There is one thing good about problems. They always help you to look for that elusive silver lining that everyone is always saying is there amongst the darkest clouds. The gloom and doom can be assuage by finding one happy paragraph hidden in between the pages of an otherwise dire novel. Not all is bad. Discovering the termites had infiltrated my bookshelves and my books seemed to be an "end-of-the-world" situation. I fretted over the fact that even though we have been fighting these critters since Hurricane Katrina, there appears to be no winning the war. The fact that the termites became literary and attacked my books said volumes about their appetites. They are voracious! Son started ripping out the built-in book cases as I unloaded hundreds of antique books. That silver lining was hard to find.
My mind made up to look through the books and discard some, I sorted them into stacks. The decision of which to toss, donate or keep was difficult. I really needed more time and someone who has a keen eye to help me. That ain't happenin', folks. I am on my own. I do not like this job except for the fact that I have found a few books that need reading! My silver lining had been found. A new desire to delve into a few of the dusty, old novels filled my brain. So, I chose one to begin.
"Bambi". I did not even know that this was on the shelf. Hmm? Time to read this ragged novel that once belong to Aunt Elizabeth way back in the early 1920's. Now before anyone thinks I am going to sit down and read a happy, little tale about a fawn, I shall explain. Long before the now known as Disney version of "Bambi", another book was written. Along about 1914, a noted author, Marjorie Benton Cooke penned a novel about a young woman and her haphazard adventures. Bambi is an impetuous young woman who marries a ne'er-do-well playwright and sets out to "find" a career to support him. The story is rather sweet yet frustrating at times as today's reader cannot fully grasp why "Bambina" does what she does.
With the promotional overload of more modern tales, we are all jaded in our choices. Gone are the days of classic novels that deserve to be read for pure enjoyment of the reader and not to fill the pockets of big business. Books like Marjorie Benton Cooke's "Bambi" are lost in the shadows of the more popularized, flashy, movie versions of books by the same title. The classics are considered "old" and therefore not good. Personally, I would rather hold a timeworn book in my hand and feel what the author wanted to relate than be bombarded with the current literary choices. Dusty, old books are treasures.
Sometimes life throws stuff at you that seems to be more than you can handle. You muddle through and, by all rights, thing should get better. Just when you think things are starting to look up, the whole kit and caboodle is hurled at you with the greatest of force. At times like that, you better duck your head until the blast passes and then come up fighting. That is how it is here on the Bayou. Things are not looking the best at the moment but I am still swinging and hope to win the battle.
Hurricanes are wicked things that come in with a fury and smack everything in the path. The Little Bayou House has withstood even the strongest of these but I am not sure just how many more blasts the old place can take. Hurricane Katrina is doing far more damage to the place today than it did twelve years ago. I am talking about termites...again. The critters came into the area after the hurricane, made themselves at home and then started eating that home...all the homes on the Coast. We have been fighting the wood-munching critters for years now. The war is on and we do win some battles but today...I found that the termites are sneaky.
I needed a book off the shelf in the dining room. Bookshelves flank the fireplace and are filled with old books...some dating as far back as the early 1800's. I love these dusty old things and often read them. But today, the story of the books is heartbreaking. Termites had tunneled their way up through the shelves and into the books. Yep, the termites had chewed right through the pages of the books. Two of the books were Pop's old school books. I was almost as angry over the loss of these as I was the shelves and, well, literally my house. There is no defeating these things!
Son and I pulled hundreds of books from the shelves, checked them for bugs, packed them in large trash bags and sprayed them. He, then, started ripping out the built-in shelves. The dining room will be gutted and we will go from there. If the damage is too extensive, I am almost to the point of building a new house. It is that bad....and just keeps getting worse.
I just finished the new playroom in the nick of time! The grandlittles (along with mom and dad) are on their way to the Bayou. As far as I know, I have things ready for "little people" (as Son calls them) to be here. Without spending a dime, I managed to pull together enough toys from the family stash of "heirlooms" for the room to be filled with joyous times. I am hoping the grandlittles find it as fun as can be and know that MawMaw would do it all again for them if the need arises.
I have not told my son and daughter-in-law about the room's transformation. I wanted it to be a surprise for them as well. Maybe this was a bad idea as they made a request to use the room for the baby's sleeping quarters. Oops! Sorry! I removed the bed to make more play space! But all will work itself out accordingly as it always does.
The playroom is filled with not only toys from days past but also has a reading area filled with books from when my kids were tykes. One book in particular should bring back a few memories. A small book called "Sun Up" was my oldest son's (dad of the grandlittles) favorite when he was a mere tyke himself. This is the book that he always wanted me to read to him at bedtime. This is, also, the book that has a story behind it. One day when he was about three years old, Mark (son) was in his room reading aloud. I was amazed! My son was the smartest kid on earth! He was reading fluently at age three! I went in and listened. He was so proud to read the book to me for a change. All was great until I realized that he was actually holding the book upside down! He was NOT reading at all! He had memorized the book word for word and was merely reciting it to me. For a moment, my bubble was burst then it dawned on me that for him to have such a good memory was amazing in itself! It did not matter that the book was upside down....it did not matter that he was reciting instead of reading....he had developed a love for books and knowledge and that was all that did matter! He was the smartest kid on earth...at least in his mom's eyes.
Now the little book sits next to his very first bunny rabbit as it waits for his children to find the joy from their dad's childhood. This should be a very interesting visit as I watch a dad and his children discover things...the kids will discover the love for the past and their dad will rediscover his past. Time to sit back and watch....and enjoy.
