Ben goes shopping. (For larger image, dbl. click on photo.)
The Reading Mother

~

I had a Mother who read to me

Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,

Cutlasses clenched in their yellowed teeth,

"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.

~

I had a Mother who read me lays

Of ancient and gallant and golden days;

Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,

Which every boy has a right to know.

~

I had a Mother who read me tales

Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,

True to his trust till his tragic death,

Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

~

I had a Mother who read me the things

That wholesome life to the boy heart brings ~

Stories that stir with an upward touch,

Oh, that each Mother of boys were such!

~

You may have tangible wealth untold:

Chests of jewels and coffers of gold,

Richer than I, you can never be ~

For I had a Mother who read to me.

~ Strickland Gillilan, American poet (1869 - 1954)

Sachem Article - The Neat Little Bookshop

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sachem.ca%2Fopinions%2Farticle%2F229522&sa=D&usg=AFQjCNHYbKvH-L2Ym6j3zJYlnY6mjoEi0A

Thank you Jill Morison for the excellent article in The Sachem about The Neat Little Bookshop. We are looking forward to having Jill share with us some of her own personal stories. She is well known in journalistic circles and concedes that the opportunity to write good-news stories is exciting.

"Lorna Walker has a neat little bookshop" appeared in the February 15th issue of The Sachem, a weekly based in Caledonia, Ontario. Also available online.

Possibly A "Herbism?"

We'll have a sweet little cafe
In a neat little square,
We'll find our fortune and our happiness there.
We shall thrive on the vain and resplendent
And contrive to remain independent.
We'll have a meek reputation
And a chic clientele.
King's will fall under our spell.
We'll be so zealous
That the world will be jealous.

Bitter Sweet, 1929, Noel Coward, English playwright, author (1899 - 1973)

Have we identifed Herb's inspiration for the name "The Neat Little Bookshop?" In a column in the Grand River Sachem, 2002, Neil Dring establishes that Herb Martindale's Neat Little Bookshop got its name from a Noel Coward play. [Refer "Books Good Books" Feb. 4 blog-post.]

Those who knew Herb will recognize a "Herbism." Herb always leaves us smiling!

++---Our thoughts and prayers are with Birdsall Melick's family, neighbours and friends tonight---++

Our dear friend, Kim Jeffrey, has offered on short notice to OPEN the bookshop tomorrow morning. Kim is opening her own pottery and gift shop in the spring just around the corner. We welcome Kim and appreciate her help.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

We will be attending a family funeral. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. We will be available as usual for Story Hour in the afternoon.

The Charles Taylor Prize 2011

And the winner is:

Mordecai: The Life & Times by Charles Foran, Alfred A. Kopf Canada. The 10th Charles Taylor prize was announced on Monday, February 14 at an event in Toronto, Ontario. The winner was presented with a cheque for $25,000 and a specially commissioned crystal award.

The remaining nominees were presented with a leather-bound copy of their shortlisted book and an honorarium of $2,000.

http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints ~ I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! ~ and if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet; wife of Robert Browning (1806 - 1861)
Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) no. 43 The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Oxford University Press, 2001.