of libraries and barg-o-ramas

Happy National Library Week! My friend Sydney wrote a library poem, which she has allowed me to post here. Her mom is a retired school librarian, so Sydney grew up loving libraries. She's a retired VP with Oxygen network who now keep busy writing,  career coaching, and teaching a class at Grinnell College: her alma mater.

The Library

By Sydney McQuoid

Heart of a city where

words reign supreme.
Actions put aside,
sages and fools
step into Library
where thoughts are protected -
anarchy or protest.

Listen and learn.

Priests or paupers
tell a story,
prized or pummeled
lauded or liked.
All are welcome
to walk library’s hearth.


On a totally different note, here are some totally sweet barg-o-ramas I've recently snagged thrifting:

Brighton bag. Perfect shape. Got this for $5.99, which is expensive by my thrifting standards, but sometimes you just have to treat yourself. Besides, I'm a sucker for Brighton bags.

Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. (If you could read the brand name on the snap, that is.) Yes, I may be a bit old to be buying Hollister Jeans. If this makes you feel any better, I'll admit, I've never stepped foot in the actual store. It's just that when I saw these hanging forlornly on the Goodwill rack, it was love at first sight. We had a certain chemistry that could not be denied. Hey, and these babies fit perfectly. They don't even look teenybopper-ish. At least not that I can tell. And the icing on the cake...they were only three bucks. What's not to love at three bucks?

This T-shirt find was exciting for three reasons. One, it is an authentic vintage Hawaii T actually made in Hawaii. Two, Quiet Guy and I are going to Hawaii next fall for our 30th anniversary, so this will be perfect to wear there, and to wear leading up to the trip to remind me of said upcoming trip. (Generally, the thing I enjoy most about events is looking forward to them, so this T will give me several months of pre-trip vacation bliss.) And, Three, the $1.99 price. Cha-ching.