Book Board Chat

Oh, Joanne, hope your son recovers quickly. It must be very worrisome.

The best of the season's greetings to the rest of you!

JoAnneI always keep brown sugar in airtight container. If it gets hard, stick a slice of bread in with it, preferably overnite. You can fast soften by whacking off a hunk, put in microwave-safe bowl, cover with wet towel & microwave on high for maybe 20 secs. at a time until it softens.

Hello, everyone. Hope you are all well. We're hunkered down in IL, where just about everything is shut. Better that than... Stay safe!

Hope something works out for you, JoAnne.

We're fine. Pretty much still staying home. If you have to be quarantined, it helps to be with someone you like. Watching lots of Korean historical costumed dramas, doing research, reading + gardening. Not much else. Thanks for asking.

joanneYou might have an easement at the back of your property to allow for trimming of trees within a certain footage of wires. You could call the utilitiy companies, mentioning that the branches of neighbor's tree are threatening the wires. The utilities here in IL come out every 2 or 3 years to check if tree limbs are within 10 feet of their wires, then trim with no cost to homeowner.

Hello, all! Glad to see e'one is doing OK in these awful times.

JIM, that ugly bird might well be a Muscovy Duck.

wellington(ct) asked me to convey her heartfelt condolences to casinokat. Laurie has neither computer nor internet access, so asks those who wish to communicate with her to telephone, please. She also said she'd been trying to reach lovestotap without success. She is doing better health-wise.

Good morning, All!

Jim Free wifi isn't very common in China, except maybe in Beijing. You could check China Daily newspaper to see if they have a list of places thruout China where it is available. I'd assume the larger cities would have it. Maybe Google? Most people who sell at markets frequented by tourists know enough English so you can bargain. Worse comes to worse, you hold up fingers with a quizzical look on your face. They assume you are bargaining in yuan not dollars, except in HK, where they use HK dollars, but, then, most people speak English in HK. You'll do fine. You'll do better, tho, if you have a small calculator to convert yuan to dollars, unless, of course, you can do the math in your head. It was easier when there were 10 rmb to the dollar, and 10 HK dollars to 1 US dollar.

I have also found it best for customs coming home, if I keep all receipts, and a notepad to write down what I bought and how much it cost right away so I can transfer the info. to the customs sheet on the plane. One time coming back, the agent questioned my list and I pulled out the wad of receipts, and when he saw that, he just waved me thru. Another time, I had it calculated to the penny, expected to pay a bit, but the agent said, "Go on, and Merry Christmas."

Having a PITA day. I ordered a small silver necklace; it was marked as "delivered." I never received it. Went to PO to see if it was there. No. Called Carrier's supervisor at substation. She checked with carrier. He didn't recall delivering it. Then supervisor remembered another person with my name has a premier mail forwarding service and fears it was forwarded to him in FL. sigh And I really wanted the necklace, too. Wonder if that's where my K-1's have gone?

Happy Birthday, Gail and June. May your special day be super.

Jim, I hope your trip is wonderful and goes off without problems. Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes. There's a lot of walking at the Ming Tombs and along the Great Wall. The Forbidden City is gigantic with lots of steps.

The morning is bright and sunny. It's above freezing, so the 8 inches of snow we got is melting. Life is good! Enjoy it!

Sounds like you are going to be running around a lot, Jim. If you have time in Beijing (which has lots of pollution), try to get to the Shard Shop, Ritan Beilu 1, Chaoyang Qu. Owners took broken Ming and earlier ceramic sherds and made them into boxes. Rather neat. Great souvenirs. I assume you'll be going to the Great Wall. Expect it to take a lot of time. Traffic is horrid in Beijing. The shops outside of the GW are expensive tourist traps. Guides get a "cut" from what tourists spend in these places.

Shanghai: try to see the Master of the Nets garden and shop along Nathan Road. There are old, used book stores around Shanghai, too. Fun to rifle thru, and get some English books on old China - pictures, etc. You may get an afternoon free in this city. The Bund is a nice stroll and you see the harbor.

The Yangtze River cruise: You have to go where they take you. Made me crazy. There were pagodas I saw and other things and I wanted to get off!

Xi'an is a great city, one of the capitals of old China. The Ming wall gives you an over view of the city. Watch out for bicycles! Try to see the Muslim Quarter and the Big and Little Goose pagodas, near the quarter. There are kabobs that are the world's best for sale on the street, and lots of stuff to buy, like Chinese tiger hats (soon to be a thing of the past).

Guilin is one of my favorite cities. You'll want to take a river cruise for 1/2 day and at the end, shop the market (great stuff). Guilin has super caves, too, and book stores that are in old, abandoned fall out shelters. Most of the books are Chinese, but it's fun to see the stores. Guilin beer is super; we wish they imported it. The odd thing about Guilin is that the river runs thru the city, but there are very few bridges. You need to get a guy with a bamboo raft for about $. 50 to take you across. We walked forever, saw our hotel, couldn't find a bridge, hired a boatman, and voila! Cabs are cheap. Make sure they use the meter, tho.

Now, Hong Kong is my favorite city in the entire world! You MUST eat at the Loong Yuen Cantonese Restaurant at the Holiday Inn in Kowloon! I don't care if you have to run away from the tour, go there! Take the Star Ferry if you're staying on HK. Try to see the "Make a Wish" temple, too. Subways are cheap and easy. If you can, take a boat to Lantau Island, too. Spend the day. Your hotel can arrange a tour. The fishing villages are neat and the biggest Buddha in the world is there, along with a monastery. There's so much to do and see in HK! The Art museum is also fabulous, right on the harbor (or harbour, as they write it out); nice gift shop (can you tell I like shopping?). Of course, having afternoon tea at the Peninsula is a MUST. Make reservations. There's a neat Irish pub called "Murphy's" in Kowloon on the main drag, a few blocks up from the Holiday Inn. The ethnic Chinese waitresses speak with Cockney accents, if you can believe it. In fact, most people in HK speak English, so getting around is not a problem, unless you forget they drive on "the wrong side of the road" and you get run over. If you go to Stanley Market, which I'm sure you will, there's a nifty antique shop on the left right before you enter the market. Go up the stairs and enjoy. The Market is geared for tourists and the prices are correspondingly high. Bargain like crazy. I always avoid the market and spend time in that antique store. If you don't get whatever you want, the airport going home has it all(except antiques)! I never saw as many stores as at the airport.

Bring plenty of singles. Your driver and guide now expect tips. Gone are the days... If you buy stuff from vendors who will hound you to death outside your buses, they like US dollars. Bargain, except in shops that have prices on things.

The book you picked is a good one. Things are changing fast, tho, so it's somewhat outdated, except for the bathrooms (lol).

Enjoy!

So glad to see hear that, furtima! And that everyone also seems to be doing fine.

Heard vinyl records are on the upswing, again, because they sound better, fuller, etc., than CDs. Maybe that explains the increasing sales I saw at flea markets last year? What's old is new, again... Yet, I recall my daughter was amazed when she saw vinyl records in a used book store in 1999. "How would you play these?"

Hello, all! It's been almost a year, but life seems to get in the way of posting.
Want to send good wishes to all whose special events I missed. Am so glad to see familiar posters! But, where's casinokat?

Jim, re: your post about China... everyplace we ever ate had chopsticks. Forks, however, were not necessarily available, so if you want forks, bring your own. Toilet paper is not usually available on trains, in smaller restaurants, or places that normally don't deal with tourists. You may even have to deal with "squat toilets" in some restaurants or attraction areas. I'd also suggest you bring Kleenex and a few paper towels. Outside of hotels, those items don't seem to exist. On Yangtze River cruises, the boats are like cruise ships you take here in the US. They are designed for tourists, but I guess it'll depend on what kind of accommodations your tour guide has booked. I wouldn't worry about toilet paper there.

I'd love to know where you're going in China. If you'd rather not post it, send me the itinerary by email. Maybe I could give you some "be sure not to miss" places for your free time. We've been 8 times, and have spent time traveling all over the place, huge as it is. We're going again in June. Decided to do an "in-depth" exploration of Sha'anxi Province, archaeological sites, and so forth. Was in Xi'an before, but too short a time, so we're returning for 2 weeks, then taking a fast train to another province to see some caves. Getting together with adopted Chinese family in Beijing. Next week, in honor of my birthday, my adopted Chinese granddaughter, who's in US on foreign exchange student visa, is coming to visit. Haven't seen her since she was 11 yrs. old! Happy!

We spent 3 weeks in S. Korea this past June exploring the country, the monasteries, prehistoric sites, lava tubes, and caves. We really enjoyed ourselves. Also went up to the DMZ, which I never expected to be as it is. To have to live in fear of land mines in your fields and woods, and nuclear bombs from 50 miles away is something I cannot imagine.

We are expecting a girl in May! After 3 boys, this will be especially welcome. Off to Texas to see yet another new grandson.

Beth, from what I read about Market Warriors, I told IRH I'd bet you could do a lot better! Heck, even I could do better.

And so, a long post (my apologies), but, after all, it has been over a year...

Sam Thanks for the update on Maureen. "Virtual" or not, you're a good friend.

Diane, Hope your sister's surgery goes well! Will keep thinking good thoughts for all.

Spent the day clipping, pruning and digging. Am exhausted, with much more to do in the yard. At times like this, wonder what I was thinking when I planted every square inch of dirt I have.

Hope everyone else is well, and enjoying this wonderful weather.

Thanks, Beth, by memory, & from what you wrote/said, this must have been old Fiesta-ware. Normally don't look at the "art" pottery, but made a point to do so because of wellington's McCoy vase. Before yesterday, I couldn't tell Von Briggle from McCoy from Fiesta. Not sure I could do so now, either, but I did get an idea of selling prices for them on eBay today, in between going back and forth with Master Card. Details follow...
jhill, I spoke too soon. UPS Express delivered new card early this a.m. I called to activate it. Got the "card is now activated," so I hung up. Immediately, someone from MC called. I asked why, and said I had just rec'd card and activated it. She said card was not activated but she'd do it right then. Huh? OK, so figured all was well. Went around the internet and changed card for AT&T, PayPal, eBay, Amazon and a few other places I'd set up for auto-billing. Got another call from MC security. Lost the call since they called on my cell (how did they get that #?). So, called 800 no., went thru 3 people, each more senior than the last, and finally got to their Fraud Division. Seems my old card was "tagged" and so was my new one (huh?) I mean, really. Hope it's all straight now because I used it to buy plants (one of those old machines that give carbons)... Must have been very wicked in my last life. Will test the card tomorrow with one of the newer machines somewhere. Maybe it's a ploy to get me to buy things to test whether card works? 😉 I can't imagine they mess up like this with the other 1.5 million affected card holders.

