Listening to a podcast today (Popstuff from How Stuff Works) the podcaster referred to herself as “super-literate” because she owned 800 books. I thought it was funny and mentioned it to a coworker, who agreed with the podcaster.
That surprised me. I have 200 books in this room alone, and it’s a tiny fraction of my library. I haven’t counted them, but I easily have over 2,000 books. That’s even after I got rid of 1,000+ books when I moved out here from Las Vegas several years ago.
My coworker teased me about bragging, but I don’t see it that way, I just love books.
I pick up books everywhere I go. I buy them on vacation. I get them at thrift stores. I haunt used bookstores. I pick up strays and they have little paperbacks. I get them for Christmas and Birthday presents.
I don’t shop at malls that don’t have a bookstore, what would be the point? I buy used library books. As for Amazon, we’re best friends. There are even a few e-books on my Nook tablet, though not many since I prefer the real thing.
I will always have more books than I have time to read, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? To make sure I never run out of something new to read.
Tonight I took the dogs on a walk. All three of them walk on one leash, with a splitter joining them together. Across the street I saw a woman walking with her two kids. The daughter pointed to my dogs and said “Look, that lady has three dogs. How can one lady take care of three dogs?”
Really? Three dogs is a lot? At one time I had five dogs, a pack of cats, two or three birds and a rabbit. That was too many. But three dogs is just right.
I can play with one while the other two play together. I have one dog to warm my feet, one for my knees and one for my chest. That’s an important consideration when you sleep in a room that hovers just above freezing. It means one for my lap and one for each arm.
Mostly, it means I get to have Harley and Scooter and Pixie. I can’t imagine life without all three.
After our walk I checked the mail and found the two new bumper stickers I ordered last week (from Amazon, of course.) As I performed a Tinkectomy to remove one that was peeling, I thought about an article I read about deal breakers. You know, those habits or quirks a potential mate might have that you just couldn’t live with. The author mentioned that if a girl had a bumper sticker on her car, that would be a deal breaker for him. It would be a sign of immaturity or exhibitionism.
One bumper sticker? I have half a dozen Tink stickers and a couple Rat Terrier stickers in my windows and on the bumper. According to his logic, I’m very immature (not really in doubt, is it) or I’m ready to go on tour. Either way, I’m fine with that. I enjoy my Tink Terra, even if I do wish it were a MuppeTerra instead.
I don’t like to blend in and I don’t care much about what other people think. If I have too many books, dogs or bumper stickers for the rest of the world, that’s ok with me. I like things the way they are. Except, there are some books I have been meaning to order and there is at least one more Tink sticker on the way. As for dogs, I’m good. For now.
P.S. Don’t even get me started on craft supplies.
You are perfect just as you are!!