Black Friday, Black Cats, and the Weekly Photo Challenge: Magic

It’s Black Friday, the big sale day after Thanksgiving here in the US — the day for dedicated downsizers to remember NOT to shop.

That said, I still like to go antiquing. It’s more like time travel than shopping. I get to see things like my parents and grandparents had when I was growing up. There’s an almost-magical aura of presence about vintage objects, or maybe it’s a patina, spiritual as well as physical.

And, bonus — whenever I find an antique store with a resident animal, I’m instantly in love. Here’s a little black-cat-magic from a recent stop at Through the Years, in Bedford Iowa.

Black Cat ‘Jack’ at Through the Years Antiques in Bedford Iowa — The only thing better than a store with a cat? — a store with two cats (and a bird!) There must be magic involved, because the cats wander everywhere and the glassware survives.

Some stores have dogs…

Could you resist this face? — (not for sale though) — Board of Trade Consignments in Roswell Georgia

And sleeping dogs still lie, at the Rescued Too shop, in Marietta Georgia.

So, maybe I will go shopping on Black Friday. Not for things — sorry Economy, I won’t be helping you out today… but my companions might — I’ll shop for some magical antique interest, and if I’m lucky, a little bonus cat-and-dog sighting.

What are you shopping for today?

More on the Weekly Photo Challenge: Magic

 

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Aesop’s Fables in Words of One Syllable, and the Weekly Photo Challenge: Tiny

Life is short, and like art, the job of sorting books is long. Still, the words themselves aren’t necessarily long. This little book must have been Bob’s…

The tiny tot on the cover seems dwarfed by a dragonfly.

I’m loving the illustrations… this copy doesn’t have a publication or copyright date, and none of the similar listings on Amazon have the same cover. I think mine is from the early 1900s.

Poor fox — I’m a big fan of grapes and they look pretty good to me too.

The next page worried me — “shadow” — last time I looked that had two syllables. I guess the one-syllable rule doesn’t apply to the titles, which came about long before the syllable simplification of the text. Tortoise (or rather “tor-toise” in the text, like “sha-dow” here, get it?) gets the same word-division in a later story.

Wondering if books in “words of one syllable” were once a thing, I looked around on Amazon. And yes, there’s Pilgrim’s Progress in Words of One Syllable, and Swiss Family Robinson, and Robinson Crusoe. Is it just me, or do these seem a little heavy for early readers? Even The Life of George Washington gets into the one syllable action.  I’m mystified by their Alice in Wonderland though. What will become of the jabberwock? (I might have to break one of my rules and buy a copy)

One more illustration — because it’s a chicken.

The Cock and the Gem… is this really where “pearls before swine” comes from?

Nope – I just looked it up. It’s from the Bible, Matthew 7:6.

I think that, once I finally finish, I’ll miss having books to sort. I may have to hire myself out to go through other peoples’ collections.

Do you have any boxes of books that need sorting?

More on the Weekly Photo Challenge: Tiny

Light from the Castleberry Hill Loft Tour 2016, and catching up with past Weekly Photo Challenge: Shine

I always have to “go toward the light” when I see a gorgeous fixture —

Following the light fixture,  Castleberry Hill Loft Tour (Oct 22, 2016)

Here it is from beneath…

But meanwhile, that balcony view led to something shiny too – the roof in the distance. I’m not a sports fan, so had to ask–  it’s the new Atlanta Falcons’ Stadium. Here it is from the terrace off the top floor (and how about that fountain?).

Shiny roof — stadium view from Castleberry Hill

Sam has sharper eyes than I do, he’s the one who said, “Look at the workers on the roof!”  I had to use my telephoto to see them. Zooming in…

Of course, after enjoying the tour I had to come home to my own mess.  Today I’ve been listening to an audiobook called Does This Clutter Make my Butt Look Fat? while sorting and consolidating piles and boxes of stuff displaced by bath remodeling.

Here’s a quote —

Your home shouldn’t overwhelm you. It should give you shelter from the storm, and it should be more than a roof over your head. It’s up to you to make your home support you in your quest for happiness.

Does This Clutter Make my Butt Look Fat?  – Peter Walsh

–I missed the photo challenge Shine, but I see the next is Chaos — is that right up my alley or what? (And you know I can’t help but wonder, does this clutter make my butt look fat?)

 

More on the past Weekly Photo Challenge: Shine