The Joy of Books

My love affair with books started in my childhood; I blogged about it, (click here), a couple of years ago.  Two summers ago I found this old sign at a flea market, for the princely sum of $2.

Yep, two dollars.  It resides on one of those awkward plant niches, 9 feet up, in my living room. Hence the extra-awful photos.  (I risked life and limb standing on a bench to try to capture it on this dreary day.) It's one of the few things in my home that will never be for sale. I love it.

It's made of plywood; the flaking paint is 'accented' by the random flowers. 

It works well with some of my old leather-bound books.  Contrary to what everyone says, I think you can judge a book by it's cover.  If it looks good, I love it and could care less what's inside!  (Wow, that sounds a little shallow doesn't it? Just so you know, metaphorically speaking, I do subscribe to the "can't judge..." adage when it comes to people!) 

I'm linking up with Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday...check it out!

...and if you adore books as much as I do, I know that you will love watching this amazing video.

Falling In Love With the Library

Holding Mom's hand, I walked up the steps and into the most wonderful building I'd ever seen. Wood floors, high ceilings, and books everywhere. I must have been about six years old when Mom took me into the public library for the first time. It was amazing to learn that I could get all the books I wanted, whenever I wanted, for FREE!

That first visit to the library was the start of hundreds more over the next ten years. I loved the children's section in the cool, dark basement, and read every Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew ever written.

Growing up in a small farm town, I was a child of the most "old-fashioned" parents in town. (At least I thought so.) In my elementary years we had no TV and never went anywhere for fun. Reading was my escape. I learned that life could be different. There were towns with skating rinks, huge department stores with escalators, drive-ins, boardwalks and endless possibilities for fun. I knew that when I was grown I would not stay in Willows.

Browsing eBay a few years ago, I saw a postcard of the Willows Library and purchased it. The library was built in 1910 and the postcard is from that era. In my memory, the library was a huge building; the photo shows the reality! Today, the public library is in a more modern building, and the old library site is used as a museum. It's good to know that a building that holds such great memories for me has been preserved to showcase the heritage of a small town.