Planning a long evening watching Korean drama. Now on episode 67 of 138. Very action-packed. Not much romance yet (these dramas are short on romance anyhow), but lots of historical facts and characters, which we check against our history of Korea books. Pretty crazy, I know.

Hope everyone has a great evening!

ell, I see I should have bought the Fiesta bud vase. One's listed on eBay now for $49+. Wish I knew the difference between old and new... Also saw some orange and green glassware, which apparently was another "good deal" I passed up based on ignorance. I did note that Fireking wasn't around as much as previously.

Clarification: the boy was looking at 2 large Transformers, but it came out of a box with 2 other smaller ones. The father bought the entire box of 2 large & 2 small for $8 without bargaining since the seller had made the greatly-discounted offer. Cute kid, too.

Wish I had your "eye", Beth.

Hello, hello, hello, and a great good morning!

Re: hacking accounts. Got a phone call from Mastercard (at least I think so) on Saturday saying there had been a security breach on my card, and that they would be sending me a new one on Monday. Glad they caught it; seems 1.5 million were affected due to some data breach at Global Processing. Sigh This is the 2nd time it's happened to my one card, and now have to go and change the auto-billing numbers I have out there, yet again. However, it's nice to know Mastercard's on top of these kinds of things.

Flea Report: Yesterday was seasonally warm, not very windy. Rosemont was hosting the World Wrestling Expo later in the day, so closed at 2:15. Lots of vendors there nonetheless.

I picked up some hints for both buyers and sellers. 1) Take a kid or 2 kids, preferably a boy and girl with you if you're buying. I saw a man with his son. Son was looking at a Transformer with bafflement. The seller showed him how it worked (the father was watching). The father asked how much; seller replied $10. Father looked dismayed. Boy started to put it back (no verbal communication between father & son, however). Seller said, "Tell you what. How about $10 for both (there were 2)" No response from father. "OK, how about $8 for the box?" Sale made!

Overheard from another seller: "I might as well pack up. About this time my regulars have finished buying from me." Said at 10 a.m. Market opens at 6:30 for dealers; most folk stroll in around 8:30-9:00. Guess the majority of money is made early.

Tip from observation: If you have "stuff", don't necessarily spread it out on the ground where people have to walk around it to see the rest and/or bend over to see/pick up. At Rosemont, many, many buyers are older (some with walkers and wheelchairs, even) and simply walked past the area where things were spread out on the ground.

Also, don't put all your stuff in boxes alone. More than one seller had his/her stuff in boxes without having a table to entice buyers to look thru the boxes for more things.

OK, now for what was selling: gardening books (more recent) for $1-3; lawn mowers (one guy was pushing his purchase up and down the aisles!). Work clothes and gloves; Amish-made jellies, jams with "organic" label; "smalls". Little Tykes wagons (I saw 3 being sold for $25 - (am looking for one) but the 2 with a price of $40 and $60 were still sitting there when we left. Silk-screened tee-shirts and sweats that the sellers had done themselves as part of their larger silk-screening business. Oddly, magnifying glasses of all sorts along with small tools (maybe for watch repair?).

The baseball card sellers were out (boxed sets and some in plastic albums). The men looking at them were around 50-60, I'd say. Silver coins were selling, but the paper money didn't seem to be eliciting much interest. Again, postcards were not selling, or stereograms but this may have been because they were very common postcards and badly faded stereograms of "scenes of America." Larger shrubs and perennials seemed to be selling (seasonal) as did tomato plants. Strawberries were $1/large box; corn was $2 for 6 ears; green peppers, potatoes & onions were $1 for smallish box. Seems many of the buyers also pick up "impulse" purchase fruits & vegetables along with beans ($1.50 per pound for dried black and pinto beans).

Comment: Saw many McCoy vases. The large ones with handles, from the 40's/50s, were marked on average at $26. Saw a bright yellow small vase marked "Fiesta" for $18. I was looking at these kinds in particular because wellington mentioned her McCoy vase. Also saw a lamp made out of an old tin (?) candle mold for $20. Thought that was kind of neat. The mold had not been damaged by drilling. One dealer had pocket watches (non-working) grouped at $25 each. Working ones, Elgin, Illinois and others, were between $80-300. I don't know enough to say anything about them. Lots of picture frames were out, between $1-10, but didn't see anyone buying them from any of the dealers.

And that's my flea market report. Pouring rain here, so no gardening for me today. Had hoped to get the weeds under control, but guess not.

Have a wonderful day!

Good Morning, Everyone! Birds are making a racket and the sun isn't even up!

Sam, re: worm farm: Just finished a fascinating (yes, it was!) book, The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart, which, since you have a worm farm, might be a fun read.

Trip to S. Korea is finally set! Can't wait. It was a monumental hassle from Day 1. We decided to visit the sites we've seen in all the Korean historical costumed dramas we've been watching over the past year, crazed as this sounds. Have been trying to learn Korean; at least enough to get around, be polite, and order food without necessarily pointing. Tough language - not tonal, lots of syllables, and spelling that changes depending on which transliteration system you use. Discovered that the dramas use pronunciation and vocabulary specific to the time period with which they're dealing, so modern pronunciation can be different. aagh! Plus, somehow, I think I won't be using many of the words I learned from the dramas, like King, Queen, Prince/Princess, and Great Commander, very much. 😉

That's a lot of money, grano! Represents tons of hard work, but how did those odd amounts, like $.62 happen?

Anyhow, have a great day, All!

I meant they take cheques at Kane County and Sandwich. Must be brain dead today...

Bright and sunny Good Morning, All!

aegbooks, if you decide to go to Sandwich, let me know and we can meet. Did you look it up on the internet? The dates are given there. Close by, there's a somewhat pricey antiques mall we hit afterwards, if we still have the energy. Pecatonica Flea Market is May 16 (near Rockford), if that's of any interest. It's a 2 hr. drive from me, but we try to go either in the spring or fall (it's held twice yearly). Wouldn't you know it, I have a free admission to Rosemont this Sunday & it's supposed to be cold and rainy. sigh

Next week, tho, is Kane County and I'm quite excited, esp. since last fall all the dealers were saying "See you in May!" Best part of Kane antiques and flea market is they take cheques, as they also do at Kane County. Hoping the Amish growers are back. Their plants were wonderful & cheap!

Have a great day, everyone.

Goo d morning, all!

Beth, my face is red. LOL Of all the typo's I could make...

Saw a "long-lost" cousin in AZ on Facebook, that I never, ever use, and sent a note. Didn't hear, so figured, "eh." Then, got an email from her niece in NY full of family updates and "let's keep in touch" stuff. I'm still amazed with the Internet.

No real plans for today, but we had a light frost last nite, so was glad I didn't succumb to the very real temptation to buy bedding plants yesterday.

Hi back, aegbooks!

Sam, I'm always interested in what sells in different parts of the country.The Rosemont Flea Market is usually pretty big. If it's "full," you walk 3 miles up and down the rows. The buyers are typically Hispanic, Polish, Russian and Serbian-speakers, with a smattering of "the rest of us." Dealers come early to scout things. The market opens at 6:30. The table space costs $38. We've found that the dealers who sell at Rosemont rarely appear at the other flea markets around. Rosemont is every Sunday thru October.

The ones who sell at the Kane County Flea Market tend to go there one weekend and then to Greyslake another, then Wheaton one week, and maybe Pecatonica another. These are one weekend per month markets around the west and northwestern suburbs. Then there's the Sandwich Antique Fair once per month (way out west from us), which has expanded, out of necessity, I think, to include one side of the fairgrounds as a "regular" flea market. Sandwich has a requirement that stuff that must date from 1940 or older, and typically has lots of furniture and architectural pieces. My friend and I hit all of them. Can we say we're "addicted"? When there are no flea markets, we hit the estate sales.

As for the mid-Century modern craze, last fall, we noted it "phasing out" a bit. This may be due to the buyers who go to the Rosemont flea market and the estate sales. Personally, I never liked it. What we noted selling was "functional," but unexceptional pieces, like china cabinets and bedroom sets, but only if priced right. Kitchen stuff, except for copper-bottom Revereware, simply sits around. Even the old cast iron frying pans were not selling, but then, it might be that people who needed/wanted a frying pan wanted a cheap, serviceable one as opposed to a "collectible" with a high price for the name. Dunno

Remember when press-back oak (?) chairs were "in"? Well, we saw press-back rockers, press-back kitchen chairs, press-back dining chairs today used for display because they weren't selling anymore.

Went to an antiwue mall after the flea market and saw lots of 1940's era peek-a-boo shoes, vintage men's hats, aprons, and printed kitchen table cloths. Many, many salt and pepper shakers in shapes like garlic, corn, animals, etc. But, I think there are regular collectors for those kinds of things. Did see a small creamer made by Shawnee pottery in Corn Queen (white corn color) for $12, which was a very good price, from what I've seen it commanding elsewhere. The seller either didn't know what it was or priced it to move.
Only reason I knew what it was was because I had purchased a funky Corn King (yellow corn), 1946 covered tureen a while back for $9 at a consignment store and had to research it and the Shawnee pottery company.

Sorry I've been so long-winded, but I do like to pass along info. about what's selling and what's not to you who still list on various sites, and who scout for collectibles.

Blustery but sunny day here.

Welcome home, Dadkat. Now stay there!

Flea market report: The space filled with vendors was double what it was last week probably because the weather was better. Last year's sellers were back in droves with New-Old stock. It was sweet that many buyers and sellers were greeting each other like old friends.

What was selling: Fishing lures were "hot." CDs of old-1960's rock stars were selling. T-shits and sweat shirts with hoods were selling. Lots of fruits and vegetables and jams and jellies were going, as was "home made" honey. As usual, old tools... What intrigued me was that garden perennials were selling as were garden ornaments. The man and wife team selling fake jade things were there and, surprisingly, they were selling lots of stuff. They had $5, $10, $15 trays and that gorgeous Kwan Yin I loved last year, still for $400.

