Books

When my father's mother passed away a few years ago, I was asked if there were any things from her home that I would like to have.
I am SOOO not a hoarder. (I can't look away from that show when it's on TV. Weird, huh?)
Really, I get a kind of perverse thrill out of getting RID of stuff.
So when I was looking around her house I was very selective about what I chose to keep. I try to keep things that are both meaningful AND useful. After all, these momentos should be out and touched and used so that they can spark these memories every time we use them. If they were packed away in a box I'd get far less joy from them.
I took a pretty yellow pitcher that is always on display and used occasionally.
And a sweet little decorative dish that is perfect for Easter display and use. Though it's in my china cabinet year round.
I took a quilt. The truth is, I'd have taken ALL the quilts if I had been allowed. And if we'd had room in the truck to drive them from Missouri to West Virginia and then home to Utah. The quilts are one of my top ten memories of my Grandma.
I took a beautiful oil lamp that I am trying to figure out how to display to it's full potential.
This is all very tricky since I also despise dusting and try to avoid too much knick-knacky clutter.
There was also a box.
A cardboard box packed full of some of my father's things. I had no idea really, what was in the box but I just took it. The whole thing, without any evaluation. He passed away just before my 15th birthday and I have so few of his things.

These books were in the box.
When I first saw them I thought they might have been his but they weren't.
Today is the first time I've taken the time to really look closely at them.
It looks like they belonged to a young girl (judging by the subjects and the handwriting in the books) named Marguerite Haley. One or two of the books also have the name Tommy Haley written in them.
All the books were published between the late 1800's and early 1900's. They're in terrible condition. Broken and missing bindings, tattered pages, lots of childish scribbles inside, even some mold and what might be bug (moth?) damage.
But they are somehow magical....like time traveling.
In Elementary Physiology and Hygiene published 1906 I found this chart that shows the food values which can be obtained for ten cents.

I wish I had a better camera but it's a fascinating list. Maybe you can click on the picture to enlarge it.
Beef sirloin 25 cents per pound
Butter 25 cents per pound
Cheese 16 cents per pound
Rice 8 cents per pound
Potatoes 1 cent per pound

So fun to see.
And this one...

Mace's School History of the United States published 1920 was most interesting for the personal things I found inside it.
An order form from Sears, Roebuck & Co from 1925

And these pressed flowers. WOW! 85 year old flowers tied together with a little string.

I wonder what Marguerite wished to order from Sears, Roebuck & Co.? Maybe something nice for the lad who gave her flowers? We'll never know.
This Progressive Course in Spelling Complete by J. N. Hunt published 1910 was fun to thumb through.

It has all these great dictation and memory exercises.

I think I'll tie them up with string and use them in my decorating. A little more dust will just add to their magical patina, don't you think?
I don't know why my Dad saved these, or what they meant to him. But I'm glad to have them now.