Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

T is for Thesaurus

I'm going to be gone today, at the craft's fair selling my tatting. That means I won't be out and about visiting blogs. Have a wonderful Easter and may you find many treasures. See you Monday.
Thesaurus
: New Latin from Latin, meaning treasure, collection, from the Greek thesauros.

Yes! A thesaurus is a treasure! Writing without a thesaurus would be like trying to play a sport with one hand or one arm. It can be done but it would be difficult.




This is my ancient, most treasured thesaurus, copyright 1922.

The pages are thin and yellowing. I had to put bookbinding tape on the spine to keep it from totally falling apart.

It resides at my right hand whenever I'm writing.

I love exploring it.










It was given to me by Charlotte who was my first best friend. Charlotte was a few years older than my grandmother. She had been a Suffragette. She was a book reviewer for the New York Times and became their first female poetry editor. She wrote two books about St. John. If you care to, you can read more about her here.

She and her husband Gus knew my mother from when Mom was a teen-ager.

Gus gave the thesaurus to Charlotte.







He inscribed it thus: I've underlined the "sufficient" word. Gus.


For many years I didn't know what the sufficient word was.


Then finally I found it.







The word is love.


A bit of torn, brittle ribbon, left in the book by Charlotte, lives between pages 600 and 601.

It is sufficient.


What do you treasure? What does your thesaurus contain?

15 comments:

  1. Happy Easter!! Hope you have a good one :)

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  2. Oh that one brought a lump to my throat. How beautiful and romantic :) Have a lovely Easter X

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  3. I still have my mini thesaurus from high school and absolutely love it! I use it for everything I write.

    Duncan In Kuantan

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  4. Very touching. Love the photo. What a sweet treasure for you to have.

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  5. What a beautiful post. Good luck at the show today. I hope you sell out.

    My thesaurus lives by my feet. First as a step and next as a book. I love looking up words.

    And what a great story about Gus and Charlotte. Makes me want to write a book about it.

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  6. This is an amazing post! How wonderful you have that old thesaurus. I love the inscription and underlined word. What a treasure.

    I love thesauruses, too, but mine is from 1997. Maybe I'll give it to someone when I'm an old lady!

    Happy Easter!!!

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  7. A book with a history and such a beautiful lady and her husband. I hope you find treasures this weekend but you already have many at home.
    Love and peace,
    Manzanita

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  8. I was first introduced to the thesaurus by a teacher in grade 8 - it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. It took my writing to a whole new level.

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  9. You are a treasure; your posts are a treasure; knowing you and your stories is a treasure. Really. I love this. What a wonderful thesaurus and story that goes with it.

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  10. That might just be the most romantic thing I've ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing that beautiful sentiment. I treasure the stuffed bear that I got when I was a kid. Somehow it became a ritual for my mom to give my bear a hug and kiss goodnight. Now that my mom has passed away if I need a hug I go to my stuffed bear and get one, it's like my bear saved up mom hugs for me.

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  11. wow, what an awesome thesaurus!
    I only truly fell in love with the thesaurus once it came online and was so much easier to cross reference.

    Happy Easter

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  12. That is the coolest Thesaurus and story to go with it that I've ever seen!
    And T is also for Tatting! Hope you had some great sales!

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  13. What a treasure! Thanks for sharing.

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  14. My thesaurus is plain and ordinary.
    (but very useful).
    I have some wood carvings that were made by my grandfather that I treasure.

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  15. Love. Oh, how sweet.

    I use the Thesaurus on my computer. It works wonderfully.

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!