Watching Downton Abbey with Downtown Abby - Season 4, Episode 2 (US)

Before we start talking about Downton Abbey, I have to say that of course both my beloved pups, Barney Fife and Abby, watch the show each week curled up beside me.  Barney, being a wise senior dachshund, usually agrees with Carson in all things Downton.  Abby wishes to be referenced in all Downton posts here, since the title includes her name - sort of.

Also, this post contains SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! for Episode 2 of Season 4.  Do not continue reading if you have not seen the episode yet.

Sigh.  This was the episode I had heard whispers about.  I had only heard that something bad was going to happy to Anna in this episode.  I didn't have details, but figured it out early on tonight.  Sigh.  I hated this storyline.  Absolutely hated how dark and dreary it was.  Poor Anna.  She's been through enough, with Bates' jail sentence and their separation.  

Also -- I am ready for Braithwaite to leave already.  She is up to no good with Tom, who is my favorite of the Downton men.  He was already struggling tonight, feeling out of place at the formal dinner.  (But wasn't he handsome in white tie?)

On a positive note, Lord Gillingham is charming, and it was nice to see Lady Mary connect with him on the basis of a longtime friendship.  I hope, since it is so soon after Matthew's death, that this will remain just a friendship for a while.

Gregson did a good turn outsmarting the card shark to win back the money that Lord Grantham and the others lost.   I still worry, though, for Edith, especially after seeing the trailers for next week.  

As usual, the Dowager Countess had several wonderful lines.  My favorite was:  "If I were to search for logic, I should not look for it among the English upper class."   I was also delighted that she quoted Christina Rosetti when talking to Mrs. Crawley:  "Better by far you should forget and smile/ Than that you should remember and be sad."

My favorite scene was at dinner, when Cora found that famed opera singer Nellie Melba would be dining alone in her room.  After Cora left to smooth things over, Lord Grantham looked at Carson and said:  "I blame you."  Absolute perfection!  They are both so enamored with the decorum of the past.

On a visual note, the glimpse of the garden was striking.  I love the greenery arches!

One question from this episode -- why was one of the footman (James?) measuring the distance from each chair to the table?  I'm sure there was some reason based on etiquette and vintage dining customs.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite episode, but of course I still like lesser Downton over anything else on television. 

What did you think of this episode?  I hope you'll leave your comments below (without any spoilers for future episodes, if you have already seen the UK edition).   What do you think of Lord Gillingham?  What will happen with Anna and Bates?  How do you think the Braithwaite storyline will resolve?

Only Connect! Rethinking Twitter

"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer."
- E.M. Forster, Howards End 

Lately it seems I'm spending more time off the computer and communicating via phone and iPad.  As a result, I find myself looking at the social media sites and thinking about whether they work for me.

My beloved Pinterest is the same on computer or iPad - a stream of beautiful, whimsical, funny photos.

Facebook is also fun in any medium -- a chance to catch up with friends and family, read updates, share photos (and, okay, I will admit it - play Songpop as well!).

Twitter, though, is another story.  I am finding that I end up reading long streams of items for sale, books promoted, but very little actual conversation. 

I have been doing Twitter wrong.  As a vintage seller, for years I have scheduled item tweets with Hootsuite (a lovely program for organizing Twitter reads by lists and stream).  Unfortunately, this means I wasn't really talking on twitter, except for brief conversations with personal friends and dachshund community buddies.

I'm going to try something different.  I have some Valentine tweets scheduled (one a day) but after these run out, I am not going to schedule tweets, but will interact regularly.  Of course I will still tweet some of my vintage items, but I will do so live online, and on a much smaller basis.  My new motto is to talk more and promote less.

The same goes for massive retweets.  I was retweeting sometimes 25, 50, or more vintage tweets at any given time.  Yikes!   I participate in a link exchange with a small group of longtime eBay friends, and I will still do that, but that is again on a small scale, resulting in just a handful of tweets.  

I don't know how this will change things, but I'm looking forward to finding out.   I can't promise that my tweets will all be pithy or interesting, but I can promise this:  they will be real.  

Let's re-start at the very beginning ...

Hi all,

Welcome to my new and improved blog.  You'll notice that it looks different, but I think you will find that the feel and content will also be a change of pace.

I want to make this blog more fun, more casual, and more varied in 2014.  You'll still find vintage tidbits here, but you might also see a picture of my dogs, chat about books and reading, a retro recipe, or talk about Downton Abbey.  I'm excited about this new approach to blogging, and hope you'll follow and join in with comments.  I would love to chat with YOU here.

Since it's been a long while, I'll re-introduce myself.  My name is Trish.  I live in Georgia with my 16 year old dachshund, Barney Fife, and my 4 year old "doxie-Jack" (dachshund/Jack Russell Terrier mix), Abby.

My business is Birdhouse Books, and I sell vintage children's books and ephemera on eBay, Etsy, and Bonanza.  This year I will also be expanding to some of the book sites (more on that later!).

My previous lives have included bookstore management, teaching preschool, and (during one fun year in college) working as a singing telegram messenger.

When I'm not researching vintage treasures, I enjoy reading (historical fiction, mysteries, children's literature, classics), vegetarian cooking, retro pop culture. music (oldies, jazz, Broadway), and thrifting some more (I know, it's an obsession!).

What else can I tell you?  My favorite color is lime.  I hate mushrooms.  I spend way too much time on Pinterest. 

There's more to say, but this conversation will continue.  Wishing you a good day (or evening!), and looking forward to chatting more soon.

1960's Beaded Mistletoe Kissing Ball

I love retro Christmas, and just had to share this vintage item because it's so fun!  This is a 1960's vintage mistletoe kissing ball.  It is green velvet, with beading, and plastic mistletoe, and it is BIG.

Mistletoe Kissing Ball at Birdhouse Books

Kindle Newsletters - for free and cheap e-books

This is not vintage related, but possibly of interest to other book lovers!  I put together a listing of newsletters for free or cheap e-books. These are in addition to the Amazon Kindle Deal of the Day mailing, which is a MUST for Kindle fans.  If I am missing any good ones, please let me know!

Hundred Zeros:

http://hundredzeros.com/

Bargain Booksy

http://bargainbooksy.com/

Book Basset

http://www.bookbasset.com/

Book Gorilla

http://www.bookgorilla.com/

Bookbub
http://www.bookbub.com/

Bookperk

http://www.bookperk.com/

EReaderNews Today

http://ereadernewstoday.com/

Feed Your Reader

http://www.feedyourreader.com/

Free Booksy

http://freebooksy.com/

More for Less Online

http://www.moreforlessonline.com/

Pixel of Ink

http://www.pixelofink.com/

Sweet Free Books

http://sweetfreebooks.com/