Bookstore Musings...
Jan. 22nd, 2006 12:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trystinnMisty Sunday afternoons at the bookstore are slow, luxurious and truly unlike the weekday shifts. On Sunday, I'm alone in the store with only a cockatiel named Poomba for company. We companionably listen to NPR, together, though either of us is likely to comment upon the laughter and frivolity of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" and "What do you know?" I have a wonderful view of the waters of Puget Sound from behind the counter and enjoy the sight of small boats sailing past, the waters rippling companionably with the winds. Today, though windy, the waters are fairly calm and somehow adds to the lazy feeling within our dear little bookstore. I've spent the first hour of my shift, perched on an antique wood stool, book laid over my knee, while just watching the view outside the front windows.
Customers are fairly rare, though they do tend to come in groups of four or more, coming in two distinct types - the Yacker who wants to discuss various topics and the Lone Wolf, who wants to choose his books in relative privacy. It can take awhile to figure out who is who on that scale, though you do find the right mix on occassion. Little old ladies are typically chatty, young men are not, families can be either. The way they approach the counter is usually the best rubric: chatters do, loners don't.
"We sell tickets to local amusements: this month's option is the "Shifty Sailors" presentation of a journey following the Tall Ships from Ireland to France. This weekend's presentation took place at WICA, the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, which although I get a chuckle out of using the acronym and watching folks eyes widen in shock - appears to have been suitably impressive and we've a nice stream of folks coming in for next weekend's presentation at the Coupeville High School. Folks who saw the presentation this weekend are buying tickets for friends and are very excited to discuss the presentation with the excitement usually reserved for religious fanatics.
Hubby may come by with lunch and a dog, though with the boys visiting this weekend odds aren't good. He's truly got his hands busy with those two rambuncious dogs, and though I adore having them at the house, I want neither in the store. Its not their native environment and too tempting for them to harass Poomba. Never has the phrase "don't give dogs an oportunity to misbehave, its not fair to either of you" uttered by our dogtrainer been so apt as describing these two. This morning they somehow managed to remove a water bottle from the rabbits' den and leave it on the porch (luckily, it survived unscathed), hide one of my yard shoes under the BBQ and chew up various plastics from the recycling bin (we had remembered to move the trash can to the front of the backyard fence before they arrived) and leave the remains all over the yard. Since none of these items are native to their home environment, there's little point in getting upset with them about it. Our dogs have long since become bored with any of these temptations and its almost a novelty to find ourselves once more dealing with backyard Lolitas."
I'll spend some time later this afternoon jotting down additional recipes from our cookbook section, but for now, I'm more than content just to meditate on my surroundings. The last weekend of the month is a busy one for us, filled with coven activities, friends and social responsibilities - so this quiet weekend must be savored for all its worth.
Customers are fairly rare, though they do tend to come in groups of four or more, coming in two distinct types - the Yacker who wants to discuss various topics and the Lone Wolf, who wants to choose his books in relative privacy. It can take awhile to figure out who is who on that scale, though you do find the right mix on occassion. Little old ladies are typically chatty, young men are not, families can be either. The way they approach the counter is usually the best rubric: chatters do, loners don't.
"We sell tickets to local amusements: this month's option is the "Shifty Sailors" presentation of a journey following the Tall Ships from Ireland to France. This weekend's presentation took place at WICA, the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, which although I get a chuckle out of using the acronym and watching folks eyes widen in shock - appears to have been suitably impressive and we've a nice stream of folks coming in for next weekend's presentation at the Coupeville High School. Folks who saw the presentation this weekend are buying tickets for friends and are very excited to discuss the presentation with the excitement usually reserved for religious fanatics.
Hubby may come by with lunch and a dog, though with the boys visiting this weekend odds aren't good. He's truly got his hands busy with those two rambuncious dogs, and though I adore having them at the house, I want neither in the store. Its not their native environment and too tempting for them to harass Poomba. Never has the phrase "don't give dogs an oportunity to misbehave, its not fair to either of you" uttered by our dogtrainer been so apt as describing these two. This morning they somehow managed to remove a water bottle from the rabbits' den and leave it on the porch (luckily, it survived unscathed), hide one of my yard shoes under the BBQ and chew up various plastics from the recycling bin (we had remembered to move the trash can to the front of the backyard fence before they arrived) and leave the remains all over the yard. Since none of these items are native to their home environment, there's little point in getting upset with them about it. Our dogs have long since become bored with any of these temptations and its almost a novelty to find ourselves once more dealing with backyard Lolitas."
I'll spend some time later this afternoon jotting down additional recipes from our cookbook section, but for now, I'm more than content just to meditate on my surroundings. The last weekend of the month is a busy one for us, filled with coven activities, friends and social responsibilities - so this quiet weekend must be savored for all its worth.
