Expansive Jupiter

So many unexpected nice things (well, a couple big ones, anyway) have come my way recently, I checked to see what's going on in the stars.

Here's what:
The jovial planet of Jupiter is traveling through Pisces, my sign, for most of 2022, bringing lucky possibilities to all, but especially Pisces,
"a mystical, magical, lucky transit that astrologers have been eagerly awaiting" [via].

Okay, then!

First up:
Today I did my first shift at a bookstore downtown that sells rare and antique books--mostly online these days. Its temporary: I'm helping out  packing books while one of the owners recovers from a knee replacement. The owner is a friend of a friend, who alerted me that the store needed help.

Someone came along with me: the dispenser of gummed packing tape was too heavy for her, so she browsed the books instead.

This is a genius machine, from the 1950s, I think:The plastic bottle on the right irrigates a moat, through which the paper tape runs.

The lever the doll is trying to operate dispenses the tape--you can see how many inches on the silver guide on the left–and when you release the lever, it slices the tape.

"Jupiter on my shoulder"--actually the morning sun.

Lots of great books, and I can take double my pay in trade, but they're spendy, and I'm no collector.
I'll just enjoy browsing.

I had never seen Orlando the marmalade cat before!