Highs and lows, Oct. 17th edition

High:

I visited a used bookstore over the weekend and found a first-edition printing of "Sons and Lovers" by D.H. Lawrence. SCORE. For an antique-obsessed girl, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I spied its cracked leather binding near the end of a dusty old bookshelf. The first thing I did when I pulled it off the shelf? Opened to somewhere in the middle, buried my nose into the pages and took one long, slow inhale. It smelled delightful, like time (if time had a smell):

Even better, when I opened to the first page (above) it had been signed by one of its many owners, with a date of 1923. Someone, about 90 years ago, read this exact copy and left her mark on it. Amazing! I wonder who she was? How old was she when she wrote her name on the title page? What ever happened to her? What compelled her to sign this copy on that December 21st? How was her Christmas spent a few days later? With family and friends, or all alone? All unanswerable questions, but the possibilities are endless and fascinating. I've tried Googling her, but nothing...

Low: 

We're not anywhere near purchasing our first home (whenever that may be), but I did have my eye on one I noticed was for sale a few weeks ago. It's an original 1959 Eichler that I grew somewhat obsessed with, driving by and marveling at its mid-century mod lines even though I knew it wasn't a reality for us anytime soon. But still, I tortured myself and went on coveting until the other day when I coasted by and saw that the "For Sale" out front was gone. The house was officially off the market. It's not the end of the world but I'm a little bummed out. Yet what did I expect? That the house would still be for sale in about two years when we'd be ready to buy? Perhaps. It would have been oh-so-cool to live in an Eichler abode: 

I'll just have to wait till another goes on sale in my area. Hopefully I'll be ready next time!