Practical Handbooks

I love "How-To" books with an unreasoning passion. They make the most daunting tasks seem so possible. I love to read and re-read their organizational checklists — and then completely ignore them as I proceed in my usual sloppy, haphazard way. This particular book is full of useful tips to disregard as I prepare to paint over all the cat gauges under the window sills. The beasts have plenty of scratching posts, but they seem to prefer sinking their claws into drywall. I considered wallpaper, and then reconsidered, as I realized how easily it would shred under assault. Speaking of paper, The Riverfront Times Best Of St. Louis 2008 is now on your newsstands. I contributed the following items: Best Yarn Store, Best Junk Store, Best Thrift Store, Best Antique Store, Best Art Supplies, Best Kept Secret, and Best Flea Market. This final item was a last-minute assignment, and somehow escaped a much-needed edit to fix its opening lines. But still, the spirit of the thing shines through the somewhat garbled writing. Best Of All: made enough money to buy yarn for four more shawls!