Thursday, July 31, 2008

A New Home for My Books - 7/31/08



I recently got rid of a lot of extraneous furniture that was clogging my space and stifling my energy.  Two of those pieces of furniture were my bookcases.  I packed the books up in plastic bins and plastic shopping bags and had them stashed in several rooms.  On Sunday I went shopping for new bookcases (I had two, but really needed 3) and I happened upon a sale.  Since I purchased one of the floor models, I got 25% off.  My new bookcases are solid oak, have closed cabinet doors on the bottoms of each unit and the whole system measures 96” wide by 84” high.  I should have plenty of space for all of my books now.  I should even have room to grow; and God knows I’m not about to stop buying books!  I’m looking forward to having the books all in one place instead of stashed all over the house.


I will really attempt to keep my collection down to what can fit in the new book home and regularly donate books.  I think it was in the early summer of 2007 that I donated a ton of books to the patient library at NIH.  That felt really good to know that they might bring pleasure to someone undergoing chemo or some other serious medical interventions.  It also serves the family of the patients.  Anyone who has spent time in hospitals with family knows how long the days can be waiting for surgery to be over, or the chemo, or the MRI or PET scans, or just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

107 comments:

  1. Gee what went wrong when you had me. I guess you shouldn't have dropped me on the head.. maybe then i'd read more books haha.

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  2. Wow..an awesome storage device.

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  3. Ooooo, these are very nice!! Where are you putting them?

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  4. Sharon, they're in the sun room. I got rid of the big sofa in there but still have the love seat and two arm chairs.

    Thanks Cor, I'm glad you like them.

    Dave, I guess you got your Dad's reading gene instead of mine. I pity you LOL.

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  5. They are beautiful. Thank you for a good idea for what I can do with the books I am culling out of my collection.

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  6. Jen, I had to sell all the books to afford the bookcases LOL. (No not really, I just hadn't started loading them back in when I took this picture yesterday.)

    Bennett, thanks and libraries sometimes take books too. Some they keep and some they sell to raise money.

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  7. I gotta know.. what's the point of a bookshelf.. Why keep a book after you have read it? It just don't make any sense to me.

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  8. CJ, did you drop that boy on his head?

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  9. Now if it's a reference book and it's IT related then that makes sense to keep it.. But if it's just a overglorified story book.. that's another story.

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  10. Bennett, I did not drop him on his head, but perhaps I should have. Dropped his sister and she's a reader. (And no I didn't drop her on purpose.) LOL

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  11. Yes I must have been.. The aliens left me behind.

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  12. Oh, humor is so good for me today. : )

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  13. God I wished I lived closer to you now for selfish reasons. but in my house. i just moved into a huge house and dont have enough furnitures. it looks so bare. im an avid reader also BUT like Dave I see no need in keeping them after they are read. So I can see both sides.

    BTW I dropped my daughter and she reads alot too. didnt drop son--so/so reader. maybe we are onto something here.

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  14. She's lying.. she dropped me she just doesn't remember ;-) hehe

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  15. maybe she dropped you twice and the second one undid the first one!!

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  16. Dave, the aliens called. They want their anal probe back.

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  17. We have absconded with Cheryl's blog.

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  18. Jen why are you obsessed with anal probes?

    Dave, your Mother doesn't lie.

    Patti, I like that "dropped twice and the second one undid the first one" LOL.

    Bennett its ok, I wasn't using the blog today anyway.

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  19. There is no such thing as too many bookshelves! Or, if there are, I guess I have them - eeek!

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  20. There is also no such thing as too many books, too many kisses, or too many cats. Well, in *practice* there might be, but in theory, no. Why one keeps good books? For reading again, for lending friends, for the beautiful pictures, for reference... there must be other reasons, too. Poor Dave! Cheryl, perhaps you need to drop him again? My son was dropped and he reads lots... definitely a theory in theory in the making

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  21. Wait...I know a reason why you should keep your books, Dave! What if one day there is a big snow storm and you run out of toilet paper? Sears isn't putting out their catalog anymore, so you have to have a back-up plan. Books!

