April 16: Spring Sprucing

 

The yards are freshly mown and looking rather nice.  The front porch furniture has been fully wiped down and the floors blown free of debris.  I washed and hung the heavy winter quilt on the line to dry and air.  I dusted the living room and fluffed a few areas that had been bothering me, and I culled books from two shelves.  

I pulled a total of 18 books.  Of the 18 I pulled not one of them has ever been read!  Of the 18, I deemed one as a duplicate, one as an absolute keeper and 16 I am very much reluctant to give up.  But I feel I am also compelled to then start reading my way through that stack of 16 and determining if indeed, I truly do want to keep them or let them go.  And remember, that is just two shelves.   I have 11 more to work my way through!

Here's my current plan.  I shall remove all the books I've never read from all the shelves and then I shall make one shelf the home of all those unread books.  This will free space for those books I've read and loved and planned to read again and again.  And the rest will be added back or removed entirely as I read through them.  

I confess that books are treasure as far as I am concerned and generally indicate some interest I meant to pursue (even if they are fictional), but I do lose interest in certain subjects or sometimes find books not to my liking or {gasp}not as pertinent to the subject matter as I thought them at the time of purchase.  And that's another thing, the costs.  The truth is, if I've spent money on a book, I'm far more prone to hang on to them because to admit I dislike it is akin to waste in my opinion.  And yet, I do find at times that I simply loathe a book.  I took in a new book to the library the other day and asked if they'd like to add it to their shelves.  They did take it and thanked me.  But yes, I paid full price for that one and I tried and tried to find something to like in it but didn't.

There are books I think I ought to read, I ought to like, so I hang on to them because one day I mean to improve my mind.  And sentimental books that someone gave me, or I read when I was much younger and now am reluctant to set them aside...those books are on the shelf as well.

However, I confess, I am weary of bookcases that are overpacked and books I want to read but can't find and of never having a single inch where something other than a book might rest on a shelf.  The solution is twofold.  I must buy more bookcases, and I must have fewer books!

After lunch today, I asked John to ride with me to mail off my bills and I bribed him with ice cream.  He asked if I'd drive, which is something he seldom will allow me to do.  I told him I would.  We dropped mail in town and then we drove over to Dairy Queen in the next town.  I splurged and had a strawberry shake.  I ordered a small one, but it was still larger than I expected.  John wanted a cone.  It seemed a perfect treat though on a warm sunny spring day with all the lovely blooms, green leaves and blue skies about us.  I'm glad we indulged in that little treat.  

I spent a few minutes this morning planning our Easter Day dinner.  No one but us to share it but why not make it a special meal since it is a holiday?  I do not have our holiday breakfast items but I don't know that I want to purchase them this time.  It's not the calories but I find myself more and more reluctant to shop between grocery trips.  It's a discipline I'm currently handling very well, and I don't want to 'break' it.  Inevitably going in will mean I spend money on other things.

It's time to put supper on to heat.  I have all these meals cooked but I don't want any of them.  No, I am just longing for a hot dog so we shall be eating our beef hot dogs this evening and the other entrees on hand will become lunch or supper for the coming days or I'll pop the into the freezer for future meals.

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