Okay, you want to know what a weirdo I am, what I do all day in retirement? When I get interested in something, it can be ANYTHING, I can go on unfathomable deep dives. An example from today.

I bought Addie Pray, a used copy, it arrived on March 2. I love used books when they're inscribed by the previous owner. I research them, look them up, see who they were. It's the detective in me. I have done this many times before when I bought used books on eBay. 

In the case of Addie Pray, which I bought through Jeff Bezos' evil empire, I hit the jackpot. It was inscribed by at least two previous owners. The first was a doctor, or his wife, from Texas. There was one of those old-fashioned return address stickers that you used to see on envelopes on the front inside hardcover. Then there was another, hand-written, inscription on the fly page or whatever you call it opposite: "From the Home of Dr. Joe & Barbara Lewis, summer 2021", the same names as on the return address sticker. In March or April, whenever I did this research, it didn't occur to me that it was strange that the same owner inscribed the book twice. I assumed that the hand-written was by Barbara Lewis (the writing is decidedly in a female hand). 

Commence research on the Lewises. Dr. Lewis died on Nov. 23, 2023. So, the hand-written wasn't by him, just as I reasoned. Looked up Barbara Lewis. My hand-written notes: "? She died before he did, Feb. 8, 2000 ?" "Who wrote this?"

I got on the Lewises estate sale (deep depth), the contents of their house! Note by me: "estate sale April 30, May 1, 2021." Lotta books. No Addie Pray. Hand-written inscription "From the Home of" & etc. "summer 2021", both Lewises deceased, no Addie Pray. 

At the bottom of the fly page there was an inked stamped impression, a circle with an address, "Chapel View Drive" on the outer ring, inside the circle was an elaborate monogram M with what looked like a Christian cross in the "v" of the M, and MARONEY bifurcating the M. I didn't pay the inked impression any mind until today. It only registered with me as from a church--"Chapel," and the cross-like thing. The impression was so fine that it looked part of the book, not made by a second owner with a hand stamp and ink pad. 

Today, for some reason, the inked stamp registered with me. Googled the address. BEAUTIFUL home. Single-family home, not church. Googled Maroney with the address. "Dr. Kimberly Maroney." Well, I'll be a sumbitch. Googled Dr. Kimberly Maroney. Colorado. Got on the medical website she was affiliated with up there. "After more than twenty years practicing medicine on the South Texas coast, my family and I felt the mountains calling--and we made the move in 2021." "Published: September 8, 2021". 

I had figured it out! Dr. Maroney and Dr. Lewis had to have known each other; Dr. Maroney got Addie Pray "From the Home of" Dr. Lewis after Dr. Lewis passed, hand-wrote the "summer 2021", affixed her monogram stamp, and by September was outta there for the Rockies.

That's what I did today. I am weird, yes I am. I enjoy figuring things out. This. Is. What. I. Do.

                                                                 -The End-