A Bounty of Books

Yesterday I had my day all planned out. The main activity of the day was going to be my semi-annual trip to the Earth's General Store, to stock up on some eco-products I was getting close to running out of (such as hand and body lotion and bulk baking soda, fair trade tea and coffee), to look at some neat things I'm considering getting (like a solar oven), to buy a treat of some fair trade organic chocolate, and just soak in the crunchy goodness while browsing through the books, magazines and logo-less clothing and shoes. But it was not to be. Ironically, I couldn't find a parking spot for blocks and blocks and blocks, and searching for one while dodging other predatory motorists was doing nothing but raising my blood pressure. So I left.

But all was not lost. I managed to Stress Less and not to fume and grumble as much as usual. While driving towards home I realized that I would be going right by one of my favorite little areas of the city, which has a really nice used bookstore that sells coffee and treats, a new clothing store featuring locally designed and produced clothes, a second hand/antique store, and a gift shop and gallery I've never had the time to go into before.

My first stop was the second-hand book shop. I bought three of the four books in the picture there: Meditation Made Easy, The Weather Makers, and Stupid White Men. I spent a nice relaxing hour, reading and browsing while sipping on my cafe mocha and nibbling my home-made pecan tart. Mmmm.

Then it was off to the clothing store, which was lovely but they had sold out of the shirt I wanted in my size. I was glad about this actually, because it meant that the clothes in this nice local store are selling! The little gallery was a combination flower shop, frame shop and gift store, each run by a different generation of the same family! I met them all, and it turns out they carry some neat items from a local artisan blacksmith whose work I just loved when I saw it at the Folk Festival last summer.

I left the area feeling content, and a bit more appreciative of the unexpected and unplanned. And as a bonus, when I got home, Gord had brought home the other book in the picture: a 'Dummies' guide to home solar power.

But it gets even better! When I turned on the computer this morning and surfed on over to Crunchy Chicken's site, it turned out I had won the draw for another book: Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifesyle. This book is written by David Wann, one of the authors of Affluenza. Once I have had a chance to read this book, I will be setting it free back into the blogosphere with a random draw of my own, so stay tuned for that!

So it's been a bounty of books around here! So now I just have to get a few more chores done, and then I can settle down for a guilt-free read and nice cup of tea. That has the makings of a lovely Sunday.