A Simple Bird Book and a Life
Hi all,
The wife found an old bird book ("A field Guide To The Birds" 1947, by Roger Tory Peterson) at an estate sale ($2). The book is in terrible shape... The spine is torn wide open, there are water stains, and one of the book's former owners made umpteen marks within the book itself. But it's exactly those marks on the "My Life List" pages that lead us into this post.
There are 117 checked sightings there... There are also several dashes. Questions and a few answers leap to mind...
See you by the feeders,
Existential CapeCodAlan
The wife found an old bird book ("A field Guide To The Birds" 1947, by Roger Tory Peterson) at an estate sale ($2). The book is in terrible shape... The spine is torn wide open, there are water stains, and one of the book's former owners made umpteen marks within the book itself. But it's exactly those marks on the "My Life List" pages that lead us into this post.
There are 117 checked sightings there... There are also several dashes. Questions and a few answers leap to mind...
- Who owned this book, and spent the time to make all those marks? Was it more than one person? Doubtful - no one wants to continue a "Life List" another has left off.
- Did someone buy this book at a used book store and then start filling in the "Life List"? Possible but I doubt it. Here's why. After any major disaster, Americans (and human beings in general) want security. They want to feel safe. They want to do things that are time-tested and peaceful. (In the last quarter of 2001, A.C. Moore's (the arts and crafts superstore chain) earnings shot up a mind-bending 47%.) No, this book was probably bought and used in 1947 by someone who was still coming to grips with the end of World War II, and the horrific Texas City series of explosions that killed almost 600.
- Where did this person live? Given that there are a bunch of northeastern water birds, warblers, etc., (and the fact that the wife bought the book at a local estate sale) the
person probably lived and/or vacationed right here in the Cape Cod area.
But other questions aren't so readily addressable.
- Was the original owner of the book a young person? And if so is he (or she) still around?
- Was the "Life List" part of a school or scouting project?
- How long did this person work on the list?
- Does this person have a good life? (Or, if he's deceased, did he have a good life?)
See you by the feeders,
Existential CapeCodAlan