• Home
  • About me
  • Triggershorse demystified

triggershorse

~ Random musings of a thoroughly lived life

triggershorse

Tag Archives: books

So many books, so little time!

03 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by momfawn in books, Family

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American Girl Magazine, Artful Blogging, Barnes & Noble San Luis Obispo, books, Glitter and Glue, Highlights for Children, How to be a Heroine, San Luis Obispo, The Aviator's Wife

I went a little crazy yesterday at the San Luis Obispo Barnes & Noble bookstore.  I really wasn’t ready to leave the Central Coast and return to Visalia, and I really wanted a bookstore “fix”, so I made a detour.  My intention was to buy a magazine and soak up some atmosphere, but I was captured by my surroundings. Every bookstore has its own personality; the Fresno Barnes & Noble seems cold and a bit pretentious, but SLO’s is as warm and welcome as the town itself.

I found my magazine right away:  the latest issue of Artful Blogging:  Visually Inspiring Online Journals.  If you love blogging, beautiful things, and/or journaling, treat yourself to this quarterly by the good folks at Stampington.  It is pure eye candy!  Then the American Girl Magazine called to me for Lily, and Highlights for Children was right next to it on the shelf for Olivia. (Not only do I feed my own habit, but theirs, too.)

I spent quite a bit of time in the children’s book section, as Lily has been wanting a particular book that the library doesn’t have, but as I couldn’t remember the title I just kept scanning the shelves, hoping it would jump out at me.  No dice.  And I decided against picture books for St. Patrick’s Day…we have bunches already and these weren’t particularly wonderful.

On the way out (right?) I picked up The Aviator’s Wife (about Ann and Charles Lindbergh), How to be a Heroine, or, What I’ve Learned from Reading Too Much, and then Glitter and Glue, a memoir.  They were “Buy 2, Get the 3rd Free”.  It was a moral imperative!

I generally refuse a bag when buying books, but the clerk was fast and the bag was marvelous!  San Luis Obispo County has banned single-use plastic bags; the front of this heavy paper shopping bag has the beginning paragraphs of Tom Sawyer, and on the reverse is Moby Dick.

My wonderful bag of books from Barnes & Noble.

My wonderful bag of books from Barnes & Noble.

When I got home I discovered that Lily’s Scholastic Books order had arrived, and she and I are now the proud owners of four volumes of The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.  I have had volume two for ages, but didn’t want to read it before The Lost Hero.

I think I’ll settle onto the couch with a cup of tea and read for awhile.  Care to join me?

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Time to read/write

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by momfawn in Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

books, Louisa May Alcott, reading, writing

There’s no time to write tonight, simply time to read.  So the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge continues.  I’ll catch up with other things tomorrow.

Sweet dreams, my friends.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge

03 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by momfawn in Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

books, Louisa May Alcott, Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge

Thanks to Tarissa at In the Bookcase, I will be taking on the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge this month.  As a little teaser, here is part of my Alcott collection.

Early editions of Louisa's books.

Early editions of Louisa’s books.

Some later discoveries -- written under a pseudonym.

Some later discoveries — written under a pseudonym.

Tomorrow I’ll decide which ones to re-read for this month’s challenge, and why.  If you would like to join me, head on over to In the Bookcase for more information.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

K is for “know”

13 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by momfawn in A-Z Challenge, Family, NaBloPoMo for April 2015

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

A-Z Challenge, books, family, friendship, imagination

Dictionary.com defines “know” as “to perceive or understand as fact or truth”.

Here are a few of the things I know today:

I know I will always have more books than bookcases, and still be wanting more of each.

I know that people are more important than things, and family is most important of all.

I know that the best kind of tired is the tired you earn through satisfying work.

I know that money isn’t everything, but it certainly can smooth life’s path.

I know that love worth having comes without strings attached.

I know that creativity requires a certain amount of messiness (at least, for me it does).

I know that a child’s imagination is her best toy.

