I'm on the Case.

My first bookcase held most of my childhood books. I shared both that case and the books with my brothers and sisters. I'm not sure where most of those books are (and some of them might bring a couple of bucks on today's market) but the case, after a long stay in my sisters room, is back in my "library".

The first bookcase that held my adult reading is also still in my library. I got that case, I think, from my grandfather, via my aunt. I painted it hunter green because my then bedroom was a lighter shade of (no not pale) green. My father told me to call it the green monster. One of the first books to rest on the shelf was The Floating Game by Garforth. Another was The United States Navy in World War Two by S. E. Smith.

I got my second case from my father. It's an office mail box. When they remodeled the office out it went from the scrap pile to my room and for about twenty minutes I had more than enough shelf space. My third book case I purchased at a rummage sale. It's actually a rather nice piece of furniture. My fourth book case is a slapped together pine affair that a neighbor gave me when he moved away. I've got a gun case for book shelves. I've got the old bookshelves from beside our fake fire place. We ripped out the fireplace and shelves to have "couch" room. I have a rather nice book case that a friend sold me. I still feel a tad guilty about "buying" that one out from under him. I own a book case of unknown origin (But if I had to hazard a guess I'd say it came from my uncle Al.). I've one other book case that held my neighbor's children's books. I'm sure some day they'll wonder where it got to.

I've got a nice hutch cum shelf unit cum antique type monstrosity in the basement waiting to find it's way upstairs but that doesn't mean I'll have enough shelf space. What it means is I'll have to find space for it. I think of it as a potential book case but I'm pretty certain whoever made it thought china or nick nacks or booze or anything other than books.

All of my bookcases are still in my library yet, I am, like most book lovers, short of shelf space. IE bookcases. I'm writing about book cases because I'm in the long drawn out process of redoing my living quarters. My computer room is full of uncased books. My library is full of dressers and a bed and a TV stand and some chairs and lamps and too much non library furniture.

I've painted the bathroom. I painted the hall where I intend to store my baseball cards (don't get me started on shelving for them) I have yet to put another electrical outlet in the bedroom currently holding the cards. That room will become my bedroom. My computer room will be the catalog center and my current library/ bedroom will be just a library. It's a weekend project from hell.

Part of the delay is obvious, I've yet to measure, buy the lumber, paint, etc. What's not so obvious is where I will put all my books as I'm building my library? I've got to find space for both books and the cases that hold them. None of the bookcases are on wheels. I'm trying not to waste energy by having to move things more than twice. The plan is to use all the available wall space The shelves I have now have served me well but I can gain so much more shelf space by building cases. On the other hand I don't feel I can part with some of the cases I've grown attached to.

But not to worry, just refer back to the pun that started this mess.

More eventually,
Dave