Solstice Greetings (and a surprise!)...

The Solstice day dawned gray and dreary here, bringing a promise of more snow. A blanket of frosty white covers my garden this time of year, which is stark in contrast to the lush green foliage of summer, but it is beautiful, none the less.


I think, living in Michigan, you must love winter to some degree. It is simply beautiful! I love getting cozy in the house and baking, and bundling up to play outside.

Now, after today, the days will begin to get longer again, and the sun will begin to return. But that doesn't mean the end of winter. Indeed, we are just getting into it!
The dregs of winter are still ahead.
Maybe I enjoy winter because I have a winter birthday. It reminds me of birthday parties that I had as a child that usually involved sledding, cocoa and cake.

One of the things that I love to do in winter is curl up with a blanket, a cup of coffee, and a good book. I have always loved to read, and I have always loved books. I have shelves filled with them, and boxes of them...in my closet, in the basement...I can't bear to get rid of them.


When I was in college, I got my first antique book. A copy of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe copyright 1900. It was in the bottom of a box of sci/fi books that I bought at a flea market. I went back the next week and bought Shakespeare's Hamlet copyright 1896 with a beautiful green cover that was ornately decorated in gold. I returned again the following week, but the book seller had packed up and left.


I was hooked.

From then, I sought out antique books at flea markets, estate sales, anywhere and everywhere. I have grown to love the musty smell that accompanies old books, and the dingy, dark places that you can usually find them.





My family knows of my love for old books and I have recently been given some old schoolbooks and notebooks that belonged to my great-grandfather. They are simply amazing. I especially love the notebooks because they have great-grandpa's doodles in the margin, including "class of '01" (that's 1901!), and the name Meredith (who was NOT my great-grandma).


A few books do not have copyright dates, or publisher information and I have been trying to track down some information on them. While looking through one of these books, The Home Educator, I found a little surprise.



A beautiful old holiday postcard.
It is in near perfect condition with a sweet little scene of Kris Kringle using an old fashioned telephone. The postcard was postmarked December 22, 1909. It tucked it back inside, but am going to have to look into how to correctly preserve it.





Many of you have seen a few of my old books in my jewelry photos. I do not box them all up and hide them away. The ones that are in better shape are out on my shelves and I look through them often. I do have some that are beginning to show their age and loosing pages, those are off limits.
Last summer I had the chance to look through some amazing antique books that my dad has. They are Victorian era books that show the birth of the Michigan counties on the east side of the State. They are full of detailed maps of the townships and downtown areas, and have maps of individual families' land and farms. He recently asked me if I wanted them.

YES! I answered before he could even finish asking me.
I will hopefully be bringing them home with me (very carefully!) next time I visit my parents. You can be sure that I will be pouring over them and I will certainly be sure to share pictures here with you!

I wish you a very happy Holiday Season with your family.
Be safe, cozy, and healthy!