Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

Sunrise was at 7:18, sunset was at 4:30.

Oh, I have missed you, dear blog of mine.  It's been a particularly busy last few months.  I see that the last time I posted was way back in August!  That's just not right.

So.  Here's the skinny:  After being laid off in February 2012, I went to work at Mockingbird, a children's bookshop, in July.  It is a lovely bookstore filled with great and informed booksellers, two from All for Kids (yay to Sue and Linda), and packed with the best books and games.  It is a well-lighted, pretty space in an old church a block from Green Lake.  It felt like home. 

A couple of months into my stay, I got a call from Morley Horder at Eagle Harbor asking if I would come to Bainbridge Island for a talk.  We'd been working on an outside project, Morley, his manager, Tim Hunter, and I, and the upshot was that he wanted to sell the store to the two of us.  Can you imagine my surprise?  What would you say?

I did say yes, after a little thinking about it, and have now been there since October 10.  Tim and I work well together, the staff is great, pretty much run themselves, and the store reminds me of a ship, all wood and windows and shelves.

I walk to the ferry from my house and just walk on, walking off when we reach the other side.  It's an extraordinary commute, all water and sky and birds.

The 35 minute ferry ride allows me a little uncomplicated reading time; there is little else I can do but read.  And look out the window and watch for whales.  I guess I could wrench my laptop and cords out of the bag and set it all up and answer emails, but...

So, there it is.  I'm a bookstore owner!  I've met the BI mayor and the new governor of Washington, Jay Inslee.  We have a dedicated customer base and the store really is the heart of the community.  It's lovely.  George Shannon, Jack Prelutsky, Susan Selfors AND Barbara Berger live nearby.

And books- I have read so many books.  Now that I have my schedule sussed, I should be able to write more about the books I've loved.  Like The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, by Jonathan Evison, another island author, an amazing book about a man in trouble and the boy with cerebral palsy that he cares for.  AND it's a road trip book.  It's funny and heartbreaking and so, so good. You should all read it before it gets made into a movie.