I know that good friends help keep me young at heart.

I know that Trigger’s Horse has given me several wonderful imaginary friends, and I am grateful.

I know the best is yet to come.

What do you know today?

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Goodnight

07 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by momfawn in Family, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

books, family, goodness, granddaughters, happiness, papercrafting

Today has been full of goodness. Full of papercrafting, full of granddaughters, full of good books, full of happiness. Sweet dreams, everyone, and may your days be full, as well.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Grief unexpected

30 Friday May 2014

Posted by momfawn in Family, NaBloPoMo for May, Uncategorized

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

books, church yard sale, decluttering, grief, Mom, storage

I was doing really well this morning, having gone to my storage place bright and early while it was still cool. My “letting go of books” mood of yesterday had carried over, and I found myself purging English lit texts that I had planned to keep for ever. I was on a roll…boxes and boxes of classic novels and cheap thrill reads were headed to the yard sale pile.

Then I opened an unlabeled box that looked like it was going to be books, but was actually random papers, photos, and scribbles from Mom. I should have just put the lid back on and dealt with it later, but like a moth to a flame I was drawn to a journal I had given her. I flipped it open and started to read, only to be hit with such an incredible wave of grief that it literally knocked me to my knees sobbing. I quite often get teary-eyed reading little notes I find tucked into books or dresser drawers, but they are usually happy tears. This was just flat-out “I want my Mama” wailing, of the sort that I thought I had gotten past, five years later.

Of course, sitting and sobbing wasn’t getting the job done, so eventually I shook myself off, wiped my face, and dug into another box. And I’m happy to report that between the book boxes and the little dressing table that used to be in Georgia’s room, I freed up quite a bit of space in my storage room. Which is a good thing, because the Chinese lacquer chest no longer fits her decorating scheme, so into storage it must go.

Here we are having our typically good time hanging out together with our doll-playing friends.

A happy moment at our doll club birthday party.

A happy moment at our doll club birthday party.

All dressed up for a Victorian garden party.

All dressed up for a Victorian garden party.

Up until today I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough stuff for a good sale, but all afternoon parishioners showed up with stuff and more stuff. I’m relaxed now, and sure that we will have a successful day. Drop by and see us if you are in the neighborhood!

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Day #21: U is for Unusual

24 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by momfawn in A-Z Challenge

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

A-Z Challenge, books, elephants, family, giraffes, tree frogs

Merriam-Webster Online defines “unusual” as “Not normal or usual; different or strange in a way that attracts attention”.

I am thinking tonight about unusual things, and a list is forming in my mind. Here are a few of my favorite unusual things:

1) Elephants and giraffes. Long trunks and big ears, long necks and small ears; exotically unusual.
2) Tree frogs. Tiny critters with voices way too big for their bodies.
3) Antique books. In this day of mass production, hand-bound, leather-clad books are miraculously unusual.
4) Lily and Olivia. Incredibly smart and lovely, each in her own unusual way.
5) Chance, our furry family member. He is amazingly loyal, placid, and comfortable in his own fur.
6) Our family. Outstandingly drama-free, loving, caring…generation after generation of care and consideration that shouldn’t be unusual, but seems to be today.

I was shooting for 10 things, but my brain has stopped. So six is enough. Goodnight.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Day #14: N is for Numerous

16 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by momfawn in A-Z Challenge, Family

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

A-Z Challenge, books, doll collecting, dolls, family stories, friends, frogs, petticoats, teapots, unicorns, vintage lingerie

Dictionary.com defines “numerous” as “very many; being or existing in great quantity”. Or as my young granddaughter would say, “lots and lots!”

Some fortunate (or possibly boring) people are very focused in their interests and only concentrate on one or two interests or activities. Then there are those of us whose interests are so scattered that “numerous” barely describes the breadth of our activities. I, of course, fall into that latter group.

