Hate and Happiness, Books, Dogs, Gardens

As Popeye always said, "I yam what I yam."

Does somebody out there hate me? Really?

 

Even good friends sometimes forget that I moderate comments on my blog, and they can be frustrated when what they wrote does not appear immediately. I remind them that their comment will show as soon as I hit that little ‘publish’ command. 

 

What does not get my thumbs up is spam in comment disguise, such as, “Gee, this content is really interesting,” with a link to whatever business the spammer (probably a bot rather than a person most of the time) is trying to promote, which can be anything from crypto-“currency” to Caribbean vacations to—well, you get the point. 

 

The other day, though, something really weird showed up. It came from “Anonymous,” who is a frequent commenter, but this time the comment consisted of a single repeated word, in full caps—“DIE DIE DIE,” etc., repeated over two dozen times per line for twenty lines. Such is the strangeness of our world today that I wasn’t even shocked or upset. Way too many scarier things to worry about these days. I am, however, mildly curious. 

 

Did a real person leave this message? If so, was it someone who knows me? A stranger? A regular reader of Books in Northport? Someone who has been in my shop? Or was it not a person at all?

 

Long story shortened here: I marked it as spam and deleted it, and unless I get a confession from a verified human being, I'm going to believe that it was spam—from a IA bot!

"Don't chew on it, Mom." "I won't, Sunny."

 

Happier stuff

But Wednesday was a happy day for me at Dog Ears Books. Although the weather had turned cold again, my heart was warmed by the arrival of the first half of my latest new book order, which included a stack of Lynne Rae Perkins’s latest title. Hooray!!! The publisher (Greenwillow) says At Home in a Faraway Place is for ages 8 to 12, or children in grades 4 through 6, but my personal opinion, as a reader and a bookseller, is that this book, as is true of all books from LRP, is for all ages. I would certainly not want to miss the story myself, though I passed my 12^th birthday—let's just say, a while ago. 

"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” I chortle in my joy.

The box delivered on Wednesday by Ted the UPS man also contained a happy assortment for little ones just being introduced to the wonderful world of books, and the sun even broke through as I was arranging them for a group photo. 

And with MICHIGAN THEMES!!!

Other than that—

 

Sunny takes a little break now and then. 

So does the dog mom.

My life has been the usual round of bookshop, reading, and dog play, with unaccustomed bits of housework (floor scrubbing) and seasonal yard tasks (raking and moving plants to make way for a hardscape renovation, i.e., new boardwalk entrance path to house.

No, I am not doing this work myself!

We had a few days that felt like spring, a short power outage (see previous post), and now the forecast holds the probability of snow again for the first day of spring. But it is, I repeat, a spring snow, not the return of winter, as we transition from snow and ice to mud, mudlicious mud!

 

 

And now, spring break

 

Northport School will be on spring break next week, March 24 to 28; however, after 48 hours spent considering a cross-country trip, I decided there is too much that needs doing at home and in my shop, so Dog Ears Books will be open next week. I may adjust my hours, say, from noon to 4 p.m., but I will be here Wednesday through Saturday, as usual.

P.S. I LOVE Lynne Rae's new book!!!

And HAPPY SPRING, everyone!!!

“Snowvember” at the Bookstore in Northport

Front page local news!

Photo of the front page of our local weekly newspaper is at the top of today's post just so you know I didn’t make up the name "Snowvember" for Leelanau’s first month of the 2019-2020 winter. Snow varied from one part of the county to another, but everyone got somewhere between two and three feet. Not what we expect in November, with leaves still on the trees and field corn still on the stalks. No one was ready for it. 

People have been reading and laughing at and saying they love the little sign on the bookstore door that says “Closed Sundays & Mondays are iffy.” (They almost always say aloud what they've just read, "Mondays are iffy," as they come in the door.) Because of the snowstorm that began Sunday night and continued without letup through Tuesday, however, this week it was Wednesday before we could get to Waukazoo Street and shovel our way into Dog Ears Books, but that was okay, because we were on hand Wednesday and Thursday when Dan, Dan, the UPS man, came through the door with boxes of new books. 

Among other titles, that book delivery included a fresh supply of Wintercake for Saturday, when the weather promises to be clear and Lynne Rae Perkins, our favorite young children’s author, will come to Northport to sign books. I can’t think of a better holiday gift for the little ones and the whole family than this newest Perkins charmer. If littlest ones insist on “own books!” to hold while Grandma or Grandpa reads the Wintercake story aloud, we also offer irresistible little board books by Eric Carle, Sandra Boynton, and others. 

So -- one more time -- that's tomorrow, Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m., when you’ll want to come to visit with the always delightful Lynne Rae Perkins and have her inscribe a copy for you of her delightfully delicious new children's book, Wintercake. 

Also, because the last day of our bookstore season will be Saturday, November 30, the last new book order I’ll be sending in will be next Monday, so if there is anything you want me to order, either for you or for a gift you want to give to someone else, please get that title to me by Saturday, Nov. 16, as well. 

Again, that’s Saturday, Nov. 16, for last book orders of the season and Saturday, Nov. 16, for Lynne Rae Perkins book signing.

And it's Saturday, Nov. 30, for your last book-shopping day on Waukazoo Street!!! Note that we will be open (barring another severe blizzard!) on both Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving Day, so whether you are shopping for holiday gifts or (if you are one of those who eschews holiday gift-giving) simply taking this rich opportunity to treat yourself, we will be most happy to welcome you, help you select books, and wish you a good rest of the winter, wherever you plan to spend the months ahead while your local bookseller takes her annual seasonal retirement in the Southwest. 

But you don't have to hold back on coming today, either. It's Friday, lights are going up on the village tree, the sun is peeking out from the clouds from time to time, and the bookstore is open NOW, so by all means pay us a visit!