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  22. Jessa, the next time I see that boy I will definitely drop him on his head. I agree with you on the books too. I think maybe in practice you can have too many cats, especially if you live in a small space.

    Jen, what a terrible idea! Use newspapers for that first.

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  23. I agree with your Mom, Jenny. Newspapers would be much more effective, and if you have any left over, you can always shine the mirror in the bathroom!

    I don't keep all the books I've read. It's great to remember the story, or the subject, just by looking at the spine of the book.But, I have found that some books i keep for a long time and I swear I'll never part with and then, all of a sudden, I just have to give them away.

    Someone once told me me you don't ever own anything, you just take care of it for awhile, so I may as well pass along enjoyment to someone else.

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  24. Hey, I *like* to read. I was just offering Dave a reason why *he* might keep a book, since reading it isn't his cup of tea.

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  25. I know he owns at least one. I gave it to him years ago.. I think he's still "reading" it.

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  26. I have some technical manuals and reference books... THat's it for the most part. And good idea Jenny on the reason to keep books. I've almost been in that situation before. Now I understand why everytime a snow storm is coming through the grocery store is crowded.

    Sharon... yep.. Still working on that one hehe

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  27. I am a book junkie! I donate my books to worldbooks.com and they sell them to help other's learn to read...great cause.

    The bookcases are beautiful!

    HUGS

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  28. That is a good cause! Thanks Jen.

    Jennifer & David stop the potty talk on my blog LOL.

    Sharon, I have a book of your's still too.

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  29. This is quite the conversation for a lovely little blog about bookshelves.

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  30. I think the bookshelves look great..your kids obviously don't have enough to do than comment on mom's blog and you need some color on the walls...I think that's it from this peanut gallery!

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  31. Feel free to pass that book along to someone whom you feel may enjoy it, or donate it away. If your not comfy with that, I'll come by and pick it up. I'd love to see what you have on YOUR shelves!!

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  32. D, are you going to come out here and paint for me????

    Bennett, I haven't seen this much action in ages (no pun intended here).

    Sharon, I still haven't finished that book either :-).

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  33. That's beautiful! It's a wonder you had time to do it with all the fol-de-rol going on in here. Your place sure is fun. : )

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  34. Bennett isn't that the truth! I'm glad everyone had so much fun with it though.

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  35. Okay I must admit that it does look good.. and symetrical as well ;-)

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  36. That one book on the left is a little crooked. Can you fix it please? :-)

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  37. OH yeah.. Can't believe I didn't notice that.. Really mom? Come on... ;-)

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  38. Jen G & Dave, don't you know that the imperfections are placed there on purpose?

    Thank you Jen S.

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  39. Don't worry Dave, I'll fix it on Friday. lol

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  40. Thank goodness ... Cause it's just horrible ;-) It offends my sensibilities

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  41. I think I need to post something else. You all are having way too much fun with my bookcases.

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  42. Good idea. Let's make this the longest running comments on your blog from 7/31. There is no need to talk about anything new because this one shall sustain your blogness till the end of time.. All hail the book cases!

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  43. Well, it's not like we have anything better to do than post comments on your blog. :-)

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  44. To the bookends! (raise your glasses, everyone!)

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  45. We're toasting, Dave, not throwing the glasses on the floor. We're not Greek.

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  46. This cannot sustain my blogness forever. I feel a need to make you all cry again.

    Jen if we were Greek, I'd be Ya Ya and not Gran.

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  47. Sorry i was running my finger along the rim again.. I love doing that to crystal ;-)

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  48. Dave...all I am going to say right now is that you just conjured up a really, really, horrible image in my mind.

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  49. And Mom, considering you were Grouper up until not too long ago, what does *that* make us????