What wasn't selling: coins and military stuff. Head vases (those 1950's painted ones of women - are they all of women?) were down to ca. $15 from $25 of last year. Depression glass (pink kind) was sitting around. Was tempted by a cake plate, but how many do I need? Was also tempted by pink and white champagne glasses for $8 for 8. Took a pass. Sets of dinnerware, even Blue Willow pattern for 8 in great shape at $100 was sitting around. Hummel's were everywhere but nobody was buying them even at $45 for the little girl with geese one. Royal Doulton lady figures weren't moving at all & overheard a woman telling the seller that the generation that wanted them was dying off. Looks like the 1950 craze has peaked since those ugly, oversized lamps with tall cylindrical shades were not in great demand, or, actually, any demand at all. Jewelry was high and people weren't even pawing thru the boxes of it. A plain gold wedding band was marked$200! People were going thru old books, but they were moldy, so I didn't bother. No baseball card sellers, yet. Old photos, cabinet cards, etc. were piled up in boxes but it was too windy to go thru them. Some earrings were going for $2 with no takers. Maybe people just wanted to get out on a nice day? And, that's my flea market report.

Good heavens, Maureen, anyone who doesn't want to read your posts can use the scroll function on their mouse. You are an inspiration to many, and it's fabulous that Sam is so willing and able to help!

Mim, Glad you're feeling better!

Re: dehydration: IRH had muscle cramps after walking and it never dawned on him he might be dehydrated. Drank water before and after his daily 5 mi. walk and no more cramps! So drink water, people, if you're doing any exercising, even working in the garden.

Tomorrow is the flea market. If I note anything interesting, will post here.

Have a great evening all!

Good morning, all!

Mattel profits fell 53% due to declining sales of Barbies and Hot Wheels (and an acquisition), but perhaps this generation of girls buy Bratz instead (?)

Last year, as some may recall, I mentioned that Hummel figures were not selling at the flea markets I attended, nor were Precious Moments.

Went to a flea market last Sunday, but it was so early in the season, few vendors were there & what they were selling was boring: CDs, socks, tools, lawn mowers, costume jewelry, Longaberger baskets, & what I think were Longaberger holiday ornaments, very cheap compared to what they used to be, like $10, and they weren't selling.

The interesting thing about the costume jewelry was that there were many, many necklaces made from large chunks of (fake) coral and (fake) turquoise. When I got a Chico's catalogue later in the week, similar pieces were shown. Am hoping this Sunday will have more "junk."

Bob Watch your blood pressure. Life's too short to get crazy over such things.

Carol, if you haven't left yet, have a wonderful trip!

Need to move things away from the windows so window washers can get to what they need to do tomorrow. So, have a great day, everyone!

Happy Birthday, Liz! Hope your day is glorious!

Oh, and bob, I had the same problem with Firefox and Adobe Reader. I Googled "Firefox and Adobe", and found the fix. You might want to try it. I had downloaded Adobe X, and could not read any PDF documents. The fix was a simple check or uncheck in the Adobe file.

Good morning, all!

Happy belated birthday, furtima. Hope it was memorable.

Glad to hear the sale went well, Treasuremomz, and was profitable.

Maureen, hoping you get your strength back. I read that the upcoming Windows 8 will not work with MS Office, thereby requiring an updated program. IRH has Vista and I have XP. Vista is a "resource hog," but at least our MS Office programs work with those.

Trip to NY was such fun, even tho going thru x-ray at airport made my computer wonky. I was able to work around it, altho it was a miracle. We stayed in Times Square, saw exhibits of Deco art in Japan, Tomb sculptures of the Jin Dynasty from Shanxi, China, Moghul art from India, and Renoir paintings at the Frick (2 from the Art Inst. in Chicago - like seeing old friends). Then, went down to the old seaport area and checked out the 17th and 18th c. bldgs., and had lunch at the Fraunces Tavern where much of the Revolutionary War was plotted/planned. Visited some friends down near Ground Zero, and came home exhausted. Too much was left for another trip, when we can afford it (taxis and food are very costly), perhaps 1/3 again what they cost in Chicago. ah, well.

Hope evryone has a great day, and that wellington is recovering from her big kaboom.

Oh, my gosh! Thank you all for the b-day wishes!!! Has made my day! Altho I haven't posted lately, I do read the board. Somehow life gets in the way of posting, to paraphrase Irma. We're off on Sunday for NYC where I have to give a talk, and to visit museums, & eat NY pizza by the slice (shhh, we're supposed to like deep-dish better being from Chicago, but...). Expect that when we return, the bluebells will be up, and yard work will begin.

Am reading a lovely book, The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. See precis at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_the_Wind

Something bookies might really enjoy, I think.

Sorry, mysteryhorse, no answer on your insurance question. I used U-pic for insurance when sending something worth over $100. No problems as no claims.

Have a wonderful day, All! and thanks again for the good wishes (and song, Kath)

Good evening, everyone.

ginnyrose_carol, by any chance, do you (or anyone else?) have a Kindle Fire? If so, I have a brand new, never used screen cleaner with 2 screen protectors I'd be happy to send off. I ordered it in error from Amazon, and went to return it, but supposedly because I was such a good customer (their words, not mine), I could keep it and still get a refund. So, now I have the above-mentioned package of stuff that does not fit my Kindle.

Hello, All! Raining steadily here.

Chris (collectibles), It could be almost anything. If you post the name of the cookbook, the publisher and date and other information, perhaps someone here can help you.

drangonfly, so nice to hear from you. Can't believe the girls are that old already!

wellington, NO! Not more hassles. Poor you. My email to you was bounced. Please send me an email so I can double-check the addy. Thanks.

mysteryhorse, those kids are adorable! You have every right to be proud of them. I look forward to more pictures!

LOL! adderbolt. I'd forgotten the arn and earl, also about "Giantiggle," where I shopped for groceries in Pittsburgh, and "Arn City" beer, which is quite good, actually.

Thanks for that article, Kath. I never had such a hard time in my life understanding people as when I was in Pittsburgh! I looked for Baum Blvd. which I pronounced as "Bowm'h (like bowing with an 'm')". lol People looked at me without comprehension and then (light bulb!) said, "Oh, ya mean Bomb."

I enjoy listening to various accents, inflections, and pronunciations when I'm out and about, & speculating their origins. We have northside pronunciations and south side pronunciations; we even have what's called Bridgeport-speak (with cadance, inflections, and pronunciations like the original Richard Daley, otherwise known as "Hizzoner da Mare" used).

We even pronounce the street named "Goethe" and "Go-thee." This may have been due to World War I, and the subsequent re-naming of streets bearing German names (except for those bearing the names of German composers and authors, & those were "Anglicized," after a fashion, as shown above). The one that drives me up the wall, tho, is "Chicago" pronounced "Shih-kah-go" instead of "Shih-caw-go." Until a few years ago, one could ID a native-born Chicagoan from an "immigrant" by his/her pronunciation of "Chicago." Now, it's not so easy. I have no idea why: radio/TV, perhaps.

Fascinating that the retired psychologist has tracked so much to the original settlers. I guess here in Chicago, we're such a mismosh with Germans coming early, Scandiavians, African-Americans, Irish, I'd be hard-pressed to ID the "source" for any pronunciation.

Good Morning, All!

ginnyrose, thanks for the facebook site.

Kath, was just reading in the Renaissance book that French horses were bred to be "high" and sturdy so that they could carry knights wearing heavy armor.

Putting catsup on scrambled eggs and omelets was something I saw being done for the first time when I was in PA. Wonder if it's regional? Of course, people, other than Chicagoans, put catsup on hot dogs, too.

Am experimenting with making Chicken Vesuvio (another supposed Chicago invention). Last nite's lemon-sauce version was too thin. The demi-glace wasn't right. It turned out being more like something I'd drizzle on asparagus. It needed to be thicker. So, back to the pots and pans today to try again.

Hope everyone has a great day. Keep warm.

Good morning, everyone!

At 6:45 witnessed the Earth nibble at the face of the pumpkin-colored Moon. It was only a partial eclipse here but nonetheless, pretty spectacular in a cloudless sky - much better than the eclipse in June.

http://www.windycitybooks.com/moon.jpg

Reading an interesting book on my Kindle about the Renaissance by Paul Johnson. So far, I've read 4 books, and am enjoying the format. Can see how the Kindle will be advantageous on trips. Wonder if my universal adapters will work to recharge it.

Other than making 5000 (slight exaggeration) rum balls yesterday, not much is new.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Someone in your family, mysteryhorse, has a wonderful eye for photo-ops and it doesn't hurt that your grandchildren are so photogenic, either!

maureen, Be Careful! Wish there were some "trick" I could recommend so you could avoid hurting yourself.

Happy Birthday, BarbaraGene. Today would have been my father's B-day, too, along with Pearl Harbor, "the day that lives in infamy." Lest we forget...

mim, I don't watch TV, but IRH says all the channels have synced their commercials, so if one channel has a commercial on and you switch, you get another channels' commercial. But that may be because we don't have cable. Dastardly folk, those programmers.

Lots going on today, so will simply wish that everyone has a wonderful day, full of good things.

After talk today, went to see baby Graham. Of course, I think he's adorable.

http://www.windycitybooks.com/family/graham%20day%201.jpg

And now to bed. Watched Korean version of Les Liasons Dangereuses. Beautifully done; magnificent photography, but a bit racy. Saw an English version once in London, and have loved the play ever since.

Talk went well, and I guess I'm still wound up after it and seeing baby...

Good morning, All!

We have a baby!!! Graham Michael, 7 lbs. 5 oz. All parties involved are well. Pictures after I steal him when I get them after my talk today. Soooo excited!

Up before the sun. Message from DD that's she's nervous. I'm a wreck, getting ready to fly to hospital in the event I'm wanted.

mim, and others interested in diet and hearts:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201163556.htm

Stayed up late last nite experimenting with reading Kindle in bed. It's do-able. Unless I'm missing something, can't read it in the dark. Thanks. ginnyrose for formatting info.

What amazes me is that sellers know which yearbooks to buy with celebrities in them, especially if they changed their names. There was a book store in downstate Illinois that had what looked like hundreds of yearbooks from hundreds of schools, and I got to wondering how people knew which ones to buy that had famous people in them. And why is the senior year book the best one to buy? So many questions at such an early hour 😉

Hope y'all have a wonderful day!

Thanks, Diane. I was hoping it would be OK. Last time I used it was to make rum balls a year ago, so wasn't sure.

Now, since the BBC knows all, does anyone know if you download, say Gutenberg books (the free ones), to the Kindle, what the formatting is like? Is it exactly like you see them laid out on the Internet?

Am making a list of the ones I want, and hoping William Faulkner books are available. My one-probably-never-to-be-granted wish would be for a signed first of "As I Lay Dying." And a signed first of "Sometimes A Great Notion" by Ken Kesey, as long as I'm wishing.

Mim, best advice is to cook your own foods, and avoid prepared ones, even canned tomatoes & beans. IRH was a huge salt addict with the BP to show for it; so, I gradually weaned him away from eating snack foods, & prepared stuff, and now have him reading labels for sodium content (anything over 6% is a no-no). He absolutely doesn't miss it, and even comments now if we go to a restaurant that sometimes "there's too much salt" in the soup or whatever. At restaurants, you can request no seasoning on foods, even French fries. Well, not at fast food places, but elsewhere. We also always ask if we can substitute veggies for fries when fries are listed as accompanying the main dish.

I make my own chicken stock, so I know there's no added salt. Ditto with beef stock. It's easy, says she who does not like to cook. Fool around with various herbs to get a taste you like, and I can (almost) guarantee you won't miss the salt. End of lecture for today. 😉

It's a gray day, here, but hopefully a good day down in Florida for your birthday, Bob!

Can hardly contain myself, am so excited about new baby. Want to be among the first to hold him (and steal him away). I do so love babies.

Off to the library later to load new Kindle with books. That's pretty exciting for me since the device will cut down on the numbers of books I cart along on trips, and therefore will cut down on luggage weight. Since we don't have WIFI at home, the library is the best spot for uploading, plus I can borrow e-books there. This will be a whole new world for me. Pretty neat.

Other than this, there's a plan to make rum balls today. Had a half bottle of rum left from last year, and hoping it's OK to use. Anyone know?

Have a great day, everyone (and you, especially, Bob; hope you get rid of your cold soon)!

Good afternoon, All!

Pleasant sunny day after a morning of rain.Did some errands, and grocery store Where I saw 2 seasonal coffees. One made me think of you, casinokat, because it's name was "Ugly Sweater."
http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/uglysweater.jpg
Congratulations to Jacob! He must really be enjoying himself!

We're expecting a new baby boy on Monday. I'm so excited!!! If he waits until Tuesday, he'll have the same b-day as his father, which would make it easy for the aged and inane in the family (i.e., me) to remember. Both other grandsons share a birthday, albeit 3 years apart, & with different parents. How did that happen?

Hope everyone is doing well, and are healthy and happy. Go LSU!

mainer, so sorry to hear of your loss, and your back operations. Am hoping there are no more in your future.

Having 7 for dinner tonite (the ones who had to go elsewhere for Thanksgiving with their "other" families). Doing a Mexican theme with chili pepper light strings, papel picado, refried beans, Spanish rice, tamales, fajitas, corn and bean salsa, and so forth. I actually am making all of it. What possessed me, I cannot say - momentary madness.

Happy Thanksgiving, All!

10 things for which I am grateful in no particular order:
1) Every dawning day;
2) My family & friends, real and here on the BBC;
3) A never-ending supply of free books to read from the library;
4) The seemingly never-ending supply of Korean historical costumed dramas subbed in English to while away dull evenings;
5) My new refrigerator, whose extra doors were finally picked up Monday after we escalated a complaint;
6) Red shoes;
7) Enough remaining sense to hold a fairly decent conversation when it matters;
8*) Enough remaining cents to drop into the Salvation Army’s kettle in front of the grocery store (No. 8 is starred because otherwise it comes up as a happy face, which, come to think of it, would be OK)
9) No more floods in the basement, and
10) A warm home full of love and laughter.

Thanks to Curt and Irene for making this place possible, and to all of you for making it what it is!

Enjoy your day, today, and every day after!

Good (gray) afternoon, All!

diane, those are fabulous! I think I once said you are extremely talented, and, if so, will sy it again! Do you do commissions? Do you put the pics on Etsy? or just eBay? Oh, that I had some talent like that!

Spent Friday & today (cold and all) making food for DD so she won't have to cook after baby arrives. Only have some chicken soup (chicken's defrosting) and a pumpkin pie (for DSIL's b-day) left to do, and then drop off. This is a real labor of love since I really hate to cook. Insert Mother-whine here: "What we don't do for our children..."

casinokat, How wonderful about DIL & DS and Ca. and a possible movie. Can I say I knew you all when? 😉

Hope everyone is well, and sending belated happy birthday wishes for the ones I missed.

Yes, Dan, the Penobscot building is still there (or here, since I'm near Detroit). It's gorgeous! The Native American motives are stunning, as in the Guardian Bldg. There are so many beautiful bldgs. in downtown Detroit. It's not all empty lots and/or boarded up stuff. We saw the old mansions, just north of the city, and most were well kept. However, a block or 2 away were houses with holes in their roofs, and real problems. My friends said you could buy one of them for 100-200K, but, then, the cost to fix up would be prohibitive, and there's no real neighborhood around; no groceries, no cleaners, nothing.

Due to budget crunches, the museum and conservatory on Belle Isle are opon only part of the week, and the aquarium closed. The Greektown gallery has been turned into a casino. We didn't go to Mexicantown. However, we stopped at an auction house (arts and antiques) and the estimates were high. Whether this will translate into bids and sales, I have no idea. The quality was medium level, IMHO, but the Oriental rugs were nice - ones you would buy to use, not hang up or put away to appreciate. They had an Andy Warhol with est. of 25K, along with a Giacometti small casting est. at $200-440. The furniture wasn't great, altho if one needed chests of drawers or chairs, this auction would be the place to go. The jewelry seemed high, and really good jade was in line with what it would sell for retail.

My talk went well, thank goodness, and I want to go home (but I always do after a talk). The audience was responsive. There were students who were there for class credits, senior citizens, people from a home for the mentally challenged, & the general public. I had fun. Hope they did.

And, probably the next time you'll hear from me, I'll be back in my beloved Chicago. Have a great day, all!

Hello from overcast Utica. Poked around downtown Detroit yesterday, looking at some of the rebuilding the city is doing. The GM towers are quite impressive, big, blue and round glass. Went into the Guardian building (check internet for pics and description). Native American theme, art deco, and perused the Pewabic Pottery showroom (arts and crafts tiles and vases). Today, giving my talk, and probably going to Ford Museum and Greenfiels Village. Haven't been there for years.

Detroit seems poised for a comeback, but I think it all depends on the economy/jobs. People without jobs can't buy cars. Duh! Flint, MI has an unemployment rate of 25-30% I was told. However, the suburbs of Detroit and businesses located there look quite prosperous.

Must get ready, but did want to wish you all a wonderful day!

Hi all from rainy Detroit. Drive over was easy but had hoped to see some leaf color. Nope, all leaves were gone.

Saw I hadn't been clear, JACK. Text blocks were stacked up and tied. Quite attractive. All I could think of was foxing, mildew and whether the people had any idea if the books they were destroying were valuable or not. Lol

We had planned to tour some gardens today and the Meijer sculpture garden on the way home but the forecast is for snow showers.

A blustery good morning, all!

Thanks to wellington, I'll look as if I'm on top of the news when I give my talk today. She called to report that one of the bakeries/delis about which I'll be speaking suffered a fire a few hours ago. Sad.

Went to Kane County Flea Market yesterday to see how the colder weather impacted dealers and buyers. First, it was a sunny day in the high 50s, with very little wind. The sellers were inside, outside as well as in the covered but open-sided (animal) buildings. There were only 4 food vendors (pizza by the slice, beef jerky, fried vegetables, and bratwursts) outside, plus the nuns of Notre Dame, chili makers, and waffle cone sellers inside.

The flea market was approximately 1/3 the size it is during the summer, BUT people were buying. One "florist" was selling bittersweet and twisty twigs for holiday decor. Almost everyone was walking around holding some. Other sellers stocked holiday items, such as old aluminum Xmas trees and vintage ornaments. The sellers who had recycled old wood from bowling alleys and other places and "married" them to old cabinet bases were doing a brisk business. One seller whose furniture was coated in chalk paint had almost sold out between opening and the time we got to her booth (at 1:30). I think the holiday theme ran thruout the market, with vintage Santas, wreath, etc. One seller had made a wreath out of old book pages, twisted around a wire frame, then lightly sprayed with gold. Of course, she was selling the old book pages for $1 a bunch. The wreaths were between $24 to $50 depending on size. Then, another dealer had removed the covers from old books, stached up 4-5 of them and tied the bundle with hemp twist. These were $10-15, and were selling quite well.

Old snow shoes were $79; old wooden skis were $50; old Radio Flyer sleds were $38, and people were buying them.There were old farm-related items, such as wire egg crates, and
wooden berry boxes that the sellers had "outfitted" with clay pots, fake greenery and candles. Cute. Potpourri and essential oils were selling ($6 for a small scoop).

Perhaps related to the SOFA exhibit in downtown Chicago, primitives and Outsider art was more visible than I have seen before. My son and DIL bought an anatomically incorrect oil of a smiling cow done by a guy who used to paint outside at the flea market during the summers, name of Mike Heavy, but which is signed in large letters "Heavy," making one wonder if the name is that of the artist or a commentary on the cow. They also bought an old shadow box with a circle cut out, some hay and an antique picture of a chicken inside for $5. They asked the seller what it was & if there were a story attached to it; his reply was priceless: "It's a chicken in the box. What do I know, I just buy and sell junk."

Old tools were not selling, but, dealers who had products for woodworking, such as gentle strippers, or chalk paints, were selling. I guess in anticipation of "winter projects."

It was a fun day, but because it was so small, we finished in 3 hours. And that's the Kane County Flea Market report for the season.

RIP, Kayce, "May Flights of Angels Sing Thee to Thy Rest."

LOL, casinokat, now it's stuck in my head! I don't care, tho. I have a door! and it works! I just spent half an hour admiring it (OK, so I was cooking dinner...) but it surely is pretty.

furtima, you can be assured I will send a long, detailed letter to someone once the other doors and extraneous parts are out of my house. GE wasted an awful lot of money, and as a stockholder, I am not happy. As a consumer/customer, I am not happy, either, BUT I have a door! yippee! The repair guy suggested I call and order a new "box" and a freezer door, then I'd have a new fridge for the basement. I hope he was kidding. Apparently the story about the pigeon feather I found in one of the sealed boxes made the rounds of the repair technicians, and no one thought it unusual. huh?

Sorry you're not in top form, grano. Do heat packs help?

I HAVE A DOOR! Plus 3 boxes, 2 defective doors and an extra gasket! BUT I have a working, non-damaged door. The guy who took away the other 2 doors is off today but is supposed to call about taking these. We'll see. I have a door!

Sorry to hear about your noise issue, Laurie. Hope everyone is well. Just in case you were wondering, I have a door! Lol

Final flea report of the season:
Sane people would have stayed home. The winds were raw and the temperature was around the high 40s. We were at Rosemont at 8:30 a.m.

Sellers and buyers were out in force. There were even sellers we hadn't seen all season. The food vendors stayed home, however. No pizza or pretzels; no hotdogs or lemonade.

Bicycles and snowblowers however popped up among the farm produce. Glassware was not selling, even at .50 each. Books were out (I bought 2) as was ephemera. However, the ephemera had to be covered due to the winds, so not many people were going thru the boxes. Baseball and sports cards were selling, tho.

Sellers with kids' clothes, jackets and hats were busy. I saw a number of people had bought hats with attached mittens because they had not dressed warmly enough for their outing. Impulse purchases, or necessities? Old Matchbox cars and trucks were selling as were NIB kids toys. Also sold was a VHS tape player and a turntable.

Interestingly, the Chinese couple I mentioned a few weeks ago were back with much better articles than before. They had a gorgeous bronze Qwan Yin statue for $495, along with junky jade pendants and carvings for $5 and $10. There was a Russian guy selling an icon (was it real?) that looked quite old, but I was wary because I know nothing about those kinds of things. The African mask seller was absent, as were the sellers of Mexican pottery. However, jewelry, both costume and fine, was going like crazy and at (to me) fantastic prices. Silver jewelry seemed very popular (maybe because gold's so high?). The styles being sold ranged from delicate 20s pins to ethnic necklaces to chunky 80s necklaces. My bet is that beaders were buying these to refashion/rework.

One seller was making a fortune with his suitcases (maybe people needed them to get away from our nasty winters?)

The clock seller was back, with his vintage and antique wall and mantle clocks. His prices were reduced from last month, so I suspect he wanted to unload his inventory. There were very few "mid-Century modern" chairs or lamps. Has the trend peaked?

Christmas-related goods were not much in evidence, but Halloween-themed things were. There were mannikens (sp?) -- legs and heads that could be used for decoration, I guess, along with rubber masks, and other things of that nature. There were many small vintage occasional tables and rocking chairs that we saw being carted off, but few of the larger pieces of furniture.

Due to the weather, we sped thru the market, and headed out for 3 estate sales, which, in general were a bust. I bought some Chinese wood stands, because they are always handy to have around. I debated about a nice dry sink for $40 but decided against it because I have no place for it, and it really wasn't my "style." What I noticed has sold before we got to the sales were the large furniture pieces such as corner cabinets, armoires, chests of drawers, etc. What was still there were the vintage linens, such as 40s and 50s table cloths, cross-stitched and printed. Remember when those were "hot"? Guess they're not any more.

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http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/flea5.jpg

Hope everyone has a wonderful day, and those our East stay warm and dry.

mysteryhorse, Maybe look up "eyeball" marble. If they're ca. 3/4", might be "shooters."

Refrigerator saga continues: Recall I rec'd 2 doors that weren't even for my fridge, plus a box containing who-knows-what kind of hinge, & that the repair guy said he'd order a new door and return in 2 weeks, taking the wrong doors away saying he'd sell them to the scrapper?

Well, a month passed, & no door & no guy. So, I called to inquire. No door was ordered, so I ordered (yet another) one, and was given an appt. for Thurs. between 1 and 5 PM. Ok, thought I, that's done. Then got a call back from GE. Was told I couldn't schedule an appt. until the door had been delivered, and that they were cancelling appt. Said they'd send the door FEDEX 3-5 days ground. Fine, I thought, it'll arrive after we get back from St. Louis. Silly me.

I arrived home on Weds. & found 3 gigantic pkgs. (4.5 ft x 3.5 ft. each) at front door. GE had overnited doors (yes, plural). So, I called and was told someone would be out Thurs. between 1-5. The confirmation number I got was for the appt. that had supposedly been cancelled. Thurs. came and at noon, so did the repair guy. That was OK because I was home anyhow. He uncrated the one box - door was damaged. At least this time the door was the right chrome color. He uncrated the 2nd box - door was damaged. He uncrated the 3rd box; it was a gasket (!?). I asked him to take away the doors and gasket. He refused and told me to just throw them out (!?). Now, it costs us to throw out things other than regular garbage, so I called FEDEX and was told I needed a return OK # from GE. Called GE and no one called back, so I have these doors taking up an entire room waiting for something. no lie

He said he'd order a new door and would return Thurs. in the am. So, today, we had a talk downtown and when we returned home, there was this giant package at the door. You guessed it, another door! We haven't uncrated it because we're afraid to do so. The box is all banged up. This has to be a comedy of errors, one of the most inefficient operations I've ever dealt with. And I own stock in GE! Anyone up for betting what's in Pkg. #8 or is it 9? Anyone betting if another door arrives on Monday? You may laugh.

Last flea of the season is tomorrow. If I had a big enough car, I'd take the doors there. As it is, I'll take pictures and post them with a flea report later.

Have an excellent evening, all!

adderbolt, I always liked the squeaky floors because they alerted me to the time the kids came home. lol Character? yes, the old Tiger oak floors with squeaks and all have character. The people who built our house did it in 1942 and said they had to wait until the war was over to get enough wood to do the 2nd floor, & that's why the oak doesn't quite match. They also said they started the house before the war, but because so many workmen were drafted, had to let the foundation "sit" for 2 yrs. until they could get the house built, but they visited the hole many times during that period, just to dream - about the house they would build, about when the war would end... I like having collected those kinds of stories.

Early good morning, all!

Yes, casinokat, the guy selling bread is still at Rosemont, as is the one selling salsas and condiments. As you know, we have oak hardwood floors all thru the house. Had them polyurethaned. They are easy to clean and dust. After 30 yrs., the high traffic areas will need a new coat of urethane as soon as I figure out how to have that done in sections so we can still go upstairs, out the door, and/or into the kitchen, while the hallway is drying. My floors are old (WW 2 era), so some squeak, especially the stairs, but I supposed that's to be expected. Friend just put in bamboo floors. They look nice and were "green." However, used hardwood boards (available thru salvage companies) are equally as "green" & inexpensive, IMHO.

It was raining last week so we didn't go to the flea market, but went to Half Price books and a couple of nurseries, instead. No flea this coming weekend since I have to go down to St. Louis for a talk. Your usual flea report will resume (weather permitting) Oct. 30.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Meant to say that that's one fabulous backdrop, Diana! Both you and sister have real talent!!

Our leaves are really blah this year and are already falling. The red oak and the columnar oak will hold on until spring, but I'll bet everything else will be bare in 2 weeks.

casino, I heard a vender telling someone that he had bought out an entire house but hadn't meant to do so. He went to estate sale one day, but returned the next day 2 hrs. early and ended up emptying the attic and buying it all. I eavesdrop a lot at these flea markets... We really have fun at them, even if we don't buy. People-watching is a ball. There were kids there dressed in their Halloween costumes, fathers and kids attired in orange t-shirts, Arabic women in headscarves, East Indians, Mexicans, Russians, Poles, African-Americans, a real cross-section of Chicagoland. The food is fabulous! "Pan," Indian sweets, homemade jellies, salsa & honey, plus good old American junk food. I love it! Should have mentioned that the guy selling 4 boxes of Twinkies/Zingers for $5 sold out early. Guess people buy that stuff for lunch boxes, but I secretly hope not. Wish you WERE here to go with us. We'd have a ball! We miss you both a lot, esp. when we go out Schaumburg way.

Faced with sitting thru a Green Bay football game just to keep IRH company or poking around the internet, guess what I chose? So, off to poke.

Have a wonderful evening, All!

Hello, All!

Back from the Rosemont Flea Market. It was a magnificent day, with temps around 82, plus enough sun to warm everyone. It was the largest market of the year. They opened up sections of the parking lot I've never seen open before. Tables were clustered close to one another and people were buying! Saw bicycles, again, but people were asking for BMX and mountain bikes. Saw one dealer who looked to have cornered the market on Precious Moments, but they weren't selling. Hummels, such as the scarce boy with guitar on his back, marked $30 (a giveaway price a few years ago), were not selling. Breyers were marked $10-15, but were not selling. I took a picture (flea#3 of one bunch). Many, many Halloween costumes and seasonal merchandise was selling briskly. Vinyl albums that were marked $2-3 two weeks ago were reduced to $1 and $2. Jewelry, as expected, was selling, but what was somewhat surprising is that earrings sales were so good. The post card dealers were absent but there were some vendors who had postcards and Victorian ephemera for $1 each. Good bargains for those who wanted to go thru boxes of stuff. I saw 4 half-manniquens (sp?) for $25 each, and a BLICK Aluminum typewriter in bottom half of its case. Looked it up and it seems they are desirable. This one's keys were stuck and goopy, so I took a pass. There were musicians with guitars happily singing off-key, lots of produce vendors (odd looking bumpy pumpkins for $2 each), Concord grapes at $3/basket, etc. Lots of new baby outfits for winter. Tools were there in abundance. De Walt (De Wit?) ones and old tool boxes were going. Camo outfits were also selling briskly. Saw more than a few duck decoys - some plastic ones, and some wooden ones, but none looked hand-made. Mums, again, were on sale (3 lrg. pots for $12). Surprised to see Xmas stuff wasn't more plentiful or the stuff that was there wasn't selling.

People were buying soccer and footballs (Champro brand for $5 and $7 respectively. Football jerseys were also selling at $5 each, along with huge (I mean huge) fishing nets.

The big furniture dealers weren't around, but there were ones selling small tables and one selling an old spinning wheel that worked for $50. There wasn't as much oak furniture as before, more the 1920s stuff. Altho I did see 2 glorious mid-century modern leather covered sleek chairs, in turquoise with red piping for $250. If that were my style, I'd have snapped them up.

Coin and stamp dealers were selling. One guy had paper money from Japanese-occupied Philippines for $1 each ten pesos bill.

There was a man from China selling junk jade stuff cheaply intermingled with some rather nice, but fake, antiques, like a pair of Fu Dogs for $89 in "silver." Looked like he had scooped up a lot of stuff on eBay, actually.

It looked like all the dealers who were there were doing well, and were more than willing to bargain.

Pics:
http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/flea1.jpg
http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/flea2.jpg
http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/flea3.jpg See manni's
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Next week is supposed to be cold, but the week after is Sandwich Antiques Fair. We are so ready!

For those who want to see some of the flea market, follow these links:
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There are a number of "houses" at this flea, where different animals are housed when it's used as fairgrounds. I happened to take a picture of the Swine House because it shows the bird houses I had mentioned last month. Now, THAT is one convoluted sentence. 😉

Good morning, all!

Looong Kane County Flea Report:

Yesterday was THE perfect day for a flea market. It was the 2nd day of this once monthly event, and it was crowded. However, there were fewer vendors than during the height of the summer. One dealer told me Saturday had been a great day for sales. Sunday didn’t look bad, either, from what I observed.

What we saw: Used Beyer horses were NOT selling (now that I know what they look like). Several vendors had them. Printer’s blocks in metal were not selling, even when packed into a 9x12 box top at $15 per box. Perhaps this was because the subject matter was nothing special? Old and moldy books were not selling, but this may have been because you could smell the mold. I saw a Nancy Drew Cookbook (Grosset & Dunlap, 1974, no DJ) for $10 (unsold), probably because you can get it other places from $1-$7. Disbound illustrations from old books and magazines were selling at $1 each, including lovely gilded ones from some (unknown, perhaps 1920s) copy of the Rubiayat. 1920s furniture IN GOOD CONDITION was selling, mostly small occasional tables and bedside chests. Larger pieces, such as dining room tables and sets of chairs in maple and mahogany went unsold. Oddly, outside shutters taken from an old Wisconsin house, sold. Those must have been a bear to cart home.

Seasonal items, such as for Halloween (Day of the Dead stuff, decorated skulls, pumpkins, both real and ceramic, corn husks, door wreaths) sold briskly. So did new candles and spices (Watkins). Jewelry, as always, was selling briskly – the glitzy kind with lots of sparkles. The dealers that had them arranged according to color of stones and style (birds, butterflies, etc.) seemed to sell more than those who simply had boxes of pins, brooches, etc.

I heard more than 1 person ask about Civil War Waltham pocket watches. One dealer went into a discussion about how reinactors (sp?) wanted them and that if he had one, it would be a couple of hundred dollars. The earliest pocket watch he had was from the 1870s; the large railroad watches (Elgin and Illinois), which are very common here, were not selling. Neither were the engraved hunter’s case watches. Perhaps this was because they were engraved?

Pens, as usual, were objects of desire (I know this because the woman with whom I attend these fleas is a pen collector). However, dealers were raising the prices of pens with 14K nibs solely on the grounds that the price of gold has gone up. For a collector, I was told, a gold nib is not all that desirable because they are too soft to use on a daily basis. A rare numbered Schaeffer nib commands a higher price, for example.

As elsewhere, sets of glasses, even when they were pretty, were not selling, but sets of dessert plates King’s thumb print (glass) did sell. I saw a couple of sets of those fly from tables at around $4 each plate. Odd items, such as horse hitching posts (ca. 16 inches tall) from a Wisconsin foundry sold at $85 each. I heard the woman who bought them say she collects anything equestrian and intends to use them on her fireplace mantel.

I saw more feed bags ($2-7) than ever before; believe it or not, these were selling. I even saw one framed in old barn siding for $85! Old windows (taken from a Victorian house, according to the dealer) and made into a picture frame with a phrenology print sold, again for $85. Come to think of it, almost everything this dealer had was priced at $85! Old kitchen implements and wooden tools were selling with people going thru the boxes searching for little treasure. Perhaps they are gearing up to “nest” since winter’s coming.

Odd wooden sugar molds were flying from of the dealer’s table at $30 each. These are rough wood with conical holes that would have produced a "cone" of sugar. The measure perhaps 4 ft. long and have 12 holes. The dealer has boxes of 12 glass pots that fit into those holes ($20) and people were buying them like there was no tomorrow. This dealer also was selling “made-to-look-old” retablos ex votos on tin for $25 each. These used to be “hot” sellers on eBay, FWIW. He also had Oaxacan wooden masks for Day of the Dead. Again, maybe because these were “imported,” and because it’s seasonal, people were buying like crazy. It didn’t hurt that he and his wife were extremely personable and willing to explain to customers what was what and how they acquired these things, conveying their love of Mexican folk arts.

Dealers were more than willing to bargain. For example, I bought 2 sold brass candle holders that were marked $4 each. I handed the dealer two $5 bills. He had no change, so returned $5 to me. Another dealer knocked $10 off the price of a lovely Chinese sang de boeuf vase I bought. All I did was ask the dealer’s “best price.”

I heard two women making offers to 2 different dealers. One said “I’d be willing to give you XXX for this” and her offer was turned down. One asked if the dealer would take XX, and her offer was accepted. Maybe it’s all in the phraseology? I'd be interested in knowing, all you flea market and antique mall vendors...

Concessions covered everything from dog treats, corn dogs, & beef jerky to funnel cakes. The flea market had a carnival atmosphere, in truth.

There will be another flea at Kane County next month. I heard one dealer say to another that if the weather was good, he’d be there, otherwise they’d see each other in May.

And that’s my flea report. Pictures will follow later.

jude Is the new machine a snack dispenser, by any chance? Just kidding.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, the utility pole behind my house is the divide between one grid and another. In the high winds on Thrsday nite, we heard a "pop." Apparently the grid with my neighbor's house was on it. He rang doorbell a bit later to ask if he could use our outside elt. outlet (we have 6 for various spots outside) for his house since the battery on his portable generator was out. We said, "Sure." Little did we know he'd put his entire house on/thru our elt., including his outdoor lites! We had cords running everywhere over the fence!

Glad you got your elt. back, wellington/B> Worried about the water for your horses and the well. Maybe get a portable generator?

casinokat, I think I saw your sister's rentals at Kane County last year. Excellent idea because it's so big.

aeg You're right. My house is old brick, and the Uni-lock's make up driveway. They're easy to take up and replace when there's an issue with - say, sewer pipes, or buried wires. Best thing I ever did.

Sorry about your fall, grano, and here I thought I was the only adult walking around with skinned knees (pure clumsiness on my part; no cats to blame it on). Feel better soon.

Finished a committee meeting & grocery shopping this a.m., so now have the rest of the day free - to do, you guessed it- laundry.

So glad you all are enjoying flea reports. I'll take bunches of pics at Kane Co.

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Thanks for the ID, mystery. I was just curious. Didn't buy them because I didn't know. They were in good shape, too.

En route up to get car serviced, a truck dropped a paint can, luckily empty. There was no way to avoid it because traffic was on both sides, so it got stuck under car. Got it out but should have turned around right then, because when we were ready to get our car back, the technician pulled it off the lift in a manner that somehow destroyed a tire (?), so we have a loaner. The nice part is the dealership will drive down our car (36 mi one way) to switch tomorrow. The rain stopped at around 4, and the (Uni-lock) driveway was re-laid, so all is well.

Good morning, all!

It rained steadily all nite and shows no sign of letting up. We can use the rain so the tree roots are set for winter.

The Johnson Bros. pattern I mentioned is Friendly Village. Never one of my favorite patterns because I can't imagine eating from a brown plate.

The fridge saga continues with a strange white metal part being delivered. My fridge is grey. This one, too, goes back to the technician if and when he arrives with a complete new door.

adderbolt, I'd go anywhere & sign anything for free food. Gave a talk/book signing on Saturday and instead of payment got lunch (!) at Ina's, the Breakfast Queen's place. LOL Glad you liked the flea report. Didja look at the pictures? Are those Breyer horses?

Next week is Kane County Flea! I'm excited about that - furniture, handmade bird houses, Deco stuff, real antique antiques, lotsa junque, plants, shrubs, mid-century modern stuff, etc. Normally takes us 4+ hrs. to go thru everything. It's where I found a pair of perfect 1950s-era shiny unmarked china white parrots for $5. What I need with or will do with them I have no idea, but they are fabulous. Report on what was there & what was selling will follow. Can also put up pictures if there's any interest.

They were supposed to re-lay driveway today, but doubt anyone will come in the rain, so we're off to get car serviced.

Have a wonderful day, and sell lots!

OK, once more with a great deal of feeling:
http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00177-20110925-1029.jpg
Fishing rods and lures (2 for $1, and $1 each, except the 6 inch ones with 3 sets of hooks that were $5)

state=statue

Off to watch this very odd, disjointed Chinese serial in 58 episodes called "Condor Hero" based on a classic novel. Can't make heads or tails of it. Same director as "Crouching Tiger" - beautiful cinematography, but confusing. Ran out of Korean, costumed historical dramas, so this is my "make-do" until 2 new ones I ordered from Hong Kong arrive.

Have a wonderful evening all!

In the event the pics don't load, here they are individually:
http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00165-20110925-0910%281%29.jpg
Strange tree-trunk benches

http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00168-20110925-0933.jpg
Question: Are these Breyers?

http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00169-20110925-0938.jpg

http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00170-20110925-0952.jpg

http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00172-20110925-0959.jpg
Big, flashy purses

http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00174-20110925-1018.jpg
Farm produce -cheap

http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/IMG00175-20110925-1020.jpg
Clocks, politically-incorrect state and pocketwatches ($125 and up)

Fishing poles and lures (cheap)

Good afternoon, all!

Flea market report: Figured a picture is worth 1,000 words, so see flea market pics here (hoping the link works): http://www.windycitybooks.com/ebay/Flea.html

It was sort of drizzly but warmer than last week. The flea market was about 1/3 the size it is during summer, and the crowds were correspondingly smaller, too. However, people were buying. The last 2 weeks, bikes were selling, so this week there were more dealers selling bikes! This week there were 4 vendors selling fishing lures, cheaply. One man went from vendor to vendor buying and putting them into his own compartmentalized plastic box. People were buying carpet pieces and half-moons to use in front of doors, and kerosene heaters. Sweaters were selling. In terms of "smalls," better quality Lenox figures were selling, while Hummel figures were not. More than a few dealers had Hummels & the prices were less than they had been 1 yr. ago. Books were recent fiction and Sci-Fi. No postcard dealers for a change. Fewer coin and military sellers. The outdoor cement figure man looked lonely. His angels and garden critters were not moving at all. Leaf blowers and hedge clippers were selling, as were rakes. Seasonal stuff. DeWit (sp?) electric tools were selling as were work pants. Records were not moving. It looked a lot like a "real" flea market today with bits of this and that, sort of like dealers emptied out their basements and garages and set up at the flea instead of holding a garage sale. I found nothing, so we went to 2 estate sales.

Whole sets of Johnson Bros. dishes were not sold, even at giveaway prices - you know the kind: brown with bits of red, American scenes. Glassware (nice crystal) was not selling, sets of 6 and 8 for $2 each and no takers. One place had Lalique & those Royal Doulton figure-things and they were still there 1 hr. before the sale closed. Maybe too expensive? A big red wagon sold for $30 knocked down from $60. All in all, a disappointment.

And that's my flea report.

Lol, Jack! Flea Report: It rained; we went anyhow, and bought umbrellas for $3. People were still selling, albeit under see-thru plastic. Bicycles were going. Book dealers weren't around. Old tools, which probably would get rusty, were selling, and someone had the biggest Allen wrench I ever saw! Maybe 8" long, for who knows what purpose? Mums were selling. People were selling out of the backs of their trucks, too. Fall garden decor (wet apparently doesn't bother plastic scare crows). Farm produce was flying into bags. Dealers who had tents were doing good business. Yarn skeins for whatever projects was selling. Ditto old patterns from the 50s -70s. We didn't see the pen dealer from last week, so wet and chilled, we went to estate sales. Living room and dining room furniture and pianos were listed and sold. Jewelry was selling, but dishes and glasses were not, even tho they were in sets. Was surprised to see old green Fiesta ware NOT selling. Maybe it was too high? Maybe the green color was off-putting.

What also didn't sell was a 1942-era GE round corner fridge in working condition. Lots of beer steins from West Germany were going to collectors. They had tops and raised decoration and so, were more desirable, I was told. Books at the estate sales were selling: $1 HC, .50 soft and then 75% off from that. Bought a bunch.

Really am looking forward to flea market Sunday with no rain, and the Kane County one the week after. Now, that's a huge flea market, with dealers from all across Midwest. Last time I got some nifty geodes.

2nd installment of fridge saga (you knew you'd get it, didn't you?). Guy arrived with only self; no door. Took a look at the 2 doors sitting in their boxes at the front, and said both were wrong (!?). Said the trim on my fridge was made so if it broke, you had to replace the entire door (!!!???). Is this why things are so costly in US? A plastic trim piece that breaks and could be replaced easily instead means you need to replace the whole door??? Said my model was so new they didn't have parts in stock, so he ordered it and will return in 2 weeks, hopefully with new door that will fit. He took away the 2 other doors and said he'd sell them to the junk dealer down the way. I hope he was kidding. And so it goes...

Satisfied, Jack?

Good afternoon, e'one!

Some grocery stores have frozen White Castles...

Story of my life follows, feel free to scroll:

Collapsed sewer pipe issue - lost patience with guy who was supposed to call & never did, so called regular plumber who came over & began work right away. Of course, while he was here, the other guy called... Anyhow, it's fixed.

Lost patience with trying to find a part in the owner's manual for new fridge. Could not find it at all. Called repair service; got someone somewhere & after a looooong time, she said she'd send the part. However, also called repair service and spoke with a woman who actually looked at a model and told me what part was needed (not one that other woman from somewhere in the world said) & scheduled technician to come today between 8 and noon (he or she's not here yet). Today, at 9 am, tho, FedEX delivered 2 (TWO) complete new fridge doors! The part that broke is basically a piece of trim along the bottom of the fridge door... So, can I sell the doors on eBay, do you think? And what do I do when the technician arrives with another door, as I suspect he or she will)? LOL

Other than having to have a few driveway unilock blocks re-installed and hoping the water issue is cleared up, all is well. Hope everyone's fine and having a wonderful day!

Gray and chilly here, but still a good day.

Why are small acorns not a good sign, Meanjeannie?

Seems PayPal is thinking about/already has set up B&M places, & may do more:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/PayPal-Prepares-for-a-Move-nytimes-3648700042.html?x=0&.v=1

Couple of other things, wellington, you might want to look on Amazon for gluten-free things. Read they carried a lot.

Learned something when I went to pick up my wall clock the other day from the horologist. It was a cheap clock I bought in England in 1971 (sentimental value), and I always wondered why it had a slit on the top and 3 holes on the bottom, when it had a top finial and a bottom finial. The horologist told me that in Europe during the war (didn't say which one), when fuel was hard to come by, people would take the tops and bottoms off clocks to burn for fuel, along with chairs, chests, wooden boxes, etc. I just had never thought about that, and am very grateful the "body" of my clock survived because I love it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day. Am planning another flea market run on Sunday. Who knows or cares what will turn up? It's the "thrill of the hunt."

Darn! I should have bought those real photo postcards. Seems they document the 1908 Moller & Vandenboom lumber yard fire, which consumed 1 million feet of lumber. Going to hope the vendor returns & they're still there next weekend. Of course, if I bought all the stuff I think might have resale value, I'd have a house full of unsaleable stuff (more than I already do).

Good morning, all.

Ran acroos an interesting article about pricing goods and consumer perception:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906144036.htm

Yesterday's flea market was interesting in terms of vendors and what sellers were buying. It is a real, old fashioned flea market, BTW. Bicycles! One would have thought those would be selling during the summer, but yesterday they were rolling off the site in droves. Maybe because kids would ride them to school? Old tools, again, were selling, as were new bundles of t-shirts, undies and socks. Ditto skinny-leg jeans. More vendors were selling what looked like garage-sale stuff than I had seen earlier in the season: pens were going fast. Household supplies and personal care things (new) in large sizes were also selling. No large scale postcard vendors were around, but there was the odd leaf or two of real photo postcards. Saw a set of 3 from maybe 1908 or so with a big fire in a grain elevator. Unfortunately no identifying info., but from the associated material, may have been Quincy, IL. I'll look the event up and maybe if I can ID it, will buy next week (if there).

This week, people were buying. I found 2 great bargains: a late 19th c. ceramic opium pillow in perfect condition decorated with lotus flowers and leaves (almost identical to one on internet auction site not eBay) for $2, and a Dagestan village rug from the 1960s for $25. The accompanying sand was free. The story surrounding it is kind of neat. I bargained for the rug (it's 3 x4) and was carrying it around under my arm. One vendor asked if it flew. Haha, I replied, I wish. He then told me he had sold oriental carpets for 50 years, and hadn't found one that flew yet. I told him I bought this one because it was one of the tough weave ones from the 60s and would use it at my side door. He, then told me it was a Dagestan village rug, instead of the Hamadan I had thought, and we ended up chatting about carpets. So, I learned something and realized you never know who you'll meet at a flea market or their area of expertise.

And that's my flea market report.

Winds are blowing cool air into Chicagoland.
Kath Was the book "Where the Red Fern Grows", by any chance? Depressing from what I recall, but supposedly a "boys" interest classic.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Good afternoon, all!

bookdelle Since you like Dickens, you might enjoy a novel I just finished: Quincunx, by Charles Palliser.

We had hoped that we would't get any more rain in the basement after rodding, catchbasin cleaning and caulking, but, alas, no. So back to the drawing board with that one...

Hope the folks down South are high and dry. Friend in Baton Rouge has a lake in her yard and more to come.

Good afternoon, everyone!

Must weigh in on the grammar discussion. Copy editors on 2 of my books wanted to change my text so it read "if it was." I refused. "If" takes the subjunctive. Plus, I'm old fashioned enough to want "an hotel" and "an unique." Have "gone to bat" with editors on those more times than I'd like to acknowledge. Still have problems with the double "s," for example, Meyers's. When to use double "s" and when not.

For a while, people were trying out "s/he" for "she/he." It didn't catch on. I think all this was a by-product of feminist critiques of the "maleness" of spoken and written language. Hence, we now have "chairperson," or "chair," rather than "chairman," along with other politically-correct words and phrases. Making myself aware of what can be misconstrued as "sexist" sometimes means I write convoluted sentences, or give it up, and write what I want, leaving the disentanglement to a copy editor.

casinokat, have you checked your blood pressure lately? Sometimes high bp gives you headaches.

I have nothing else to add, except I hope those on the East Coast are drying out. We're due for 2 days of blistering temps and rain.

Jim, my bet is that your tree is a locust tree. Are those brown banana-shaped pods? If so, those are locust seeds. The trees can grow up to 80 ft. tall. They're commonly-planted trees in Chicago area because they seem to be pollution-resistent. I have no idea if your's is a Honey or Black Locust, tho, but I'm fairly sure it's a Locust.

Singing in the Rain?

Mature sun flowers face east, but immature ones' leaves, etc., turn toward the sun -- I think.

So glad Irene wasn't as bad as predicted. So glad BBC members are safe!!

It's been the week from &%$#( -- First, had water pouring in thru window well window from our downpours. We have overhead sewers so how could this happen? Searched with a probe for 3 hours to find the ouside clean-out valve; entailed moving hosta and replanting. Found it, so guy rodded to street, cleaned catch basin again, and we recaulked window and repainted. Then generator installation that was supposed to take 2 days, took 6. But it's finished. No more worries about power outages! We had 5 this summer, & enough is enough. Might have been what caused the fridge to die on Thurs.

Fridge nestled in small space, so problems finding new one to fit. Spent 6 hrs. on-line. Found one that was 2 in. deeper than old but silver color. What the heck! Ordered it anyhow. Arrived Sat. and was installed perfectly. It's quite imposing. Such fun to fill it up! New Meijer grocery store opened Friday, so off we went. It's a pathetic commentary on my life to be excited about a refrigerator and a new grocery store (but I am). 😉

And so it goes... Does this qualify as a "blog"? If so, I apologize.

Patsy, Your question is an interesting one. Mortimer J. Adler (Great Books of the Western World) addressed it maybe 11 yrs. ago. He said: "The difference between great and good books is one of kind, not of degree. Good books are not "almost great" or "less than great" books. Great books are relevant to human problems in every century, not just germane to current twentieth-century problems. A great book requires to be read over and over, and has many meanings; a good book needs to have no more than one meaning, and it need be read no more than once."

Selecting books to include in his GBWW, he used a committee to decide. The books covered art, literature, philosophy, mathematics, etc. - the stuff the U. of C. folk thought all people, not just college students, should have read or should read to become "well-rounded." Criticism has been that this list is elitist (!?). It's really a different philosophy than one espoused by, say, John Dewey, who felt students should pursue their own interests in areas that also included readings.

