loads ruined by the extremes of Oklahoma weather was a blow.
There is a large dumpster at Salvation Army so I shall dispose of the ruined books there.
One interesting book I saw was "Look Out, Hitler. Here Comes the Gremlins." It was published in 1943 and, I know you won't believe this, but it may have been a book aimed at brain washing children. Hard to believe the U S would do that, I know, but it may have been.  I shall read it with interest after it dries out.
Then the other "good" news is that one bee hive  got completely wiped out. Somehow wax moths got in there and the robber bees stole all the honey. Not being able to see through wood and look inside, I didn't know this was going on so by the time I discovered it, it was too late. I will replace that hive next spring. With any luck I may be able to catch a swarm from somewhere and will have a hive that way. Then MAYBE it won't be hard to keep that hive going. I am hoping that within the next 50 years I can learn to do this bee stuff.