Lord James St. John in the library

Kansas City library

 David wandered through the library, seeing if any book caught his eye.  So many, so little interest.  He picked up Boy Scout First Aid, letting it open to any page, and then reading aloud. “Apply….an-ti-sep-tic…What...” he tossed it on the table. Enough Boy Scouts for me.

Another book flipped open, and David began reading. 

“…entombed in sand, boxed in by towering columns, Lord James St. John had to quell the feeling of doom.”
  

Well, that’s not bad.

David found a chair and stretched out, his feet resting on the library table.  Enjoy yourself, enjoy air conditioning. 

“St. John stepped forward, immediately caught by a net, work of an ancient civilization…This whole trip had been a big gamble, he had known from the start.

“With just a few cuts in the decaying rope, James St. John tumbled down into a cavern, dark and dank after many centuries.  A cobwebbed torch was visible on the craggy walls, and he struck a match….

"Ahead was a pedestal, on which stood the object of his search…a beam of light streaming from overhead upon it...

Oh, no.  Really?  Really? Copying from a classic? 

Does this look familiar?

But on David read.  “St. John retrieved a counterfeit item from his battered leather bag to replace the treasure.  Snatching the treasure and swiftly setting the fake, St. John chuckled as he beheld the ancient jug.”

Wait for it…wait for it…

“James St. John raised the jug up into the light.  It was truly a hideous but opulent object, with amber and bone chips inset in the priceless gold.  Then the ground rumbled beneath him, with…”

Well, Jimmy boy, happy trails…David tossed the book on the carpet and left.

The bold words above are Wednesday Words, probably 2015. Hope you enjoyed how they were used.

Also, many thanks to Delores at Under the Porch Light who started this writing stir up, and to Elephant's Child who took the baton when Delores' computer went all wonky.
Go on, with it!  Fling yourself out into the unknown!

Adventures in the Kansas City Library

                                                         Kansas City Library

 Another hot day in Kansas City began by 9 a.m., and David sighed.  Why the hell did we move here?  Why? Chicago to Kansas City was a leap of insanity, especially in July.

David found himself on the library steps, trudging up into the brisk cool air of books and tables, musty and old.  

Purposefully, David headed back to where he had last tossed “The Adventures of Lord James St. John” onto the floor.  The book, of course, had been shelved by some over-zealous librarian.  Even so, he caught the sapphire blue spine among other lined up remnants of insipid adventure fiction books.

Sitting in a dark corner on a battered leather chair, David experienced a surge of anticipation.

“…the ground rumbled beneath him... as he raced ahead of the cave-in, only to sense burning vitriolic acid mist surrounding him, engulfing him.  The air morphed into a freezing mixture, combined with rotten egg scent of  liquid sulfuric acid…

Oh, come on!  Sulfuric acid AND gaseous nitrous oxide?  Together? Ancient tribes would have no knowledge…Idiot writer…Do your research, why dontcha? David sneered.

“Misfortune loomed as the fumes waved over him.  Coughing through a torn shirt sleeve, he had an epiphany. Holding his breath, he crouched and crept along the craggy cave floor, breathing through the rock and dirt.  

Stay low, stay low…out of the mist…David whispered.

 A light gleamed ahead, a source of rescue. St. John tumbled and rolled into the bright daylight.  He snatched grass and twigs to pull him the rest of the way until he could escape the fumes. Lord James revived just enough to see his worst nemesis towering over him. Lord James St. John groaned.

David smirked. Well then…this was unpredictable. He should have been taken captive, tortured, or something.

A tall man glared down at him.  “…had to take another gamble, didn’t you?...A man who finds  misfortune, unworthy to bear the colors of the St. John banner…”

James lost consciousness blessedly, but when he came to, the man was still there, still haranguing at his son.  “…you impertinent worthless…."

Can’t he just shut up…just shut up…David growled.

First you deny the privilege of serving Queen and Country…A PACIFIST….”

David groaned. His dad.  Just silly plot twist.  Come on, really?

Lord James William Arthur St. John, puffed out his medal covered chest. “Why, in my day…”

Lord James St. John gazed through a haze at the self-proclaimed hero of martial glory.  Before passing out with a fading smile, he whispered, “You peacock you…”

David chortled.  Flipped a few pages ahead, Lord James St. John was already on another adventure.

Why not?  He took the book to the check-out desk.

The underlined words were provided in 2015 from Wednesday Words, started by Delores and maintained by several talented bloggers: Elephant's Child, River, . Over the years, the words have been challenging and entertaining.

After editing and rewriting and then editing more, this emerged. It was a load of fun, but then, isn't writing just that?

This was published in 2018.

 

 

Classics 

A Journey through Numbers

As the room moves when I do, my brain is left behind.  I know I want to write something thoughtful and meaningful, but those words are out dancing.

