Bake those hoe cakes brown

[gurdonark]

My wife got off work early yesterday to go to Texarkana to pick up my sister's eight year old daughter. We have our fun niece with us this weekend. We're going to go paint ceramics, and then go swimming at the natatorium.

Our local Half Priced Books used books chain bought a lot of the Penguin paperback book archives. I stopped by their flagship store, where these wonderful novels from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s were on sale for as little as three dollars each. They were wonderful! I bought a lot, as well as two dulcimer books, and "positively fourth street", which I read over Persian food.

The new dulcimer plays very sweetly. I have "Boil them Cabbage Down" just about learned, while "Amazing Grace" still needs a bit of work. My niece and I played my autoharp (I did the buttons, she did the strings) on a rousing "Amazing Grace" and "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" medley this morning.

We picked up iced latte for my wife, who was sleeping in a bit. Then my Ford buyer showed up and loaded the old Crown Victoria onto a car trailer for its long trip to Trinity, Texas. He even had one official transfer form I lacked, and was really a class act.

I'm off to paint now.

Comments

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

Sounds like she has the *fun uncle* this week!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

We've both had fun!

[bardcat.livejournal.com]

Sounds like another good weekend for you and yours. I hear you playing Amazing Grace and experience grace through your life and writings!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

That's kind of you. It has been a good weekend so far, and it's only part way done.

[dabroots.livejournal.com]

I read something a few days ago about Half-Price's purchase of all those old Penguin paperbacks. You'll note that they use British spellings, and that's because they were purchased from Penguin UK.

They bought over 100,000 books.

For an article about this interesting (interesting to me, at least, as a former Penguin USA employee) purchase and selling extravaganza of dusty paperbacks from the UK, see http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040817/to247_1.html

[kelquestor.livejournal.com]

Is it anti-American of me to say hooray for British spellings?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Good Heavens, no! We love brit spellings, too :)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

The local papers suggested that in the UK some uproar took place on the books being sold abroad, but I have not seen a UK paper to confirm any such questioning.

The ones on sale in Dallas rather than through the website were "less" collectible, but very fun. Lots of obscure novels by literary lights, lots of quality novels by now-obscure worthies, and some marvellous "Pelican" non-fiction, including quite quaint and appealing "psychoanalytic" self-help books from the 40s.

[starling321.livejournal.com]

I hope William's aunt and/or uncle end up as cool as you.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

What a sweet thing to say. Thanks!

[asphalteden.livejournal.com]

I have been reading a series of Penguin paperbacks recently. Have you ever heard of the Sharpe series? Bernard Cornwell's Napoleonic war-stories. Very entertaining stuff, and fast, fast reads.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

No, but I should see if they have them.

[mesawyou.livejournal.com]

hoe cakes? cakes for hoes?? Cakes made of hoes? ???

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

No, a hoe cake. They're quite tasty.