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March 21, 2021: Books, Books, and more Books

Today, for the first time, I asked myself, why am I doing this? This being attempting to match up readers and books. The question came to mind because we, Bill S and I, got books from a differing source, which is different than VCRS.

This morning we set out for Trapper Creek, a distance of approximately 90 miles from here. We’d been contacted by a fellow who said that his mother died and left her library for him to part out. Our road trip was motivated by the woman’s son, the keeper of the books, who said that if we didn’t take the books that he’d give them to a friend who was eager to burn them in his woodstove.


Bill sorting books at VCRS


I heard this remark yesterday, via the recycling center phone, and immediately yelled out an anguished Noooooooooooooooooo! I handed the phone to Bill who took down all the information, hung up, and then said that he was going to get the books the next day.

I thought it would be more fun for him if I went along, which is what I did. The drive to Trapper Creek and back was blindingly sunny, the road free of ice and snow. The fellow who was parting with his mother’s books came out of the door, then took me into the garage, which was adjacent to his house. A pile of boxes, each swaddled in a plastic bag, was inside the entrance. The garage reeked of old cigarette smoke.

The man’s two sons, very hefty fellows, assisted him in loading the books in the rear of Bill’s truck. One son, quite burly, wearing a sweatshirt and cut off shorts, said that he was a basketball player. I wondered if I heard him wrong because he did have a long lean build.

The boys disappeared as quickly as they appeared. The son of the woman parting with the books stood in the driveway, mainly talking to Bill. I listened. He had a full beard, and disheveled blonde hair to match. Every thirty seconds or so he would stroke his beard with both hands, as if to keep it, and his thoughts, in check. He said that he’d hoped to sell his house but didn’t think he’d be able to because Joe Biden had raised the capital gains tax 43 percent. He said that he was at odds with the neighbors across the street because they failed to do the work on his vehicles that he’d asked them to do. He said that Trapper Creek wasn’t the way it used to be, but I don’t remember why.

Bilk kept listening, and the man kept talking. Finally, he said he had things to do, and so for the third time, he shook Bill’s hand before leaving. It was of no consequence that he didn’t shake mine – not with a pandemonic going on.

We decided on the drive home to take the books to the meeting house. There, I opened them and examined a few. Looks like we’ll have plenty of books to pass on to readers.

Once these books were in storage, I again let myself feel overwhelmed. So many books, so little town. It was just that taking on books from an outside source made me realize that the end is not in sight.

Next: 81. 3/22/21: Windblown

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