Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Planets in Alignment Much?






The two pictures do relate, though it's probably a bit hard to see how without footnotes.

Several things happened today a couple by chance, one by arrangement. I had offered HPs large book collection,his personal books, not the research related ones which went to various students and scholars, but his own collection of history, archaeology, astronomy, Egyptology, science fiction, wide range, to the local public library. The idea is that they can add any they want to their permanent collection, and put the rest in the booksale. Dear Carol Q understood this was a big deal for me, to do this, and agreed to come asap, and just do it in one trip, bringing a helper to make sure nobody's back lived to regret it.

So she offered me today, which I was fine with. That was the arranged part.

The nonarranged parts are that I realized that today's my mom's birthday, she long gone, but very bright in my memory. Then, after the books had gone, I had a sudden need for sleep and cake! figuring cake had a priority, I pulled out a recipe book with a great coffee cake recipe in it. Then I realized it was HPs favorite book, the one he taught himself to cook from.

And when I set out my eagerly awaited helping, it ended up next to some pix of HP I'm in the process of sending to Bre, the ever reliable student, much loved by HP, who came by a couple of hours a week to let me get out on my own for a little while.

I've given pictures of HP to various special people who were with us all along, and who really like to have images of HP before his long illness, the person he was before then, cooking and reading the paper and sitting with his animals, and giving his dog a treat, the sort of thing that tells you a lot about a person that the usual grinning into the camera doesn't convey so well.

It just seemed today that everything was full of echoes and reminders, not all sad, though, just such a lot of significant stuff that blended into one day.

I have plans for the space in the bookcases, thought that would be wise, to get past the emptiness.

So that was today. Yesterday was all about forward movement, plans for art, plans for music playing, plans for joining the embroiderers' company.

Then today was about dealing with the present and letting it happen. Chop wood, carry water.

4 comments:

  1. That coffee cake looks good - any chance you'd share the recipe? Although it's somewhat of a wrench to have the books go to another home there is also a bright side - now you have room for YOUR books and treasures and perhaps some of your art could grace those shelves. Try to think of the possibilities.

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  2. Good to know that precious books are going to good homes and to be able to deal with their departure without too much stress - on your back or your mind.

    Cake for your Mum's birthday sounds like a very good idea and it looks very nice too.

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  3. It is strangely poignant how dates, events and plans run all together to create a moment in time that is singularly engaging. This post has me thinking about my past, future and present. I'll never think of coffee cake the same.

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  4. Sounds like today was a day for forward movement too - just not as recognizable.

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