And It's Past Mother's Day Already!

Now is the time for planting that summer garden. Nearly 2 months ago, we declared Thursdays as Larry's "day off" from Books on First to work instead in the garden.  He ended up coming in to the store for one thing or another every Thursday until a couple of weeks ago.
 Mother's Day is the traditional bright line and this year was not the exception.  It went from overnight frost and 37°F to 82° today!

Now is also the time to get gifts of wise advice to graduates like Frida Gonzalez whose family owns and runs Salamandra, one of the many great restaurants you can find in Downtown Dixon.  Congratulations, Frida!

March to April May Bring June Winds, Showers and Flowers, Did July?

plus the best broccoli ever.

Larry is a most enthusiastic gardener and over the years we have all been grateful recipients of the results.  Huge, stunningly beautiful and headily fragrant Oriental lilies have graced the window counters of BoF.  We have shared our abundance of vegetables with customer friends and they have reciprocated.  Juana of Salamandra's has just shared her family's favorite way to eat zucchini flowers (to whom we hope to be able to give a few this year).

This year, the weather has been weird,  with very cool weather all the way to June.  In June, we have experienced torrential rainfall as well as mere sprinklings, very windy days and nights and 90°F days and chilly nights.  Flash floods, threat of tornados, oh my!  But, as mentioned, they were perfect conditions for perfect broccoli.  

Also in June was a Friday the 13th with the closest full moon to the earth since 1919, and it won't be this close again for another 84 years (again on 13 June!).  13 June was also the ceremony for the second graduating class of the Chicago High School for the Arts, also known as ChiArts, of which the eldest granddaughter Ruby Dunphy is a member.  This was a great June and it promises to be an even better July, no lie!

Besides Melissa & Doug kids' long garden tools (hoes, rakes and spades) on sale at 50% off, we have lots of gardening books for young and old. If you prefer armchair gardening, come in to Books on First and keep your hands clean!

Where's Waldo? Too

We are gearing up for our second annual Where's Waldo? challenge.  Twenty-five (25) businesses throughout Dixon, mostly in Downtown like Salamandra's Mexican Restaurant and Waterfront Gifts, but also including Distinctive Gardens on Lowell Park Road, will participate by hiding a miniature Waldo on their premises for children to find.  We thank you in advance for allowing people to tramp in and out of your establishment and hope these same people will take the time to look around and see what a great place you (and we!) have.  The "challenge" will be throughout the month of July and culminate in a party right here at Books on First on 31 July, with door prizes and real prizes for winners of a drawing of those participants who have found twenty or more Waldo standees.

We also are stocked up with all sorts of Where's Waldo books.  And, the first 100 kids who find and come in with proof (stamped passport) at least 10 of the 25 Waldos will receive a Waldo sticker and $1 coupon good for a Where's Waldo book at Books on First.  How can any kid aged 12 and under miss out on the fun?

Third Second Saturday

Unbelievably, it is already May.  The old saying that Chicago has only two seasons, Winter and Construction, applies to Dixon, IL, also.  Our side road, Hennepin Avenue, from Second Street is now one-way going north (how strange to say "north," when we would physically be going downhill towards the river), and will be that way almost until the end of the summer, while we get new drainage and lighting.  Later, when all is done, we will have new trees planted.  Those regularly coming downtown are not used to the change or inconvenience, but I hope they will be tempted with all that we have to offer, from great restaurants (the sushi bar at Touch of Thai is now open again! and Salamandra has more seating) to Second Saturdays to a wonderful riverfront park to (of course) Books on First for great coffee, conversation and pass-the-hat live entertainment.

Salamandra celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow (Sunday, 2 May).  And, remember, the second Saturday of May is the 8th.

We will miss, but we hope you won't have to, also, miss Sauk Valley Community College's production of Aristophanes's "Lysistrata," a great classic Greek comedic play on war protest, which opened this week and closes tomorrow.  Jim Ferolo tells us that Jason Hedric's production is explicitly bawdy and hilariously done.  He actually said the words: "doubled over" and "falling in the aisle laughing."  If you are interested in reading the play, we have had two different publications of "Lysistrata" go out of print in the years that we have been around.  The version we can offer now is a great volume containing not only four of Aristophanes's most well-known works, as translated by well-regarded translators --William Arrowsmith, Richard Lattimore and Douglas Parker, but also introductions with historical reference.  Besides "Lysistrata," you can read "The Frogs," "The Clouds," and "The Birds."

Downtown Dixon on a Friday Night

What an unseasonably chilly August it has been!
The Dixon Heritage Crossing Riverfront Plaza had a great opening day and night, The actual construction did not take that much time, but it was a long haul to get this going. And, now, if there were only a few more refuse containers... The rumor is that they need donors who would like to apply their gift to the placement of a trash receptacle $800. They are very nice green-painted wrought iron. Think about it!
Tonight, with my sister Connie and our nephew Matthew in town, we will be going to Touch of Thai. Matt does not like Thai food, but he's crazy about sushi. Luckily for us, Touch of Thai also has a great sushi bar. Today for lunch, they and Larry went to Salamandra's, another great Downtown Dixon eatery.