Here is an interesting story:
I was about 1st or 2nd grade when my mom and I were reading the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the books as she read them to me and was amazed by all of the stories Laura told of life on the prairie. We were given the opportunity on a trip to purchase the whole set in paperback with some of the spending money we had brought along.
These books were a treasure to me. I kept them in the box when I wasn't reading them and revisited them on occasion when I wanted to feel as though I was spending time with a good friend.
Some of the books as you can see have not survived the passing of time. It would have been 1976 or 1977 when they were purchased. I open each one and see my name in my mom's handwriting in the top left corner of each inside cover. I see my return address sticker there too because I wanted to be sure that if ever one was to be misplaced, there would be a way for me to have it returned to me.
The bindings were worn and with all the hot and cold they endured in the storage process through the years, they all needed packing tape reinforcement today. That is what I did. Reinforced each one that was salvageable. Then I set aside my copy of Little House in the Big Woods. I think I will save it for my first grand daughter.
The rest I just can't bring myself to keep. They have some good reading left to them for someone who would appreciate them. I did decide however to throw away the box. It was pretty tattered and worn, so out in the garage it went with the rest of the cardboard. I had to throw away Farmer Boy. As you can see above, it was in pieces but the rest were still in pretty good shape. Little House on the Prairie has been gone for years. It was the most worn of them all.
Don't think that I am getting rid of these great books. No...I have them all in hard back on my library shelf. Many years ago before I had children of my own, I had saved up and purchased the hard back copies. That is why I can't bring myself to keep these. I am trying to pair things down as I get older. Simplify my life so to speak. My girls aren't really interested in them but maybe someday.
That is when something interesting happened. During a scouting event the aunt of one of our scouts came over to my house to pick up some popcorn. She noticed in my pile of cardboard to break down, the box that the Little House books had been kept in. She picked it up and asked me if she could have it. She would tape it up and use it to hold the ones she wanted to purchase. She had wanted the books all of her life and was going to purchase them as she was able.
I was so excited to tell her that I had six of them downstairs in a book bin waiting for a new home if she wanted to love them. She was very grateful and I was happy to find someone who even as an adult appreciates these simply written accounts of a life long ago.
I love stitching. I had forgotten how relaxing it had been back in the days I had more time. There was a perfect chair in our condo in Gatlinburg for cross stitching. I got a lot more done there than I expected but knew I wouldn't have time to get it framed.
The beans didn't come up at all so that was a big disappointment. We have melons, okra and tomatoes in relative abundance and some peppers. We harvested a few more beets than last year but I think I am going to try to plant more of those. Carrots came up well and were very yummy for about two meals.
This week has been spent in the kitchen keeping up with tomatoes. Dad informed me last weekend that he wasn't going to be canning at all this summer so he was letting us take what we want. I tried a batch of spaghetti sauce over the weekend and after feeding the family Saturday night with much of the batch (boy do these people EAT!) I was able to can five quarts for the pantry. They told me after supper that it was the best spaghetti they had ever tasted!
Let me tell you about the okra! Last summer we were able to save two stalks and were amazed by how much okra came from those two plants. This year was a totally different story! We have two rows of okra and it is in full production! Last week David cut up two gallon bag full for the freezer to use in gumbo and Thursday I tried a couple of small batches breaded for frying. They are now tucked away in the freezer for our frying pleasure!
Although we are not finished with the girls' remodel in their bedroom, they were able to get the painting done over the summer. They worked hard together to choose the color (which was probably the hardest part), move the furniture and paint the walls.
The finished paint project turned out beautifully. They are both very happy with the results! The color got a much needed update and the atmosphere in which to share this small space has been refreshed!
