Ohio is in the midst of a winter storm, which started Wed. night with rain turning to ice, with a dusting of snow. It was pretty to look at, but nerve wracking in parking lots. Despite that, I was determined to attend the annual book sale at one of the local libraries. Last year, I missed it because I was sick, so I was pleased to get back on schedule.
It was busier than expected, considering the weather and they have expanded the sale into 4 meeting rooms this year. One room was expensive collector's editions, some priced at $50 or more. This included a giant book on cat breeds, a thin book that was almost 3 feet square. The photos of cats were actually life size in some cases. It may the biggest book I've ever seen, larger than many atlases. It was quite freakish to see.
Despite the tables full of books, it took awhile to find anything that 1)I didn't already have 2)the font didn't need a Sherlock Holmes magnifying glass to read or 3)wanted to keep forever, especially after spending a whole dollar on. Once books come into my apartment, they seldom go out, so I must choose wisely. Eventually I found 5 books for $6, which is less than I usually get. I was able to add to my collection of Barbara Tuchman history books and get a small book on RFK, another was a memoir of Ewan McGregor's 2004 long-distance motorcycle trip . A thin volume of night time photos of Yosemite Park induced calmness, which I'm always in search of. And the best(and most expensive at $2), was a heavy tome filled with tons of photos of African wildlife in their native habitats. This is going to be a great reference! All of these new purchases are now ensconced on the bookshelf I assembled on New Year's Eve.
While I was at the library, I picked up my 3D dinosaur from their reference desk. It's also propped up on the bookshelf, adding a touch of whimsy.

When I was little, I would often pretend to be a hedgehog, which remains one of my favorite animals. I was thrilled when I learned tumbling in school, because I would envision myself as a hedgehog & could curl into a tight little ball, just like they do. because of this, I would call the February holiday Hedgehog Day instead. Later I learned that in Europe, it really WAS called Hedgehog Day and the name was changed after the Puritans came to North America, where we don't have the prickly little creatures in our gardens. Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family & are quite different.
So even though now I mostly celebrate Groundhog Day, a little part of me still yearns for the European version of the day and I still wish there were hedgies roaming in our yards.