Exercising my rights (at least there's one part of me that's in shape)!

Today, I went to my local polling place to cast my ballot on an issue quite close to my heart - and my liver.

Now, I love voting. I love the excitement leading up to any kind of election. I love the feeling of power I have knowing that while I only have one vote, it does matter. As dorky as it sounds, I love getting a bit dressed up (at least, wearing a dress and not my usual weekday uniform of jeans and flip-flops) to hit the polls. I even love standing in line to vote, as it gives me the chance to people watch and speculate how the others around me will vote on the issues on the ballot.

But I especially love discovering that my "yes" vote helped prevent me from ever again spending 20 minutes choosing wine in Trader Joe's before discovering that it's Sunday and I can't actually purchase said wine. So today's small joy was seeing that every city in metro Atlanta (with 1 exception) had passed the "Sunday liquor sales" bill, thus preventing me and my fellow Atlantans from ever again experiencing the disappointment of not buying $3 shiraz on the day of rest. A small victory, but one that will no doubt bring me happiness for years to come!

A mysterious and lovely inscription...

As a voracious reader, I order used books off Amazon.com (as I would be broke if I bought every book I read new!) and sometimes open the first page to discover that the original purchaser of the book has written a few words for whomever the book was originally purchased. Often, the dedication is nothing more than a "Happy birthday, Sue!", or "I thought this would come in handy on your travels, Joe", but every so rarely, a much more delightful note awaits me.

Today, I opened a copy of "The Art of Eating" by M.F.K. Fisher to find the below inscription. Gracious, loving, and poetic, it has made me smile ever since the moment I read it. I have now spent more time than I should imagining the situation for which it was given, the giver's joy in presenting it, and the recipient's joy upon reading such a special and heartfelt note, and the giver and recipient themselves. I'm guessing they are British, based on the spelling of many of the words, but the rest remains very much a happy mystery...


S -
It's funny to be inscribing a book on my own birthday! What a perfect birthday gift, though! The gift that is given on one's birthday...


I thought this would be the perfect way to thank you for your unmatchable introduction; a book full of words and farmhouse soups; soups of words; love of soups; love-soup, etc.; (see esp p. 353).


I can picture you being like M.F.K. Fisher; travelling; savouring the flavours of every place and person; serving forth in return the most delicious prose of roundabout flavour, full, always, of chewy metaphors and allusive walnuts -- and a crisply-baked introduction (or any flattery at all -- I have a sweet tooth, as you know!) -- I will repay you with poems sung in your honor, or repeated, nervously, in dark-carpeted rooms among mismatched chairs and perhaps a stollen or two --


In love and stew,
/me, /you -- M

P.S. - On the next page, there is also a note in the same hand,
Most recommended recipe? 
Tomato Soup Cake, p 314
I may just have to try that recipe myself one of these days, in hopes that it will be a small joy itself!

*Have you ever some across a wonderful note in a pre-loved book? I would love to hear similar stories of this small joy!*