mid march mostly nonsense, but not all nonsense. LONG, tho.
Edward Lear's A Book of Nonsense came out in 1848, the same year or within a year of Poe's The Raven, and was popular through the 1960s. For three years, each year. from 2004 thru 2006 we sold 150 copies, but when yearly sales fell to two two years ago, we dropped it, and I've been sad ever since (when I think of that).
There's so much to this book. The content, first. Edward Lear's life story, next. The fact that it's an Everyman's Library edition, the history of the Everyman's Library books, the requirements Everyman's has before they'll publish a book (the hurdles to clear), that is' a co-effort of competing U.S. publishers, that it's printed in Germany on archival paper with a library binding, sewn-in bookmark, and cloth bound cover that gold-gilt---I mean, this is basically the best book in the world, and the fact that it costs $16 in hardcover, oh my.
We read this to & with our girls, and I can't imagine a better book to do that with. It introduces them to poety, teaches them that books are fun, and makes them feel important for owning a book with a satin bookmark and gold on the cover.
It seems frivolous, but is actually genius. It takes a while for that to sink in, but it will because it's there, and keeps coming at you. The consistency of the nonsense humor, and its cleverness. It's time for examples! (Nonsense Botany, Limericks, and Biology)
Keep in mind it is all nonsense. You can't think, "that's stupid, it doesn't follow, it makes no sense!" He is boldly unpredictable! Have fun with it...and remember it's for kids, mainly.
LIMERICKS
BIOLOGY
My personal favorite limerick:
More bio...
Botany!
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and here's how kids learn the alphabet:
------BICYCLE STUFF BELOW, although I should mention that zinc is one of the minor alloying elements in CrMo steel----
The soon to be introduced, if May is soon, Billie Bar. It's is what it looks like!
Fancy grips, but not Liberace-fancy. More some other kind.
Close up of a grip on my personal bike. I don't put in the time. I'd never do it like this on a demo or customer's..
I needed a tripod and shouldn't have rushed. It's a broken bike part.
It's an out-take from a recent photo session. It's Will. You should all know Will!
V.1 Half-Mitts didn't have thumb covers. They still worked fine, it didn't matter if you had gloves under them or it wasn't really cold, but I felt bad about it, anyway, so we had these separate thumbs made, priced them at $1 each. I figured they'd sell like mad to the Half-Mitt owners, but it's been about 3 years now, and....
I THINK we sold one pair.
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I may have posted this before. It makes me think my life is easy. I love this picture and the story.
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I've put this somewhere before, but this time it's a phone picture of a print. Mark's fingers on a HubuHubbuH.
We're down to about 4 frames, maybe five.
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A phone pic of a phone pic printed on the paper printer, showing a scary trio of Riv Emps Jenny, Dave, and Will.
They aren't as tough as they look.
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Old picture of John and Mark in nearby Shell Ridge, about 8 years ago. This was film. The glare is a fold in it, not in the negative.
------- a chair in Japan:
I want a Captain Stag T-shirt.
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The "Shimano should remake..." thing I mentioned a short time ago isn't exactly going away. I am thinking of how to make it be something more than just noise, though.
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He is the owner of Tokyo's Water Dog Garden, the best store in the wold for dog lovers. The most unlikely store in Tokyo. It looks like a cowboy shack on the outside. He doesn't sell online, but there's a site.
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Tweedle-dee, left (female eaglet; and Tweedle-dum (male baby elephant). They came from the same egg, so are twins.
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