Sitting here in my husband’s new office, I am surrounded by his books.  They are for the most part lined up in a topical way.  But this row?

God Created the Integers---

The Mathematical Experience

Journey through Genius

Calculus: Early Transcendental Functions

Moby Dick

Photons & Atoms

The Twelve Caesars

Voyage to the Heart of Matter

Twelve Best Games of Chess

Acoustic Rock Guitar Bible

A View of the Universe

Paradigms Lost

Poems of Emily Dickinson

Sciencia

How Math Expands the World

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth

The Persian Experiment

The Quantum Story

Danger of the Dragons

Killing Patton

Complex Variables

German (Language) Made Simple 

As a post requiring thought, this one is simply looking in the mind and at the bookshelves of my beloved. What have you learned about math?

Forget that! What have you learned about the titles of the books and the authors? Did you recognize any title and authors?

When we moved from old place to new place, we had to cull through John's massive collection. Fortunately his collection of books on Chemistry are a little slim.

This is a repost from 2017. My husband's library is still a royal mess.

The Adventures of Lord James St. John

adventure stories 1930s

Another hot day in Kansas City began by 9 a.m., and David sighed.  Why the hell did we move here?  Why? Chicago to Kansas City was a leap of insanity, especially in July.

David found himself on the library steps, trudging up into the brisk cool air of books and tables, musty and old.  

Purposefully, David headed back to where he had last tossed “The Adventures of Lord James St. John” onto the floor.  The book, of course, had been shelved by some over-zealous librarian.  Even so, he caught the sapphire blue spine among other lined up remnants of insipid adventure fiction books.

Sitting in a dark corner on a battered leather chair, David experienced a surge of anticipation.

“…the ground rumbled beneath him... as he raced ahead of the cave-in, only to sense burning vitriolic acid mist surrounding him, engulfing him.  The air morphed into a freezing mixture, combined with rotten egg scent of  liquid sulfuric acid…

Oh, come on!  Sulfuric acid AND gaseous nitrous oxide?  Together? Ancient tribes would have no knowledge…Idiot writer…Do your research, why dontcha? David sneered.

“Misfortune loomed as the fumes waved over him.  Coughing through a torn shirt sleeve, he had an epiphany. Holding his breath, he crouched and crept along the craggy cave floor, breathing through the rock and dirt.  

Stay low, stay low…out of the mist…David whispered.

 A light gleamed ahead, a source of rescue. St. John tumbled and rolled into the bright daylight.  He snatched grass and twigs to pull him the rest of the way until he could escape the fumes. Lord James revived just enough to see his worst nemesis towering over him. Lord James St. John groaned.

David smirked. Well then…this was unpredictable. He should have been taken captive, tortured, or something.

A tall man glared down at him.  “…had to take another gamble, didn’t you?...A man who finds  misfortune, unworthy to bear the colors of the St. John banner…”

James lost consciousness blessedly, but when he came to, the man was still there, still haranguing at his son.  “…you impertinent worthless…."

Can’t he just shut up…just shut up…David growled.

First you deny the privilege of serving Queen and Country…A PACIFIST….”

David groaned. His dad.  Just silly plot twist.  Come on, really?

Lord James William Arthur St. John, puffed out his medal covered chest. “Why, in my day…”

Lord James St. John gazed through a haze at the self-proclaimed hero of martial glory.  Before passing out with a fading smile, he whispered, “You peacock you…”

David chortled.  Flipped a few pages ahead, Lord James St. John was already on another adventure.

Why not?  He took the book to the check-out desk.

The underlined words were provided in 2015 from Wednesday Words, maintained by several talented bloggers: Elephant's Child, River, Delores. Over the years, the words have been challenging and entertaining.

After editing and rewriting and then editing more, this emerged. It was a load of fun, but then, isn't writing just that?

Essential Books for the Well-Read Explorer

WedWords: Survival of Lord James St. John

Another hot day in Kansas City began by 9 a.m., and David sighed.  Why the hell did we move here?  Why?

He found himself on the library steps, going up into the brisk cool of books and tables.  David headed back to where he had tossed “The Adventures of Lord James St. John” onto the floor.  The book, of course, had been shelved by some zealous librarian.  Even so, he caught the sapphire blue spine among lined up soldiers of insipid adventure fiction books.

Sitting in a dark corner on a battered leather chair, David experienced a revived sense of anticipation.

“…the ground rumbled beneath him... as he raced ahead of the cave-in, only to sense burning vitriolic acid mist surrounding him, engulfing him.  The air morphed into a freezing mixture, combined with rotten egg scent of  liquid sulfuric acid…

Oh, come on!  Sulfuric acid AND gaseous nitrous oxide?  Together? Ancient tribes would have no knowledge…Idiot writer…Do your research, why dontcha?

