August 4: I may have mentioned that our local independent bookstore, One More Page Books, is hosting a “Summer Reading Bingo” game, with a pizza party for all the winners. (What with the recent book fair, our bookstore truly knows how to make us feel like we’re in fifth grade again.)
In addition to specifying a book of poetry, a book in translation, a book by a trans author (I still giggle over “Light From Uncommon Stars,” by Ryka Aoki) and other fun categories, the Summer Reading Bingo requires us to read from a bookstore section we’re never sampled before. That’s a challenge because I have very eclectic tastes. (Although it now occurs to me that I could have read a cookbook…)
I decided to designate “Nature and Science” as my unbrowsed section, and I extracted “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments” from my to-be-read pile. Written by poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil, this slim book assembles thirty-one tiny essays (and dozens of magical illustrations) into a rainforest of plants, animals and memoir. (Did you know that the red-spotted newt returns to its original pond waters thanks to its body’s ferromagnetic minerals and its capacity to memorize sun- and starlight patterns?)
But I digress. Among many splendid sentences, I leave you with this one: “It is this way with wonder: it takes a bit of patience, and it takes putting yourself in the right place at the right time. It requires that we be curious enough to forgo our small distractions in order to find the world.”
And it requires me to thank my blogging friends, who embody precisely that curiosity and close-seeing that add wonder to my world. I encourage you to pay them a quick visit; you’ll be enriched.
- Barbara of Thistles and Kiwis (New Zealand)
- Mr. Platypus of Now I’m 64 (England)
- Laurie of Notes from the Hinterland (Maine)
- Ju-Lyn of Touring My Backyard (Singapore)
- Donna of Retirement Reflections (Canada)
- Nes of Nes Felicio Photography (Philippines)
- Manja of An Embarrassment of Riches (Italy/Slovenia)
August 5: I took my trash-picking skills to the major leagues today with a cleanup along the Anacostia River. Enjoying temperatures in the low eighties and wisps of clouds overhead, I joined dozens of other volunteers to tidy the banks and picnic spaces of this well-used park.
I carried my plastic sack and gloves toward a field speckled with debris. I pried bottle caps from the soil, unspooled metallic ribbons caught on twigs, and gathered too many food wrappers. Eventually I was joined in the picnic area by a couple hosting a graduation party there later in the day. Together we filled my sack.
I had ignored our organizer’s advice to travel only as far as I could carry my harvest. Happily, however, I had already pulled from the weeds my salvation: a fully functional grocery cart, ready to assist in its own rescue.
August 6: Every few months, I volunteer at our local art center as a way of helping out — and ensuring that I see each exhibition. Delights are easy, of course, when I’m surrounded by engaging works by local artists (and dreaming of wall space to squeeze in one more painting).
But today a young couple (“we have many bare walls”) wandered through the gallery and bought a painting! I scrambled to find a “sold” sticker and we stood together admiring their new treasure. Finally, we parted. “You made that artist’s day,” I crowed. Oh no, they said, the artist has made ours.
August 7: I wandered over to my neighbors for a 5 pm beer and found them watching a broadcast of the White Marlin Open, a huge fishing tournament in Ocean City, Maryland. With a $10 million purse, the tournament — now in its 50th year — attracts anglers from the entire Eastern seaboard and beyond. Starting around 4 am, some boats travel hours to reach “the canyon” 80 miles offshore; others stay closer at 40 to 50 miles out. We watched as anglers from South Carolina weighed in with a 119-pound bigeye tuna.
My neighbor had participated once as the crew on a charter boat, but declined additional forays: “The guys who hire us reel in the fish, but we’re the ones who find the spots and bait the lines. It’s just too stressful.”
Fishing is a big deal here: the local sports pages are full of photos of noteworthy catches by recreational anglers. My neighbors’ son-in-law was in the paper last week for catching a 193-pound yellow fin tuna. “It would have been bigger,” they said, “except a shark took a bite while he was reeling it in.”
Bonus: This morning, after a brisk walk on the boardwalk, I bought a donut at “Fractured Prune.” The donut shop is named for a local woman named Prunella Shriek who, in the late 19th century (while she was well into her 70s), earned her nickname by repeatedly breaking her bones while competing in traditionally male sports.
I’ll have a mocha coconut donut, please. Then I’ll go home and do sit-ups.
August 9: Jeremiah and I are playing a daily baseball quiz called the Immaculate Grid. (In baseball, an “immaculate inning” occurs when a pitcher strikes out the side on the minimum nine pitches.) The game requires knowledge of award winners and trades over baseball’s 125+ year history. (Baseball is older than that, but I’m not sure about awards and trades.)
Jeremiah strives for “rarity” scores, i.e., selecting the most obscure players possible. I, on the other hand, strive for memories. And — this is a big step for me — I’m eager to use the internet to refresh my recollection or to learn fun facts. One of these days, I’ll achieve a grid filled with my World Champion 1969 New York Mets and my World Champion 2019 Washington Nationals. And if I do, you’ll certainly hear about it!
p.s. Those are links to my blog posts about those baseball miracles. I enjoyed reliving them!
Bonus: Maybe you knew this already, but I just learned the entirety of this saying: “A Jack of all trades is a master of none but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Cool.
