Too Much Stuff

12.10.2015 by Cynthia Edmunds //

I’ve been watching some of the shows about the Tiny House movement lately and really trying to picture myself in a tiny house. Now, you should know that I live in an apartment that I built in my parent’s basement that is about 1000 square feet. (To be fair, I do “share” some of their storage space in the house). But I look around my space and think there are things I could get rid of, and things I just couldn’t. The items on the couldn’t list are usually books or memories.

I understand the advantages of a tiny house living with regard to price and footprint; but I watch people making decisions about giving up things and I wonder if, at some point, they will be sorry for their choices. Sure you can take photographs of keepsakes you let go, but there is something about the feel of something.

Let me give you an example. My mother made her own wedding dress. I will confess her great sin here. [Read more…]

Why Books?

11.01.2015 by Cynthia Edmunds //

There is a New Yorker Magazine cover that has an alien on a destroyed planet Earth sitting in the midst of broken computers and telephones and Kindles, calmly reading a book. I love that cover. There has been much discussion (especially amongst book people) about the ultimate demise of the book. But to misquote Mark Twain, the reports of the book’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

It is true that the print media in general is fighting what appears to be a losing battle against it’s digital foes. A daily printed newspaper can’t possibly be as up-to-date as it’s digital counterpart. A Kindle is far easier to lug around school than a backpack full of textbooks. And I would much rather just take my phone to church than a set of scriptures.

But when I really want to study those scriptures, I want the real thing. I want to hold my fingers in three spots and flip back and forth between them, and mark them in a way that makes sense to me. [Read more…]

Procrastination is no longer an option!!

10.15.2015 by Cynthia Edmunds //

So, I’ve had this website registered for coming up on two years. It is actually quite embarrassing that I have done nothing with it. Something else always seems to intervene to take my attention away from getting my website up and running. Now, before you assume that I let little things take over and that I am not dealing with life and death situations, you should know that in addition to being a bookbinder I am also an AEMT with Mapleton Ambulance. In other words, life and death are in play.

OK, even I can see that there is more than a little wrong with that last statement.

[Read more…]