I am a collector. I happily collect dolls (old, new, expensive, or affordable), and have done so since I was a small girl. My mother, grandmother, aunts, and sister are/were doll collectors, too. I have dolls from my childhood and one very special one that was my mother’s last childhood doll, as well as my daughter’s dolls that haven’t yet been given to her daughters. And I have numerous friends in two doll collecting clubs that add to the joy in my life.

I collect books. Or perhaps they collect me. They surround me with little islands of pleasure and story, carry me away to exotic places, or help me discover hidden treasures. There are books in book cases throughout the house, books stacked under my bed, books on my computer desk, books in my car. And in my rented storage space there are book cases overflowing with books, and boxes and boxes and boxes. I’m working at thinning them out, but it is a slow and torturous process.

I collect frogs…stuffed ones, pewter ones, porcelain ones, magical ones. Also a unicorn or a dragon or two (or perhaps three).

I collect vintage clothing, especially lingerie. Until my last go-round searching for cartons, cases, and hatboxes spread across my storage unit over my past two moves C is for Challenging, I had no idea how many wonderful lacy petticoats, split drawers, and chemises I actually own. The practical voice in my head says I need to cull my collection; the secret hoarder inside says, “No way!”

I collect family stories. They end up in my blog, in my photo albums, told to my children and grandchildren. Family stories connect the generations with each other and with our shared history.

I collect teapots and tea paraphernalia. Once upon a time I dreamed of having a tea room with my mother, and we started gathering teapots, English bone china cups and saucers, and other tea accessories. I’m not sure where that dream is right now.

But most satisfying of all, I collect friends and family. I am so blessed to have dear friends who have become family, and family who are dear friends. I appreciate the bloggers who visit and comment and the friendships we are forming as we share our writing. If what I have heard is true, and friends are the gifts we give ourselves, I have been a very generous giver!

Is there something especially numerous in your life? Comment and share in the fun!

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

My little corner of the world

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by momfawn in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

books, NaBloPoMo, writing space

Today was pretty hectic, as I was on the Central Coast for my doll club meeting, and made the 3-hour drive back to Visalia this afternoon.  While I thought and thought as I drove home about what I would post tonight, nothing really “jelled” for me.

So I’m going to go with today’s NaBloPoMo prompt, and share my little corner of the writing world…

When I moved in with my daughter last year, I gave up my huge corner computer desk because it took up WAY too much room.  It was filled with nooks and crannies, all of them jam-packed with papers, photographs, and memorabilia.  If I had brought it into my new bedroom, there would not have been room for my bed!  For the past year my computer has been sitting on a “temporary” 4′ folding table in my bedroom, surrounded by even more heaps and piles of papers, photographs, and memorabilia.  (I keep thinking I will either find a smaller desk for it, or switch from my PC to a laptop, and need even less room.)  Beneath the table are stacks and stacks of books that I am either reading, getting ready to read, or needing to share with a friend.

Offering inspiration are cabinets filled with many of my favorite dolls, and walls covered with an eclectic mixture of photos, stitchery, paintings, and sayings.  My favorite is a little framed piece I call the story of my life, that reads, “I put it where I knew I could find it when I needed it.  Now that I need it, I can’t remember where I put it, but I’m sure it will show up when I’m not looking for it, and then it will be in the way.” I inherited this room from my young granddaughters, so the walls are cotton-candy pink accented with random butterflies and flowers.  The boxes of valuable “stuff” to be sorted, given away, or taken to storage are behind me, so they don’t interfere with my concentration or inspiration (until I get up for my next cup of Mango Ceylon tea, at least).

Someday I will have a bigger space, but for now, this one is cozy and right in the heart of the family I love.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

So many books, so little time…

03 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by momfawn in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

biblioholic, books, clutter, collections, retirement

“My name is Fawn, and I’m a biblioholic*”.  As some of you know, I have down-sized my living arrangements twice in the past three years — from a 4-bedroom, 3-car garage house with my spouse to a 2-bedroom, 2-car garage apartment by myself to one bedroom in my daughter’s home.  The key to successfully making these moves has been renting a storage space, and then another (bigger) storage space.  Three-fourths of the boxes in my storage units are either books (read “very heavy”) or china (read “very fragile”).  Three-fourths of the furniture in my storage units is bookcases (full to overflowing).  There are books stacked under my bed, under my computer table, and on my bedroom floor. There are books stacked in my Jeep.  The bookcases in the house are full, too.  You get the picture!

