Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Radiator Blues

March is a goofy month for weather in Minnesota.  Some days feel so warm and sunny that I'm convinced Spring is just around the corner.  Then we get nailed with a huge snow storm.  I have to remind myself that March is still WINTER!  In fact, statistically, March is the snowiest month in Minnesota.  I'm seriously hoping that will not be the case this year.

Today, though,  is beautiful - warm(ish) and sunny.  With lots of windows in the store, it's nice to look out and see the sun.  It's also nice to see people walking by without falling down (which has happened several times this Winter!)  But with the changing weather, comes an internal store conundrum.  The radiators.

I can't say for sure, but I'm convinced that the building owners (who will remain nameless) decided to turn down the heat to save money.  This works fine on those nice March days I was talking about.  But on the cold, snowy days - not so much!

So now I have the Radiator Blues.  Some days at work it's so cold, I have to put my coat back on.  We call the "powers that be" and sometimes the radiators begin to creak back to life.  But other days, they just stand there like frozen behemoths, good for nothing except collecting dust.

The other day a book rep came to sell us books.  He is a good friend and knows our store well. He arrived that chilly day with several layers and never took off his coat.  He said, "I changed into warmer clothes when I remembered I was going to Micawber's today."  Nice.

Even the customers notice from time to time.  Luckily, not very often.  So, what can a cold bookseller do?  Do what my mother always told me.  Dress in layers.  And I mean layers.  At least 3 or 4 to be safe.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, come on in.  We have comfy chairs and lots of great books. Just remember to wear your jacket.


Here are some late-winter children's book recommendations:

Snow! by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Snow Day by Komako Sakai
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Hooray for Snow! by Kazuo Iwamura

And for those of you (like me) who can't wait for Spring:

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke

Take care and cozy up with a good book!

1 comment:

laurasalas said...

Ha! Love the book rep's comment.

Worst thing is, people don't linger when it's cold. And if they don't linger, I'm thinking they buy fewer books. Not good.