Professional Development Day

I found out, not long ago, that the purchase of books can be written off against my income as a freelance writer. It was not for that reason, however, that I took my daughter off today to the local University Women's Club Book Sale. It was for a whim, something fun to do on a PD Day. We spent an hour in rooms of varying heat, browsing through books and DVD's, looking for treasures and for the elusive copy of Nacho Libre that I seek. We got the most in the children's room, where paperbacks cost a quarter: we found HG Wells The Invisible Man, Frances Burnett's The Little Princess, two books about Dog Adventures, a good book by the author of Hatchet, and Mr. Popper's Penguins. We paid our $1.50 and moved on to the Adult Paperback, VHS and DVD room. The instant we walked into the room, my piano-loving girl spotted the sheet music at the back of the room. While I trolled for Nacho Libre, she browsed through folk, choral, and classical music. I joined her and was astounded to see every theory book of my youth. The covers brought back vivid memories. We chose two music books: one inspired by the Narnia books and the other being music about cats. We entered the Better Books room, which was by far the hottest. We nearly bought a 19th-century Canadian naturalist book, a 1929 copy of Pilgrim's Progress, a book about Egyptian art and more, but we moved on to the gymnasium where books were two dollars. There we wandered and found little until the table right before the door, where my daughter found a humourous dog book and I found a copy of The Cook Not Mad, a reissue of the earliest cookbook in Canada. For two dollars. Three receipts checked at several checkpoints later, we were all of $7.50 lighter, and so much richer. ** Late this afternoon, I stopped in at the Waterloo Potters Guild sale. I planned to buy nothing. Famous last words. I collect pottery mugs and I have a lust for pottery bowls. Two mugs spoke instantly to me: they were coming home with me and I was to hand over my credit card and ask no questions. One looks like lush green hills going off into the distance, while the other is pewter-gray on the outside and magenta on the inside. ** Now this is my idea of a day of shopping.