“Misfortune loomed as the fumes waved over him.  Coughing through a torn shirt sleeve, when he had an epiphany. Holding his breath, he crouched and crept along the craggy cave floor, breathing through the rock and dirt.  Stay low, stay low…out of the mist…

 A light gleamed ahead.  … hallucination?... St. John tumbled and rolled into the bright day light.  He snatched grass and twigs to pull him the rest of the way until he could escape the fumes. Lord James revived just enough to see his worst enemy towering over him.  Not him, Lord James St. John groaned.

David smirked. Well then…this was unpredictable.

A tall man glared down at him.  “…had to take another gamble, didn’t you?...A man who finds  misfortune, unworthy to bear the colors of the St. John banner…”

James lost consciousness blessedly, but when he came to, the man was still there, still haranguing at his son.  “…you impertinent worthless…."

Can’t he just shut up…just shut up…

First you deny the privilege of serving Queen and Country…A PACIFIST….”

David groaned inwardly. His dad.  Just silly plot twist.  Come on, really?

Lord James William Arthur St. John, puffed out his medal covered chest. “Why, in my day…”

Lord James St. John gazed through a haze at the self-proclaimed hero of martial glory.  Before passing out with a fading smile, he whispered, “You peacock you…”

David laughed (a rare thing).  Flipped a few pages ahead, Lord James St. John was on another adventure.

Why not?  He took the book to the check-out desk.

Every Wednesday, Randomosity posts 6 to 12 words to be used by any blogger who wish to enjoy a break from the serious stuff.  Use these words to write fiction, prose, poetry, flash fiction, etc.  Either post it on your own site and link it back to Randomosity or  make your addition to her blog site comment section.
 The are this week's words.  Hope you enjoyed how they were used.

Also, many thanks to Delores at Under the Porch Light who started this writing stir up, and to Elephant's Child who took up the slack when Delores' computer went all wonky. And also to River who took up the baton to pass on.

Go on, with it!  Fling yourself out into the unknown!

Lust in the Library

Dusty Books

Its placement in the sixth shelf of Psychology and Mental Development, 157.391** knew very well that few sought its information.  Dust, in its layers, marked it as one book doomed to be culled and recycled.

Suddenly, 157.391 started traveling.  One young woman checked it out, kept it unread for days, and slipped a discreet note between pages 146 and 147.  Soon 157.391 was refiled to its former spot, where dust had been removed.

Again, only days later, a slightly older man checked it out, repeating the woman’s pattern, only placing another discreet note between pages 258 and 259.  What is happening here? It wondered, experiencing a thrill unto fore known.

Back and forth.  Back and forth.  And then one day…

157.391 was filed in the wrong spot, and not by the librarian.  No, the young woman filed it, hidden in the shadows behind 854 HI***, The Story Road by Gertrude Hildreth.  What the…. It wondered, anxiety building quickly as days  went by.

Pages 364 and 365  possessed nary a note.  The pages were adhered as one.  No, not with glue, but with blood, now dried and brown. Other pages had been soaked with blood with a dagger pressed down into them.

Oh, well.  It was fun while it lasted. 

** and*** may or may not be in a library.  The 100 section is for psychology and philosophy.  The 800 is for stories, etc.  There is a book called  The Story Road published in 1947. 

History = People

“Put me in a library, hand me a book about history and a cup of tea.  Then leave me alone.”

Famous quote, you ask?  No, it is mine.

 

Concise and precise yet rich with imagination and life, this is how I feel about history and things with a history attached to them. 

Pike County Courthouse, Pittsfield, IL

I “inherited” or “liberated” a book from my mother’s house, with her permission.  It is The History of Pike County, Illinois, and it is dry reading for the most part.  However, it is filled with entries such as this:

Jacob Fesler, farmer, sec. 30; P.O., Eldara; was born in Clark county, Ky., June 8, 1821; came to Pike county in 1835 and settled on sec. 19; he owns 320 acres of land, worth $35 per acre.  Oct. 15, 1846, he married Zerilda Lyons, and their 6 children are: Sarah C., born Aug. 27, 1848; Henry A., Aug. 4, 1850; Adelpha, Nov. 28, 1853; Jane Ann, May 25, 1856; John R., Aug. 2, 1860; Emma E., Jan. 15, 1863.  Both are members of the M.E. Church South, and Mr. F. is a Mason, and in politics a Democrat.

While this entry and others like it are pretty summary in the treatment of Jacob Fesler’s life, it still speaks volumes all on its own.  The stuff of life.

Bring me another cup of tea!  If you please!

P.S.  I am still out and about with my hubby on vacation. Please feel free to leave comments, but I will be unable to respond.  Enjoy June!