For the past couple of weeks I have been working to consolidate both storage units (on two different properties) into one 10 X 25′ unit.  I keep encountering boxes marked “Fawn’s books from hallway”, “Fawn’s books from bedroom”, “children’s books — keep”, “good cookbooks from kitchen” (there are four boxes of those), “good books — mostly quilting”, and so on.  I have an entire library of books on women’s suffrage and women’s health, from the days of the Tulare County Women’s Wellness Organization & Resource Center.  More recently, books on women in the Bible and spirituality have begun collecting me.  And as my mother once observed, I could “go along way towards eliminating clutter in my life by getting rid of all my books about de-cluttering my life.”

As addictions go, ending my dependence upon alcohol many years ago was much easier than letting go of my books — probably because I knew I had to stop before it killed me.  My books probably won’t kill me…unless a stack of boxes falls on me…but I’m finding that they have become a burden, instead of a joy.  These days when I see a new, intriguing book, my first thought is often “I’d like to have this”, but the thought that immediately follows is “I don’t have room for it”.  And as I continue to simplify and refine my life as a retiree and stay-at-home (grand)mom, I am beginning to realize that I don’t want or need to be bogged down by the mental and physical weight of thousands of books, no matter how wonderful they may be.

So I’ve set myself a new task or two, and am asking my readers to witness my promise.  As soon as I complete my storage consolidation (in the next couple of days, hopefully), I am going to tackle those books one box at a time, ruthlessly purging all but the most precious and passing them on to the local chapter of the American Association of University Women.  They can then sell them to fund scholarships for deserving women, and my books can have happy lives with new families.  If I can cut my collection in half, my load (and my spirits) will be lifted enormously!

Watch this space for progress reports!

*biblioholic:  one possessed by the habitual longing to purchase, read, store, admire, and consume books in excess.  (Check out Tom Raabe’s Biblioholism, The Literary Addiction, Fulcrum Publishing, 1991.)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,627 other followers

  • Home
  • About me
  • Triggershorse demystified

Archives

  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • September 2018
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • May 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • August 2011

Blogroll

  • Discuss
  • Get Inspired
  • Get Polling
  • Get Support
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

Blogs I Follow

  • Heart of a Southern Woman
  • Anxiety and Liz
  • The Littlest Woman: The Life and Legacy of Lizzie Alcott, the Real Beth March
  • Growing the Ball Family
  • Anne Boyd Rioux
  • A World
  • Runaway Nuns and Leprechauns
  • lillian the home poet
  • the journey to six
  • Raising My Rainbow
  • Jennifer Lee Schwartz
  • ~Plucking Of My Heartstrings~
  • LorryJones
  • Laura's Crocheted Gifts
  • That’s So Jacob
  • Lifeline
  • The Dystopian Nation of City-State
  • Kim L Hine
  • Taking it up to Sixty . . . and Beyond
  • Taggle Talk
  • Melanie Ritchie
  • Photo Fun With Fawn
  • Dean Baker's Poetry and Songs
  • Aberrant Crochet (TM)
  • pieces of me
  • Project Prose
  • DotedOn
  • Leonard Durso
  • Beautiful Life with Cancer
  • meredithexpat
  • Susan A. Royal
  • Riley Amos Westbook
  • two worlds.one soul
  • Natural Expat
  • writing in airplanes
  • Book Lover Reviews
  • Storiform.com
  • GIANLUCA'S WORLD
  • The 365 Poetry Project
  • what's poppin'?
  • Inside Out and Wide Open
  • Book Hub, Inc.
  • Dawn 4 Dinosaurs
  • Weeknight Whimsies
  • Words Of A Journey
  • blurbabble
  • 300 stories
  • Leukemia Fire
  • the mint vintage
  • One Rambling Mind
I Voted

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Heart of a Southern Woman

A snapshot of life one blog post at a time.

