Too Many Books....Too Little Time....

We are preparing for the World's Largest Garage Sale.

Well, OK, maybe Wheaton's Largest Garage Sale.

Let me rephrase that....perhaps the Largest Garage Sale On Our Block on May 26-27.

In any case, we haven't done one since Tim was about 10 months old and required one of us to walk him -- us, backs hunched over; him, arms akimbo clutching to our fingers.

He's going to graduate from Taylor University next week -- but that's a subject for another blog.

In any case, it has been a long time. Jill is giving us *stuff* since they are moving to Naples on the 18th; Torrey and Chris have given us more *stuff* but they are heading northward to help us out. I'm sure Tim has *stuff* and if he hasn't found the perfect job at a "really nice restaurant" (read -- big tips), then he'll be conscripted to man the yard as well.

All that to say that Bob and I are working diligently to get ready for this event. He's been after me to look at the books.

What can I say about our books? We have a lot of them. No, we have A LOT of them. I'm not sure how many. I estimate around 3000 or so. Give or take a couple of hundred. Bob's idea is that I go through ALL of them and sort out which I can give to the cause.

Oh my, so MANY books! So LITTLE time!!

Now mind you, if I think a book needs to be kept, it will be kept. Bob never argues with that. (I think he's feeling lucky that I might be willing to part with -- oh -- 10 or so.) You see, books are friends. And you don't just -- oh -- sell your friends! So as I was going through the books in the basement (where there are probably 2000 of the 3000 we own), I kept finding ones that I needed to read "just one more time." Friends!! "Oh, I forgot I had this one!" "Oh, I need to read this again!" "Oh my, I just got this one out of the library, and I have a copy right here!"

If I'm feeling a need to shop, all I have to do is hit the Wheaton Public Library. If they have a book I've been wanting to read in their new book section -- that's it. That's my shopping. It's amazing -- and I haven't spent a cent.

(An aside: Shortly after we moved here, my sister Lyn and her fiance Tim, came to visit. Lyn had forgotten our address, and as luck would have it, she couldn't, for some reason, get our phone number from what passed as directory assistance in those days. But she just knew that the first thing I would do is get a library card and THEY would have my address. Sho 'nuff!)

My favorite date is a Saturday night at Borders where they often have live music, I can peruse the books and hunker down with a cappuccino (decaf) and read Martha Stewart Living or "O". It sounds like a cheap date until you add up all the books I've generally felt compelled to buy. I actually added a line item to our monthly expenses labeled "books."

I have been VERY good over the last four months, however, though I have stayed away from Borders. I will attempt to limit purchases in that area even though Bob now has a job.

Books. Oh yes, books. We have an amazing eclectic collection -- I found I tend to be partial to CS Lewis, Yancey and McLaren. Also Cussler, Christie (I think I have ALL of hers), Cook, Lincoln/Childs, Sayers, Grace Livingston Hill (whom my mother heard speak at Wheaton College and thought she was dreadful as a speaker but good as a writer), and scads of young teen books I enjoyed as a -- well -- young teen. I'm partial to hospital/medical novels, and we have a lot of books on -- well, parenting, childrearing, breastfeeding (funny thing about that), and -- tons of others.

Bob estimates I actually put about 500 books in the garage sale -- I think there are 15 boxes so far. OK. We have done one room in the basement -- well, almost. I have 6 shelves that are double booked to go. Plus maybe 10 more bookshelves in the basement and 7 upstairs. Also did the two big bookshelves in the living room.

He intends to count what is left. I'll report the findings.

Meanwhile, he's hunkered down reading DaVinci Code for the second time in prep for the movie and primarily to see what on earth all the hoopla is about. It's second rate FICTION for goodness sake!!

Oh, but there are SO many books left for me to read again.

And there is SO little time.

Maybe when we retire.

Oh -- by the way, I put about 50 Babysitter Club books in the sale pile. Jill -- Torrey -- hope you don't mind!