freethoughtandmetaphor

When it’s not sunny and dry enough to be out on the beach or walking a trail, I am usually indoors with a book.  But at least once a year, when the weather is wet, I go to an antique store.  The Big Chicken Barn is a landmark on the Ellsworth Road from Orland. 

More than an antique store, the Barn houses several dealers on the ground level, while the second floor is all books.  Walking end to end at the slow pace required to see what’s available is a long walk.  The different stalls have different specialties, but the predominant items are dish sets, glassware and cookware.

One visit a year is enough for me, but I’ve been visiting for several years now in search of two items: a small square Pyrex baking dish (mine broke years ago) and an enamel double boiler.  The latter are quite rare; apparently it’s not uncommon to burn out the bottom of a double boiler.

One year I found a new glass lid for my Dutch oven.  Another time I found a small Pyrex mixing bowl I needed.  This year all I came away with was a book – and it wasn’t even poetry.  Though the books are nicely arranged in categories: fiction, biography, poetry, art, religion, socialogy (so the sign spells it) the poetry section, as I have found in most used book stores, was tiny. Do poetry readers keep most of their books, or do they wear them out?