Readers, to receive notifications by email each time I make a post, just scroll all the way down this page (next to the “word cloud”), look to the left and click on the black button that says “Join Me!” And if you think a friend might enjoy these, please share the Delight!
If you’d like to browse my past delights, please consult the “word cloud” featured at the very bottom of this post. Find a theme or two that interests you and sift through the sands. Or learn a bit more about my Blog by visiting my Welcome page. You’ll also see links to four essays that were published in print magazines. I’m glad you’re here!
Fashioned For Joy 
I was sitting in the office and the notification that your always spirit lifting blog post was up (yes I do check my private email at work…) when there was a sharp jolt and shake and we experienced a 5.6 earthquake (luckily deep). Naturally, there was a small stir in the office, and your blog left unread until I got home.
And it was worth waiting for too. The World of Wonders looks so lovely, and your donut shop story had me laughing. Good to see the bookshop so busy…and selling a painting…and the fisherman with his fish….what a great week!
Of course, thank you so much for a mention too!
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What a wonderful story, especially because it has a happy ending. Thank you for sharing it with me (truly, its own delight!). I’m glad you liked the donut story (um, I might need to visit again to read more of Ms. Shriek’s history).
And yes, World of Wonders was perfect: both light and illuminating. I think it makes a good gift for people who think they don’t like to read. And for folks like us who do!
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Wow, the Boozy Book Fair looks brilliant, and so well supported. The photo is interesting for the gender balance of the participants…minimum 75% female, I estimate. That aligns with my own professional observations over several decades, and (as an unashamedly “bookie bloke”) I find it desperately sad.
I would happily find a space on my bookshelves for the World of Wonders, and I’d also find a home for a mocha coconut donut…although I don’t think it would last very long!
Thank you, also, for the kind name-check you gave to my own blog. This blogging community is very supportive and comforting, I think.
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Yay for “bookie blokes.”
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Dear Mr. P — I’ll start at the end: yes, the blogging community is indeed very supportive and comforting. I truly consider YOU my friend, as you lift me up, lead me to new places, and sprinkle encouragement everywhere. I thank you.
Our local bookstore hit gold with the Boozy Book Fair. We all had so much fun and both the brewery and the bookstore did quite well. (There we go again: beer and books. And the bookstore sells chocolate too!)
You’re right about the demographic breakdown; that’s my experience too. So I’m prouder than ever of the “bookie blokes” I know, which naturally include you and my son Jeremiah, who works at the bookstore and has now introduced biblio-stalagmites to our living room. Nice problem!
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Dear Carol Ann, thank you for your kind words, and for your friendship. I value this relationship more than you probably imagine, and cherish the opportunity to share with you ideas and experiences and dreams in the way that we do.
Regarding books, in my mind there’s nothing to beat the electric thrill of entering a bookshop or a library, knowing that, somewhere within it, lies THE ANSWER. But I haven’t yet tracked down and isolated that answer, so I guess I’ll have to carry on reading until it reveals itself to me! (Of course, if you’ve ever read Douglas Adam’s “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” you will know that the answer is actually 42, but the real problem is understanding the question. However, I digress…).
Have a lovely day.
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As we would say in Maine, that was some boozy book fair. Looks like a bookie blast. 😉
I was immediately drawn to World of Wonders and have requested it through our interlibrary loan system.
Thank you, thank you for the kind mention. It should come as no surprise that I feel exactly the same way about your blog. A mutual admiration society.
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I knew you would appreciate the Boozy Book Fair! I now imagine your local bookstore hosting one at your beautify Cidery. And, yes, World of Wonders is delightful. I hope you enjoy it — and can imagine who might also like to read it.
Finally, isn’t our mutual admiration society lovely? Mutual aid, mutual encouragement, and of course friendship. As you would say in Maine, that’s some combination!
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Yes, that’s some combination. 😉 I am reading World of Wonders and like it very, very much. I plan on featuring the book on Monday’s post. Thanks so much for recommending it.
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I read about your bookstore festivities with delight and envy; you have captured the warmth of community & fun. With our bookstores shutting down at an alarming rate, I am glad that the independents are thriving where you are.
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Those mushrooms! They look like golf balls sitting on their tees. What a find on a cleanup!
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Bookstores and mushrooms! Our bookstore is a very important part of our community; happily, enough people here still pay full price for books — because they know they’re supporting an essential cultural and community space. Day by day, year by year, we can do our part.
And the mushrooms! They were actually the size of softballs. They fooled me again and again because I didn’t believe nature could do that!
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I read about your community bookstore with so much envy. Our bookstores continue to close, even the big chains, which we thought would weather time & trial better than the small independents 😩
And yes, nature is an expert in Surprise! I am a big fan, as you are.
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Hi, Carol Ann – Wonderful delights! You had me instantly at the Boozy Bookfair and Summer Reading Pizza Bingo! How fun is all that?!
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Right you are! Although the bookstore staff was exhausted by the prep (many, many cartons of books are heavy to tote around), they hope to co-host another Boozy Book Fair in the next six months. I can’t wait.
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I’m grateful and overjoyed that you include me among your happy blogging bunch in the same breath with the marvellous book that you acquired. ❤ You are such an uplifter. Much love from Piran.
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