Thursday, November 25, 2010

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Yesterday's workshop on book repair

Yesterday confirmed my suspicion that I enjoy repairing books far more than binding them. Binding is fun ... but repair is WAY cooler. I love being able to see something put back together and useful again.

I started with my volume of William Cowper's poetry. The text block, covers and spine were all separated.

I learned how to use Japanese paper to put it all back together again.

LOVE LOVE LOVE learning this stuff!!!

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

When the invading army is just over horizon

2 Chron. 20:3-4, 12b

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah, and Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.

I was reading in this passage this morning, and it was such an encouragement. King Jehoshaphat and Judah were facing an army coming against them, and it was WAY too big for them to tackle.

The actions of the fed last week in monetizing the debt (essentially de-valuing our dollar considerably) has been a temptation to me to worry.

Money is always a struggle, but the predictions about what this could do to inflation are staggering - particularly to the cost of staple items like groceries, gas, utilities, etc.

It’s led me to keep chewing over and over how I'll manage if these exponential price increases start to hit.

And while it’s good to plan and be wise … I was noticing this morning what King Jehoshaphat did when he was faced with an invading army … he DID fear … as is our nature when faced with a big threat. But his next step was to “set himself to seek the Lord.”

It sounds as if he made a deliberate effort to throw his thoughts God-ward. I want this to be MY response to fearful times!

His next step was to encourage everyone around him to seek God too.

They were honest with God - there wasn’t a blooming thing they could do to save themselves. BUT their eyes were on God. He can be trusted!

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Books for Workshop, part 2




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Books for next week's book repair workshop

I am taking a book repair workshop next weekend down in Normal, Illinois, and I need to choose two cloth bound and two leather bound books to bring along. They needed to have sound text blocks, and damaged covers. I have a LOT of books with damaged covers ... but the "sound text blocks" was a challenge. :)

Here are pictures of 3 that I've picked out - one leather bound copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It belongs to my friend Deb, and is the most beautifully bound book I've ever handled. The leather is so soft it just melts into your hand. But the spine is suffering.

One is my copy of Cowper's Poetical Works. It's cloth bound, and in pretty ratty shape.

The last one is Olson's Meditations on the Psalms. This is Deb's too, but I'm hoping she won't mind if two of her books are experimented on. Promise not to do anything about which I'm not absolutely certain!

I still need to pick one more leather bound volume. I'd like to take a Bible, but finding one that's sufficiently ratty, but with a solid text block, is proving to be a challenge.

I'll also post pictures of the workshop, and of the finished products.


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Friday, November 05, 2010

Office re-arrangement

Warning: this post will only be of interest to those who actually know me ... and probably not all of THEM! :)

This is the new partners' desk we've gotten for the church office, so the book-keeper and I can each have our own space. We're re-arranging and prettying-up, and hope to re-paint in February. We're both very pleased with how it's looking!


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