Elephants and Books

I was up late last night chatting with friends and the subject of collectibles came up. Some said they collected horse figurines, or dragon statues, and so on. It made me think about what I have collected in my life.

My first collection started when I was 2 days old, my father brought in a small plant in a porcelain pot that was shaped like an elephant. The plant eventually died, and my mom used that little pot to hold pins and ointments when I was a baby, as I got older it held barrettes and hair clips. That was just the first elephant I ever got. I ended up with many more over the years. Somehow, it was never up to me, people just kept on giving me elephants, I guess it was a good thing that I loved them as much as I did. I had a tiny ceramic set of an elephant family, a really cool one made out of seashells given by my grandmother. I had a big stuffed elephant that made a great footstool and a teddy bear type one that I slept with.

Those were just a few, by the time I was 16, I had almost 500 elephant statues, figurines, plates, toys, etc. This isn't counting the 100 or so stuffed or plush elephants I had. I gave up most of them at this time, we were moving and the room I was getting just wasn't big enough to hold all of them. So I packed a few of my favorites and gave the rest of them to Goodwill. *Smiles* I am sure they just loved trying to find places for all those elephants.

My second real collection probably started somewhere around 4 or 5 years old. Once I discovered the joy of reading, book were a collection I was always adding to. I read fast, so it doesn't take me long to go through a book, and I enjoy re-reading them. So if I find a book I like, I want it in my bookshelf so I can read it any time I wish. At the height of this collection I had around a thousand books. My own personal library. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of about two-thirds of them when I moved down to Florida.

I had a small or mid-size car, and everything I owned had to fit in it for the move. That many books just wouldn't fit, as I had clothes, my computer, and my dog and puppycat to stuff into the car as well. It was very difficult to choose which books to get rid of, and I still miss having them on hand. I am slowly rebuilding my collection, however, as we live only 2 blocks from a flea market and I can get books very cheaply there.

Other than these 2 things, elephants and books, I never seriously collected anything else. Oh sure, I started hundreds of collections as a kid, but quickly lost interest in them and they never lasted long.

So, what do you collect, how long have you collected it, and why do you collect them?

Dragon Dreams Come True

I have always loved dragons. The idea of them, the look of them. Dragons are majestic and beautiful. As I have always been an avid reader, I would search for and read any book that dealt with dragons. Then I came across one set of books that I immediately fell in love with. The Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. The dragons in her world were loving and gentle and worked as a team with their human caretakers.

I loved this premise. People and dragons bonding for life, taking care of each other, always there for each other. Her dragons looked like the ones I had always pictured in my mind as the proper look for a dragon. Anne McCaffrey wrote other stories too, some that didn't include dragons, but I had grown to love her writing by the time I found them and enjoyed those series' too.

Then one day, I heard about a convention called DragonCon. It was taking place in Atlanta, GA. Anne McCaffrey was a guest and speaker at this convention. I had to be there. I just had to. Anne lives in Ireland, and the sad fact is she is getting older. This might be my only chance to ever see my favorite author, ever. It is a long trip to take and probably one she wouldn't be making again.

So, I needed to be there. The problem was, I lived in Kansas City. Way too far to just drive over. It seemed impossible for me to make it. But luck was on my side. Some other people from a discussion group I was involved with were going as well. I managed to get with one of them in an agreement to share a hotel room and some expenses for the trip. I bought a plane ticket, ordered convention tickets online. Yay, I was going to go to DragonCon.

Then some bad news. Anne wasn't feeling well, and may not be able to make it to the convention. I didn't like this news at all, but I would definitely give up my chance to see her in person to keep her healthy. So I resigned myself to the fact that even though I was going, the reason for my attendance may not be there.

The day finally arrived and I was in Atlanta, entering the convention hall, still not knowing if my idol was there. I wandered around looking at the booths and performers and suddenly a shock when through the whole area. It was like everyone stopped breathing at once. The whisper came through, Anne was here, she made it. I was thrilled.

I won't bore you with details of the whole convention, but some of the highlights were I bought a copy of Pern music on CD, I met Teal'c and Bratac from Stargate SG-1, talked with them both for over an hour. Met and spoke with my favorite cover artist Rowena.

But the absolute best thing is not only did I see Anne McCaffrey, I met her, and sat with her and a few other people for a few hours. We chatted and shared a bag of pretzels. Her son, Todd, was there as well and I won a galley copy of the first book they co-wrote together.

That was one of the best days of my life. Sitting and chatting with my favorite author, even sharing a snack while we chatted. That is a memory I will always treasure and hold close to my heart. Anne McCaffrey to me is one of the best authors ever, and if you read at all, I recommend her books very highly.

She is not just a great author though, she is also a warm and friendly person. I will always be honored that she chose to share her worlds with us, and I admire her strength and determination in coming to that convention for her fans, despite her poor health at the time.

Anne McCaffrey is a role model, even a hero to me. I love her books, her dragons and her strength. Meeting her, spending most of a day with her, made my dragon dreams come true.

Thank you, Anne, you mean the world to me.

Everywhere and Anywhere

There is no place in the world that is better than inside the pages of a good book. Opening the cover, you can have breakfast in the Old Wild West, eat your lunch with Merlin in Avalon, have dinner at a Renaissance Ball, and fall asleep on a starship sometime in the future. You can go anywhere you wish, even to places that may not really exist.

I began reading at a young age, so I have no memories of not being able to read. During my life I have gone though some horrible experiences and without the escape into books, I don’t think I would have made it through with my sanity intact. During the worst times I would choose books that had happy endings, this built hope that I would make it though my trouble. Putting myself into the place of the main character, experiencing the challenges they endured, and seeing that no matter how bad things got for them, they always managed to pull through and live happily ever after; bolstered my courage and increased my emotional endurance.

Each book has its own appeal. There may be pictures or artwork on the cover, the title may be writing in a fancy font, the thickness and heft of the book. Just holding the book in my hands, the promise of events and travel, the new characters to meet and get to know and to travel with them on their journey. Every book promises something new and different.

Opening the book brings varied experiences: The crisp, fresh scent of a new book, the stiffness of the unread pages, the crackle of the spine bending for the first time. Or, alternatively, the musty smell of an old, much loved book; the soft, dog-eared pages, turned lovingly, many times while revisiting old friends; the broken spine, automatically falling open to favorite parts of the story. Every book takes you somewhere you may have never been able to go otherwise.

I take these journeys whenever possible. Whether it be curled up in bed with a bowl of chips, sitting on the couch with a cold drink, or relaxing in a steaming hot bubble bath, there is almost no place I can be that forbids sending my mind and soul out into the wonders of a book. I read on trips, in waiting rooms, just about anyplace where I can sit and have five or more minutes to spare.

There are very few things I refuse to read, namely westerns and mysteries. Those two genres seem to be written more for a male specific audience and I find it difficult to immerse myself into a book of predominately battle scenes, or stay focused enough to be analyzing the story to pick out clues as I read.

As I am now functionally disabled and primarily housebound, books have become even more important to me. It can get boring sitting at home, unable to go anywhere, but having the ability to open a book, I can instantly be anywhere I wish. This week I have explored an undiscovered cavern, traveled to other planets, learned about sea turtles, flown on the back of a dragon, been knighted, and walked beside Princess Di, to name a few things.

I couldn’t imagine not having the world, even the universe open to me. Without books this world would be very limited. Pick one up and open the cover, within a minute you could be anywhere and everywhere you wish. What is your choice? Come with me and learn about Mars. We will lose ourselves discovering the Americas, or we can go hang out with the Vikings tonight. Open a book and let your soul and mind fly.