Good morning, all!

Went to the Grayslake antique fair and vintage vinyl show yesterday. Surprised there were not more vendors and people.

In terms of what was selling: 1950s-60 rock had the day. Dion, Elvis, etc. Nothing unexpected, except I did see someone buy The Little Shop of Horrors album. Children's 45s were there, but I didn't see people going thru them.

What I did see, and this may be seasonal, was fishing-related stuff: a Hawaiian Spinner lure for $35 and a Whirligig for $20. Old reels (named) were $45 up. Other lures in individual plastic pkgs. were around $10. The large, painted, jointed wooden ones were around $12. I had no reference point for the prices, so just reporting.

Garden-related statues and handcast stepping stones from molds seemed to go well - again probably seasonal. I bought a dragon-fly stepping stone that weighs close to 25 pounds, so obviously not the type of thing to buy for eBay unless pick-up only. The plants for sale (hosta, small shrubs) were not selling. These seem to "go" earlier in the season, mostly likely when folk are thinking about gardening. Even the dealer who had vintage iron tools wasn't selling, altho the past 2 weeks at Rosemont flea market such tools were "hot." Maybe the crowd is different up north.

Again, jewelery was selling fast. There were many sellers with new, handmade stock, and also vintage costume. The more delicate vintage necklaces seemed to be in greater demand than the chunky "ethnic" style.

All in all, people seemed to be sitting on their wallets. And that's my report.

Kath, We went to a Jimmy Buffett concert and the age range was 20s thru 70s. Asked my son if he'd like to go and his comment was "You've got to be kidding! Sing-a-long with aging hippies?" Altho he bought tickets for a concert featuring the group I call "The Strolling Bones" (Rolling Stones), so go figure. And he says he's just rediscovering Bruce Springfield and Steve Earle (I used to listen to them a lot). He's 30, BTW.

Oh, forgot, Kath., crushed jewel weed is excellent to rub on poison ivy. It, too, grows close to poison ivy (needs same kind of growing conditions). I learned this on a dig in PA. Thought some chemist could make a fortune "bottling"(sp?) jewel weed compounds, but when I asked, seems its chemicals are not stable enough to do that.

Good morning, All!

The flea market was rained out yesterday, so we made our way over to a Half Price bookstore. The place was mobbed (opens at 9 am), even tho by the time we arrived, the rain had stopped. However, a Barnes and Noble in the same mall was practically empty. Price and variety seemed to be the driving force. People were really snarfing up the old, classic CDs for $1. Interestingly, there weren't any people using bar scanners in the clearance stacks like I've seen before. Debated about "The Handbook of Cast Iron Pipe" and a Khalil Gibran "Prophecies" book (somewhat foxed illustrations), even tho they were only $1 each. Talked briefly with the man in charge of buying books from the patrons. He said certain types sold better depending on the neighborhood where the store was located and they (meaning he) paid more or less for books patrons bought in depending on whether he thought those specific genres would sell in his store. Make sense? I've noticed the same thing in different Half Price book stores, such as the one in Highland Park has lots of cookbooks and Judaica (I suppose because it's in an area where people read and sell back those kinds of books); the ones in Milwaukee have many more "scholarly" books most likely because of the universities up there, and the one where I was yesterday carries lots of fiction, sci-fi & fantasy. I should have asked if these kinds of books sell better in the summer (for vacation-reading). I'll ask next time if there are "seasons" for specific kinds of books.

Speaking of records: This coming weekend, in Grayslake, there will be a vintage vinyl show, in conjunction with the "antique" market. If there's any interest, I'll ask what kinds of records are selling: classic blues, classic rock, or whatever.

Hope everyone has a great day! And I'm looking forward to hearing about your cruise, Patsy.

Happy days are here again! AND I have a book-related post.

Saturday, my favorit, trusty old desktop (I have a lap top) hard drive crashed. Lost OS. So, no problem, thought I, just reinstall after doing system restore. NOT. After messing around for a while, decided to dump the machine, but hated to lose my favorite laser printer. Soooo, to make a long story short, dumped old scanner, and after an hour was able to get laser printer up and running! Ordered an ergonomic keyboard because I hate the laptop one, and feel inordinately proud of self.

Now for money-saving book-related post: Was searching for a very scarce recipe pamphlet to use in one of my talks/powerpoints. Found it on Adall/Antiqubook site for $10. The seller's website was listed. Went to website and there it was for $5! Of course, I ordered it. Shipping was less, too. Moral of story: always check seller's website to see if price is better there. (BTW, it arrived beautifully-packed in plastic, with seller's website bookmark, a card describing grading of books in general, AND a cute set of note papers).

It's miserable out today. In fact, it's so humid, the window in the basement window well that leaked in the last rain hasn't dried out enough so we can re-caulk. We're going to try the hairdryer trick next.

I really hope everyone has a great day! My toes are tapping, my heart is singing, and I'm a very happy girl.

furtima The Newberry Library has a bunch of genealogy record links on line. You maybe could check there.

Was at flea market for 2.5 hrs. today (Was I insane? - Don't answer). It was jammed despite the heat and humidity and being held in the asphalt parking lot of the All-State arena. What was selling were CDs and DVDs, costume jewelry, t-shirts, kids' Matchbook cars, and old tools (again). It was too hot to look thru postcards and old photos. Books were old and moldy, and nothing special. And that's my flea market report.

My condolences to the family & friends of crucesrose. She was a kind, upbeat person who will be missed.

We didn't have hummers in the yard this year, but we do have a hummingbird moth! Have tried for the last 2 days to get a picture of it on our butterfly bush but it's too fast. They are truly lovely.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Ask and you shall receive, sareader. Check here: http://www.engineeringprogramsintheusa.com/LiberalArtsColleges.cfm

sareader, University of Chicago is starting a new engineering program.

Diane My sincere condolences on your loss.

Today in History: the invention of modern air conditioning (1902).

Just thought it apropos...for some reason 😉

You should understand that traditional Chinese greatly revere their elders for their wisdom... and try to follow their advice...

Good morning, everyone!

Have a somewhat funny story to report about our geographers excursion to Chinatown yesterday. Thirteen of us took ourselves on a tour of the area. We stopped at a bakery where the owner came out and asked if he could take a picture of the group. Flattered, we asked why. He responded he wanted to put it up in his store with the caption: " 1000 years of wisdom chose my bakery." Our ages only totaled 909, but that's a minor point. We, the youngest of us a mere 62, the oldest close to 90, got a major chuckle from this. And with that, we toodled off to sample in-house smoked barbeque items. 😉

But haven't you all joined and made friends here? Or on the old BB? Or are they just acquaintances? curious as to difference, since it seems to me we share lots of "intimate" details. Am testing if I can post using blackberry and it seems I can!

mingomom Sure hope the surgery goes well, and you recover quickly!

Good morning, everyone! The sun is out and the humidity dropped. 868,000 ComEd customers lost power with half still out. Things look brighter, too, with DIL. She's on a new course of antibiotics. They arrived home to no power, tho. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I was beyond frazzled.

Update (such as it is): blood test is OK; ultrasound is OK; 3 specialists conferring as to why she is in such pain. Was there for both g-kids' births. Have my own opinions about how they were (mis)managed. Will never say anything about it.

wellington MRI was what I was told. What do I know? I try to avoid doctors at all costs.

webmasterBTW, when I click on unresponsive script (whatever that means) box & "Stop Script" half of the box stays up there & I can't close it. Pardon me, please, if I sound crabby.

ok. Since y'all asked. Baby is 3 weeks old. DIL had 5 DAYS of trying to induce labor - all sorts of stuff. 2 days after bwas born, she started running 102 fever with tons of pain. Ended up in hospital for 6 days on IV codeine and antibiotics. Home, but still in pain. Finished antibiotics/off codeine, and now pain and fever returned. They did MRI but I don't know the results. They don't want to do other kind of exam for fear of introducing/producing another infection. Someone said the next step might be surgery. I am going nuts.

treasuremomz THANK YOU! I really am close to tears. The baby is fine - I meant being a carrier was so much more preferable than having disease. Courtney's brother has CF & it's horrible. I so hope someone figures out what's going on with Courtney. It breaks my heart. Sorry for TMI, people. I'm nervous.

yes, wellington, sorry to have missed your call. The storm raged thru at 70-80 mph. Worst in IL hist. 650,000 without power. Trees down thruout neighborhood. Big ones. We lost a parkway limb and had neighbor's willow branches all over. Otherwise OK. DD up north lost a big tree limb but otherwise was OK.

DIL is back in ER with severe pain and fever. I am hovering next to the phone. Baby tested out OK as not having CF but being a carrier (which is wonderful!). Thanks for those good thoughts and prayers! Keep 'em coming, please, for DIL (especially since when she's sick I have to cook for them)...

well, that was ugly. However, you all now know It was me posting and not some imposter. 😉

A great Good Morning, all! Huge storm moved thru a bit ago (just rebooted computer). Oh, Chicago, where the winds come whistlin' 'cross the plains... sort of anyhow, the sky turned a sickly shade of green-gray, the rain sheeted, and my neighbor lost power (for a change out grid is OK). Flea market report: pretty much similar stuff as reported last week on the refugee board. Old, vintage tools were selling. In the post card area (I asked): real photo shots of small towns from 19th-early 20th c., and small town businesses, and old trucks/cars were "hot." Also, and I found this interesting antique holiday cards, esp. ones for Thanksgiving? Why? Is poultry "hot"? no answer for that.Now, with thanks to my unpaid, but ever enthusiastic PR folk (lludwig and wellington), I would be greatly honored to have a permanent spot on this board. I can't imagine why there would be a need for a permanent spot, but IF it were open to ALL chat members, then, as we say in the Midwest, "It's OK by me."

The old BB saw the publication of 4 of my books. People celebrated with me, and many BB'ers helped with them along the way. I received data and persimmon pulp, books and encouragement from many, many posters. In fact, the books would have been far less rich in content had it not been for their help. My life (and I mean this sincerely) has been greatly enriched because of the on-line and in-person friendships I have made, all facilitated by the BB. Thank you all! (end of speech).

meanjeannie I see a whole new source of income for you: selling dried cow pies to survivalists or whatever they're called these days. From what I know (admittedly little), dried pies can be used to insulate floors, as fuel and heat, and are reasonably light, so shipping shouldn't be a problem. 😉