Thought for Today:

"I have friends, whose society is extremely agreeable to me; they are of all ages, and of every country. They have distinguished themselves both in the cabinet and in the field, and obtained high honors for their knowledge of the sciences. It is easy to gain access to them; for they are always at my service, and I admit them to my company, and dismiss them from it, whenever I please. They are never troublesome, but immediately answer every question I ask them. Some relate to me the events of past ages, while others reveal to me the secrets of nature. Some, by their vivacity, drive away my cares and exhilarate my spirits, while others give fortitude to my mind, and teach me the important lesson how to restrain my desires, and to depend wholly on myself. They open to me, in short, the various avenues of all the arts and sciences, and upon their information I safely rely, in all emergencies. In return for all these services, they only ask me to accommodate them with a convenient chamber in some corner of my humble habitation, where they may repose in peace: for these friends are more delighted by the tranquillity of retirement, than by the tumults of society."

~ Petrarch (1304 - 1374) Italian scholar

Will re-open ~ as soon as we can. Watch for details.

Will re-open ~ as soon as we can secure a safe place.
Photo taken Wednesday, July 20. Hole in drop-ceiling through which fell a 35.6 L, 17" x 22" Rubbermaid bin full of water. Shop vac delivered for John to do some sort of clean-up! Turned out to be the least of our problems.
(For larger image, click 3X on photo.)

Smile for Today ~

"When we are collecting books, we are collecting
happiness."

~ Vincent Starrett (1886 - 1974) American writer, newspaper man, born above his grandfather's bookshop in Toronto, Ontario.

"...open the the book itself, carefully lifting the front cover and, with brand-new books (as opposed to used ones), quietly thrilling at the slight resistance offered by a cover that's never been opened before. Gingerly turning the pages, I read the half-title page, the title page, and, in a nonfiction book, the table of contents, savoring each step, until I come to the first page of text. This is the real test, the point at which I will decide to buy or not to buy, elect to make this book part of my life or place it back on the shelf. And so I read the first paragraph, only the first paragraph, never more...."

~ Rob Kaplan (b. 1952) American author, journalist

Did you Know ?

The Indian Bible, printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the first edition of the Scriptures in any language to be printed in the land that was to become the United States of America?

The Algonquian Indians had no written language. A Reverend Mr. Eliot learned their spoken language, established a symbology and with the help of a London printer and London machinery, produced in 1662 the New Testament. In 1663 the Old Testament was added.

A PASSION for BOOKS, Edited byHarold Rabinowitz & Rob Kaplan, Three Rivers Press, 1999, article by Ben D. Zevin

The annual CayugaFest Parade ~ More photos.
Dedicated to our farmers who this morning are finally getting RAIN!!!

View Along Cayuga Street ~ July 16

Congratulations to this year's CayugaFest committee. Great job!!!

(Click on photo for larger image.)

Smile for Today:

"Dust, according to some authorities, is not in itself so damaging to books as the act of dusting them by unskillful or irreverent performers. Both Blades* and Birrell stiffly maintain that you should never dust books; let the dust lie until the rare hour arrives when you want to read a particular volume; then warily, Birrell advises, approach it with a snow-white napkin, take it down from its shelf, and with-drawing to some back apartment, proceed to cleanse the tome."

~ A Passion for Books,Harold Rabinowitz & Rob Kaplan, Three Rivers Press, Random House, Inc. ,1999. Article by Holbrook Jackson, 286.

*Wm. Blades (1824 - 1890) British printer, author, collector of old books.