ramblings from an arkansas farm girl
Yes, it’s true. Reading is my superpower. You may not think mine is a bonafide superpower, not like time travel or invisibility or super human strength, but it’s legit. In Washington County Arkansas where 20% of adult population reads at an illiterate level, reading is most definitely a superpower. Continue Reading
Woo-hoo! I’ve been looking forward to this day since we moved into our house. We are the proud stewards of a Little Free Library. Purchased as a housewarming/Christmas gift to ourselves, our library has been stored in the coat closet since Thanksgiving. Yesterday, it was installed. (We waited until our landscaping was in progress, so that we could incorporate it into the front yard.)
Do you know about the Little Free Library? It’s all about the books…and in our case, the seeds. Seeds? Keep reading.
“Take a book, return a book”—that’s the Little Free Library motto.
The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin. He built a one room schoolhouse design as a tribute to his mother who was a teacher. His idea caught on quickly. As of January 2014, over 15,000 Little Free Libraries have been built and installed across the world. What a great way to promote literacy and reading. Plus, they are so freakin’ cute.
There are several in our neighborhood. There can’t be too many—(another motto).
Now about the seeds. Ours is not only a book library, but a seed library. There is a drawer (see the picture below) that will serve as a seed and recipe exchange—a way to share vegetable and flower seeds with neighbors as well as favorite recipes. Neighbors can place seed packets to share or take seeds that have been donated. Our library came with 20 seed packages to start. There will be little plastic bags for dividing seeds, because who needs fifty spinach plants?
The library will be open for business soon. Maybe today. I’ll be putting a few books in it (some garden related, but not all), and seeds will go into the drawer when it’s a bit warmer. Neighbors are invited to participate, hint, hint…
I think a spring porch party might be a great way to officially kick off our Little Free Library and Seed Exchange. It will be a BYOB affair—Bring Your Own Book. Stay tuned and happy reading.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
[tweetthis]Because I’m all about the books. And seeds! @LtlFreeLibrary #TakeABookLeaveABook #GrowSomething @WildflowerCtr [/tweetthis]
Click HERE for information on building your own Little Free Library.
“However many years she lived, Mary always felt that she should never forget that first morning when her garden began to grow.”- Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Musical Pairing:
All About Those Books – MDIHS Library
How long has it been since you have read To Kill a Mockingbird? I’m re-reading it now. This timeless classic is one of my favorites. C. S. Lewis said no book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond. Books change as we do. We take away different things at different phases of our lives.
This time I’m really getting more out of To Kill a Mockingbird because I’m reading my son’s annotated copy from high school.
Tate did an impressive job noting foreshadowing, circling vocabulary words, and making comments in the margins like Calpurnia has great influence and Atticus is almost all-knowing.
It’s like reading two stories at once—Harper Lee’s original version and my son’s running commentary. Do you remember Mystery Science Theatre?
Tate underlined sentences like this one:
Walter poured syrup on his vegetables and meat…
he would probably have poured it into his milk
had I not asked what the sam hill he was doing. (p. 24)
He wrote questions in the margins.
What does sam hill mean?
It made my heart happy to know he didn’t know the meaning of sam hill in ninth grade… (I did because I talked like Scout growing up…)
I have lots of books on my summer reading list including more classics (maybe more annotated versions). What’s on your reading list?
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
“Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Scout Meets Boo Radley – To Kill a Mockingbird
