
Today the last unsorted stack of papers was finally sorted and removed from my office floor and the remaining papers found their way into three ring binders. The accumulation began as I printed out and reviewed 340 columns and other materials to publish my second book just ahead of my last campaign for Congress last year. The three ring binders go back much further to collections I imagined might become the beginning of other books I wanted to write.
One last addition to this feat of will was to once again order my book shelves. I ordered one slim standing bookshelf which is at the end of the shelves on the left of this photo. I had to empty all the books in the shelves to move them six inches so as to fit the new shelves. Keeping them in order required placing them on the floor in ranks to be returned and resorted. Now the shelves are bein a much better historically chronological sequence. These shelves are my American History collection. Two ranks of books are black US history. In the tall slender newcomer I’ve placed my books about native Americans, Lincoln and Kansas history.
All the other book shelves in the house were inspected to make sure their collections were in good order too. The basement has world History. The Sunroom as children’s books and French literature and history. Claudia’s room is full of the books she read for Seminary and has a shelf of my books on religion.
The disorder created what I would call a magnetic affect on my ability to concentrate on ongoing projects like campaigning for office and writing. As I type this before a new accumulation threatens I feel very in tune with the orchestral music playing in the background.
I’ll point out one more bookshelf. Its the low lying shelf under one of my Mother’s last paintings of abstract art.
These are all books I have yet to read or finish. Some could fit in my shelves elsewhere but I like to keep them together for an easier perusal. Books can collect dust on my shelves for years. I liken them to planes flying over an airport waiting for clearance to land.
I have been slowly gnawing at a magnificent book for a couple of weeks. Its Ron Chernow’s Hamilton. My goodness its good. The intellectual differnence between Alexander and Donald Trump is like the difference between a louse and a cat. I’ll give the bloodsucker some credit. It can kill a third of the people on a continent under the right set of circumstances.
I sent in a column to the Reader despite telling them I was finished because I had filed for the school board. It was a gamble and I don’t think they published it. So, you can read it in the next post.
