Remembrance Day

I love books. I’m also a wannabe calligrapher. Recently, I ordered the book “Foundations of Calligraphy” by Sheila Waters (from John Neal Bookseller). That book arrived on November 10, and I opened it at random, only to be instantly reminded of my dear online friend, Beth. Beth is a bibliophile, and is selling off her collection to pay for medical expenses. To lose one’s beloved books hurts; I know it does.

So what reminded me of her? - nay, brought me to tears, is more like it. It was a quote from John Conrad, beautifully lettered by the author, Ms. Waters: “Of all the inanimate objects, of all men’s creations, books are the nearest to us, for they contain our very thoughts, our ambitions, our indignations, our illusions, our fidelity to truth, and our persistent leaning towards error. But most of all they resemble us in their precarious hold on life.”

I just don’t know what to say after that.

Maybe I do. It’s the end of Remembrance Day as I type; a day to remember all the people, usually young, who have died for our freedom. Or because of the stupidity of military leaders. So I’ll close for today, and I’ll think for a few minutes now about how the last army to conquer Afghanistan was commanded by Alexander the Great. For over two thousand years since, nobody has been able to defeat the Afghans. I don't see anyone succeeding in the foreseeable future, either.

Of Bicycles and Cats

Having bought and transported home by bicycle (on separate occasions) a tent that will comfortably sleep five, and a four-foot ladder, I found today that a new propane stove was in order. Of course, it came home on the bicycle. In terms of attaching things to a bicycle, it was like shooting fish in a barrel.




In light of my use of a bicycle for transport, I ask you, gentle reader, to comment with the strangest thing you have seen being transported on a bicycle. No, your little sister/brother doesn’t count. I will start the bidding, as it were, with having seen a cyclist pulling another bicycle; he had the front wheel strapped to an Xtracycle (a kind of frame extension/funky pannier), but it would have been little trouble to do the same trick with a regular bicycle. Or would it? Hmmm. Perhaps I’ll have to try it some time.

Meanwhile, it’s a cat’s life at our house. Our Siamese helped clean Youngest Son’s room by preventing any books from falling behind the bed.


I see a LOLCats caption for this photo: “Now that I’ve finally finished reading these books, I need a nap.”