A retiree’s library

I am fortunate to enjoy the perk of a modest, tiny library in my home. Like many of my age group, I do so very much enjoy a good book in my hands. I do not care for eBooks, nor do I like reading from a tiny smartphone screen. I do my email and I surf the innerwebs from my 17-inch laptop or from my 26-inch desktop. Why? So, I don’t have to look for my reading glasses or squint at a tiny screen for hours on end, that’s why.

I also learned, over time, that a cellphone screen won’t give you all the information or graphics a web page has to offer, without continuously scrolling and/or frantically swiping. Ergo, I prefer the aforementioned laptop/desktop options.

What was I rambling about? Oh yeah, real books. My Spousal Unit can sometimes spend half a day, in bed, reading the dozens of books she goes through. She is what you would call a “voracious reader.” Reading hard-copy, hand-held reading material is something we both enjoy, together and/or separately. I recently finished reading a very interesting “real” book, describing life and culture in Edwardian England, roughly 1901-1914. I bought it, last year, at one of the annual Friends of the Library sales here in town. (I would be remiss if I did not mention the annual and semi-annual Friends of the Library sales in this area. I/We have enjoyed attending ones in Lawton, Elgin, and Cache ((I’m sure there are others.)) There is no better way to obtain significantly discounted, often pristine BOOKS, than to attend one of these sales.) This delightful read was published in 1970 (I would have been 16). At a whopping 302 pages, this hard-cover edition definitely qualifies as a “book.” This tome took me several months to get through. The reasons will be forthcoming.

To be honest, I must include magazines on my short list of hand-held, real-world, preferred reading material. I subscribe to and receive several magazines. I enjoy reading my various magazines in the morning when I find the time, and I do have a designated time. I subscribe to Modern Drummer, Drum!, and Drumhead magazines to keep up with my favorite artists, learn professional innovations, and drool over new product reviews. (Some of you may know, I play drums.) I also have ‘scriptions for Heavy Metal magazine (The sci-fi/fantasy illustrated magazine, not the music genre.). The graphic artwork has always been simply amazing. Then there are the “mags” I receive for being part of national organizations. These include AARP, VFW, DAV, and American Rifleman (NRA) magazines. I keep my collection of reading materials in a decorative (spray-painted) wall-hanging magazine rack within easy reach.

Now, you Hoarders are probably wondering what becomes of all these “dead trees” after I get done with them. Re-purpose, of course. I donate them to the Military Welcome Center (at the airport), or to one of my many doctors’ office waiting rooms, or to the local VA Center. What exactly is in my “library”, you ask?

In case you haven’t already figured it out, yes, my library (sic) is “The Fume Room,” the second bathroom, the half-bath, the en-suite.

George Keck is an Army Retiree, a drummer, and Lawton resident, off and on, since 1964.