Buffalo Gal

I have had one of those lovely, perfect days I cherish. Even though it is gray and rainy, I did something I always enjoy to the maximum degree….I made another lovely, dreamy, wonderful, many-hour trip with good friend Fran to Barnes and Noble for one of our Browsing and Buying days at that bookstore. I have heard things about Barnes and Noble being in “trouble” (financial) and I shudder…what would Fran and I do if B and N closed it doors. It is such an enjoyable social event to spend hours there…..browsing, holding , touching, turning pages in REAL books. The sweet scent of new books, pages of paper and coffee concoctions is such a greeting when you walk in the entrance. I have to stand a minute and breathe it in …deeply. A “nook” or a “kindle” cannot hold a candle ( or a kindle!) to a real bookstore with BOOKS on the shelves. It is sweet music to my soul to be in a bookstore—–or a library.
Then we get our usual coffees….Mocha for me and a Breve for Fran. We take our places on the stool perches at the coffee counter that overlooks the bookstore layout. I wonder if those who may look back at us think of a couple of old crows perched on a tree branch? Nawwwww…..we cannot look like that-way—-yet! We people-watch and chat and chat some more and sip our hot coffees til they are gone. Sometimes we make up little stories about the people we see…we give them names and reasons why they come to Barnes and Noble. It is a truly enjoyable fantasy time. Our stories are pretty good too!
Then we begin to think about the browsing part of our day. Fran heads for the poetry section and I head to many places…current biography, Christian fiction, the childrens’ books (you can take a librarian out of her library but you cannot take the library our of the old librarian!) I also pick up books from current US history and maybe a gardening book or two. I also like to read about and look at paintings by Johannes Vermeer of 17th century Delft, Netherlands. Also a collection of poetry assembled by Garrison Keillor.
I did it all today and carried my books to the southwest corner of the store where the comfortable chairs are for readers. Today they were already full and I sat at one of the tables which was fine—except for two guys old enough to know better…. they were at least my age….one of them answered his loudly ringing cell phone twice and they talked too loudly for my satisfaction. I am so old…and old fashioned..that I think bookstores and libraries should be QUIET PLACES. I resist the urge to tell people like them to take their phones and loud talking somewhere else…like outside or in their cars. What an old Crabapple I am becoming!!!! I like it quiet when I read..always have and always will.
Someone always has a screaming, tantrum-having child in the store too…..more Crabapple reactions.
The browsing ends up with getting in line to buy things….I found a lovely basket today on and Earth Day table….made from recycled newspaper that was dyed in mulitple colors..very sturdy. I bought it for a shower gift for a bride this coming Monday night. It is lovely and I later bought some colorful napkins to go in it. I will write out some of my favorite best recipes for the bride to be also and put them in the basket as well. One of the best shower gifts I ever got was a recipe box with the givers’ favorite recipes. I treasure that gift 51 years later!!!! I will never forget Mary Ann who gave it to me even though she passed away several years ago.
Browsing and buying ends, and off we go—- into the wild blue yonder–well actually we go to the Olive Garden and order our favorite soup (Tuscana) and the endless salad and bread sticks. It is the order of the day when we go on our BN outings and this cannot be changed even when we had a 35 minute wait today. People are out shopping for Easter or other things. Kids have vacation and that means shopping for many families. The leisurely lunch completed…we both had to have a glass of wine..one Cabernet and one Moscato…and we go again..headed for home with a quick stop at a CVS store for napkins and Yardley soap bars. Oh—wait once..look at the Cadbury chocolate eggs filled with caramel—two for a dollar–one for you and one for me. So back in the car we eat our Easter treat while the rain falls gently around the car and on the car.
We drive to my home. Fran transfers her Billy Collins poetry book (a NEW one) into her car and she goes home to Detroit Lakes while I get out about three big containers of wild bird seed for the chittering Juncos in the spruce trees. It is wet and nasty today and the Juncos need extra food..or so I think and they land under the trees and appreciatively began eating the fresh food. They seem grateful. I know they are!
What a dreamy, lovely , wonderful day. And I have a couple of new Inspector Morses to consider all evening while the gentle rains continue to fall.
The earth is having a much needed shampoo after the grit and fungus of winter have set into the gray grass.
Better greener days are on the way!