I have not been all that productive this weekend, which is OK. I puttered and I puttered some more. I ate, I drank, and was mostly merry. And I did read and it was even a real book. I have fallen into the habit of reading mostly on Kindle on one device or another. It is convenient, and mostly quite easy on my eyes. But it does make me wince every time I walk by my library with its several thousand volumes, all real books. I almost randomly chose a real book to read today, and it made me smile at its importance.
Most of us have read Catcher in the Rye, and that is good. J.D. Salinger's book is one of those classics that make up what we think of as cultural literacy. His 1953 collection of short stories, titled Nine Stories is also a classic. I'm not going to give a book report, but I can promise that this book contains some of the best short stories (and certainly my favorite short stories) ever. They are, and the word is totally inadequate, vivid. I have read and reread this collection and it moves me. "For Esme, with Love and Squalor," is without a doubt one of my favorite short stories ever. It proves I am a sentimental sap, but it is also very well written, as is "A Perfect Day for Bannanafish."
It proves that reading a real book now and again is worth it.
The photos are random. My first bonfire brightened my evening. I was cleaning my hammers ( and I bet not many of your friends ever use or can use that phrase!) and thought that they looked cool. I am on the search for hammers for my blacksmithing career. Ebay is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't seem like hammers are sold individually--they need two or three others so the hammer count is adding up. But they are fun. They, like cameras or fountain pens tell a story. The pile here is mostly from the 1940s on and are all pretty good hammers. They are all drop forged and one is hand forged. Next time I am in front of a forge I will be all set. All I need is a rounder and flaterer. Really.
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