Anxiety and Liz

Sufferer of anxiety, depression and emetophobia. Romance Author, Mental Health Advocate and Avid Upcycler.

The Littlest Woman: The Life and Legacy of Lizzie Alcott, the Real Beth March

Growing the Ball Family

Please join us on this radical journey of pure obedience!

Anne Boyd Rioux

Author Website

A World

named

Runaway Nuns and Leprechauns

lillian the home poet

rejuvenatement - not retirement

the journey to six

Raising My Rainbow

Adventures in raising a fabulously gender creative son.

Jennifer Lee Schwartz

Publishing My Cancer Research Journey at 16

~Plucking Of My Heartstrings~

Blogging on a variety of things that pluck at the hearts' emotions & more

LorryJones

Motherhood and Lifestyle blog

Laura's Crocheted Gifts

Handmade gifts for every budget

That’s So Jacob

random thoughts 'n things from the life of jacob

Lifeline

Book reviews, writing, and so much more

The Dystopian Nation of City-State

A cruel, futuristic vision created by science fiction authors James Courtney and Kaisy Wilkerson-Mills. ©2013-2016. All Rights Reserved. All writings available through Amazon.

Kim L Hine

She's off on another Tangent (digressing suddenly from one course of action or thought and turning to another) it's a "Kimmy" thing..

Taking it up to Sixty . . . and Beyond

Taggle Talk

A happy, self-indulgent space where I write things for YOU to read! These things I write about include life, travel, first world problems, myself and other people. Sometimes I try to be funny, but mostly I'm not.

Melanie Ritchie

Illustrator, Designer, Scrapbooker

Photo Fun With Fawn

Home of the Unicorns and Rainbows CTMH Team

Dean Baker's Poetry and Songs

A Canadian poet, his poetry & other works

Aberrant Crochet (TM)

For the OffBeat World...

pieces of me

Project Prose

Exploration through writing, photography and art

DotedOn

wishing for a really long and very happy ending

Leonard Durso

"Literature is language charged with meaning." Ezra Pound

Beautiful Life with Cancer

Discovering the Gift

meredithexpat

Susan A. Royal

If you could read my mind

Riley Amos Westbook

A fantasy Author with too much free time on his hands that likes to Support Indie Authors.

two worlds.one soul

my journey through this mysterious world we call home and a world many people do not see or understand

Natural Expat

Living Naturally, Anywhere

writing in airplanes

Poetry © by Daniel von der Embse. Most every poem I write starts out in flight. Some of them land safely. Some of them crash.

Book Lover Reviews

Read. Read. Read. Just don't read one type of book. Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles by R. L. Stine

Storiform.com

“Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that some spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe, one that is vastly superior to that of man.” - Albert Einstein

GIANLUCA'S WORLD

The 365 Poetry Project

what's poppin'?

For those about to read, I salute you !

Inside Out and Wide Open

I write to taste life twice.

Book Hub, Inc.

The Total Book Experience

Dawn 4 Dinosaurs

Middle-age Reconstruction

Weeknight Whimsies

Written by the Wild, Wondrous and Wacky Kat & Jo

Words Of A Journey

From Past to Present the words of a journey will make or break

blurbabble

literature. film. babble. yes.

300 stories

A continuing mission to produce flash fiction stories in 300 words (or less)

Leukemia Fire

A mom's journey with her daughter's Leukemia

the mint vintage

Inspired by a mint colored kitchen.

One Rambling Mind

Sometimes lunatic, other times confused, always rambling. Names are changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • triggershorse
    • Join 1,627 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • triggershorse
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: