THINK LIGHT

Those of us who spend the winters "up north" not only freeze and shovel snow--we also deal with long nights and reduced daylight hours. So we are especially grateful to Thomas Alva Edison for his invention of the incandescent light bulb, for which Edison was granted a patent on this day way back in 1880.

The incandescent light bulb and Edison's other inventions are documented in a Bullis book titled:

Inventors

written by Philip Gengembre Hubert,

published in New York by C. Scribner's sons, 1893.

Mr. Hubert states, "It is certain that a before Edison we had no electric lights; now we have them in every important building in the country, and ere long shall have them everywhere."

Unfortunately, Mr. Edison's incandescent light bulb has been phased out over the last few years, and as of the beginning of this year is no longer sold in this country. 

So on this anniversary of Edison's invention of the light bulb, we say a belated  "thank you" to Edison and a fond but sad farewell his invention that has made our northern winters tolerable.  (These "newfangled" bulbs simply aren't the same.)

As always, we welcome you to stop by the Bullis Room and take a look at Hubert's book to find out more about Edison and other inventors of his generation.  Your visit just may make your day a bit brighter.

THINK WINTER

These lines from Nettie Bullis's poem "A Profesy" (see December 31 post) come to mind as we gaze out the Bullis Room's south-facing window: "It comes light as a feather, Or as heavy as lead." In spite of our efforts to "think summer," that white stuff is out there and there's more to come. So we might as well face reality, which is what we did when we looked through the collection to select a book for this week's post. Rather than delving into books with warm-weather themes, we searched for the opposite. And here's what we found:

The Falls of Niagara, 

with supplementary chapters

on the other famous cataracts of the world.

By George W. Holley, 

published in 1883 in New York

by A. C. Armstrong & Son.

Actually this book covers all the seasons as well as the history of Niagara, starting with the French expeditions by Jacques Cartier,  Champlain and LaSalle.  And it contains 30 fabulous drawings of the famous falls at various times of year in a number of locations.

Now here's the "think winter" connection:  Four of these illustrations show the falls at this time of year:

"Luna Fall and Island in Winter" (page 11)

"Great Icicles under the American Fall (60)

"Winter Foliage" (page 66)

"Ice Bridge and frost Freaks" (page 69)

This book reminds its readers of the beauty of this cold, harsh weather. Perhaps it will even warm them up a bit--at least on the inside. You're welcome to stop by and experience George W. Holley's account of The Falls of Niagara.

THINK SUMMER

So far here in Macedon, the new year has been COLD. Some of us have been complaining when we have to put on countless layers and various items of clothing in order to safely stick our noses out the front door.  And when we return from the cold outside into our warm homes and offices, it seems like it takes forever to get thawed out. However, relief is available--right here in the Bullis Room, between the covers of books on gardening and travel. One book on the latter subject that we highly recommend is:

Our summer retreats: 

a handbook to all the chief waterfalls, 

springs, mountain and sea side resorts

and other places of interest in the United States

 (with views taken from sketches by Washington Friend, Esq., and from photographs)

This book was published in 1859 by T. Nelson & Sons in New York. It's full of colored illustrations and plates that will fill your head full of warmer times to come, when the "livin'" will be easier.  And when you're out in the harsh winter weather, perhaps a few of those images will also serve to keep you a bit warmer. We invite you to stop by the Bullis Room and "think summer."