Charlie and Debbie subscribe to the NYT ("New York Times"), and they save all their issues and give them to me a week or a month at a time. I like to read the newspaper at breakfast, which I have at the two bindery tables set up in ther bookshop. Today's reading was kind of discouraging. Reminded me of reading the newspaper during the eight Bush years, when there was some horrible thing done in our country every day. (At that time I thought of a book which would simply be an 8-year day-to-day chronology of one thing Bush and his henchmen did that day.)

What galls me the most is President Obama perpetuating our disgusting war in Afghanistan and the atrocities we commit there. In this post-election week, it made me realize I have been living in a constitutional fascist state. It made me angry, and it made me sad. Jung said ("The Undiscovered Self") that the U. S. and Germany were the two most brutal nations in the world. Today it is the U. S. and . . . Israel. I feel so ashamed.

lollipop girl

rosa came into the bookshop today, brought her bicycle. she's ten and visits off and on. she went to the back of the room, children's section, and said, 'i have this book.' ' i have that book.'
she was obviously bored. then she spotted my cup full of ollipops. (she's 10 years old.)
a sly look crossed her face. she paused to think. finally she said, "If you had a daughter, would you just give her a lollipop?"
"I don't know," i said, "but if i had a new friend, i would give her a lollipop!"
"I'll be your friend," rosa said, and she grabbed a lollipop, grabbed her bicycle, and she ran out of the bookshop.