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  50. lol....62 comments...(now 63!)...can we get to 100? :-D

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  51. We may have to do it all on our own.

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  52. Sorry, I just can't get that image of Crystal out of my mind now. Darn you, Dave!

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  53. Maybe your new daughter, Sharon can help us bump up the numbers. lol...I've always wanted an older sister. Being the eldest sucks!

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  54. I'd ask what it is about crystal that you find so disturbing Jenny, but I'm not sure I want to know.

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  55. I get the joke! And I certainly will help with the ongoing blogness!!

    Yes, I am the oldest now, aren't I? Yay.. that's a new one for me!

    ewww... crystal.....

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  56. I know, right? Can you believe he'd even say such a thing on his mother's blog????? lol

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  57. He's not the brightest alien in the box sometimes, but we all still love him.

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  58. Now be fair ladies. He's not the one that brought that subject here. Jenny made something out of a simple remark to generate controversy in my blogness. LOL

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  59. That's part of his evil plan...for you to think that was just a simple remark!!!

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  60. MuHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! And your little dog toto too!

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  61. Crystal AND Toto??? That's just sick!!!

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  62. Spare us all and dont post it here. Notice the capitalization in one of the references to crystal? theres a himt Mom.

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  63. Yes I noticed Patti. They explained the Crystal part I asked not to have the other reference explained. I prefer my naivety.

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  64. I prefer my naivety too. I have no clue what you are talking about. But it's nice to hang out here. Are these your children, Cheryl?

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  65. Some of us are her children, Bennett, and some of us were found in the woods one summer's evening during a walk and were brought home and shaved to live amongst the family. I'm not naming any names. :-D

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  66. Bennett, two of them are (eight6753oh9 and docdaviderickson) well 3 if you count sharons7th who asked me to adopt her today.

    Apparently eight6753oh9 always wanted to be an only child.

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  67. Darn it, I *was* an only child! If only we hadn't gone walking in the woods that day....

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  68. I tried requesting my brother be sent back from whence he came. This strategy should only be used by the very young and very cute. It failed. So I bit him. That failed too.

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  69. This is like the blog that won't die isn't it?

    OK Bennett you can be adopted too. You can be the baby.

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  70. As I recall Jen bit Dave too, but to her credit he bit first and I told her to bite back. He never bit again.

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  71. How many kids you want Cheryl? **hint..hint***

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  72. Frank Jr. bit Sean one time. When asked why he would do such a thing, he told me Satan had told him to do it. When I asked why Satan would want him to bite his brother on the butt, he said, "he wanted to test it's strength!" Riiiiiiiiiight.......

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  73. Damn, I missed a good day having a bit of fun with you all here! I do love the new home for the books, you can never have enough books!!

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  74. Hi Nym! Yes a great deal of fun was had by all here.

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  75. Wooo hooo, we can't quit now, we only have a few choice comments before we reach 100. Rally the troops!! Let the innuendo and ribbing resume!!

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  76. Sharon, keep your ribs out of my innuendo, please!

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  77. You keep your innuendo out of my ribs!! Don't you cross that line...stop looking at me... She's LOOKING at me!!

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  78. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

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  79. This is #99. One more and we can close this silly blog out.

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  80. We made it this far, why stop now? :-D

    I am posting a comment from Megan's computer, btw, with its newly installed operating system sans annoying pop-up errors. WOOHOO!!!

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  81. Mine was supposed to be the last comment.

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  82. Bennett, want me to delete Jen's comment? I'll do it!

    Congrats on fixing the computer on your own Jen.

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  83. Well, her comment still isn't the last one if you delete mine - now yours is!

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  84. Now mine is. (I have the feeling though we may be trying our dear mother's patience. I used to get that feeling as a child and I was unerringly right.)

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  85. Hey, I rallied the troops!! Can't I be last on the list?

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  86. I'm the first-born real child...it's my job to try her patience! :-D

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