Free books....

I went shopping for books today, looking at the bookshop in town and at the thrift stores. I plan to buy gently read books for the Book Club.... books that look new, without names or markings.

The bookshop in town is moving to a larger store on the corner of their street, so everything in there is buy two/get one free.... great deal, plus I have a big book-credit and plan to use all of that for the Book Club books.

At the smallest thrift store in town, they offered me as many books as I wanted, for free.  Totally free, not even adding tax. The lady there said they get so many books that they can't shelve them all, so they would be happy to contribute books to the Book Club students. Totally overwhelming.... and I found about 20 books in there today. I told her I would be stopping by every week.

I plan to have a huge stash of books for the students by the end of the summer. Easier for me to find them now, rather than having to search the shops during the school year and possibly not find good titles for the kids. I already have a good mix of novels and non-fiction, along with some books on wildlife and sea-life.

Free books for 'my' kids.... so nice of them. Such a great surprise. Life is good.

How far is civilization?

That is the question my cousin asked me this past weekend..... "Just how far is it to some sort of civilization?"

The daughter of one of my cousins was up in Dallas last week on business, and she drove here to visit us before she flew back to NY.  For two nights and three days, my city-girl cousin watched the goats across the road, took a selfie with a friend's horse, and watched the kids down the road riding in a wagon attached to their dad's tractor.

We walked around the streets in town and the fact that our downtown square looks very much like Mayberry did not escape her city eyes.  She couldn't get over the fact that so many shop-keepers told us to 'Have a blest day!' as we left the stores.  She said in NY, all they say is "Next!!!"  (I guess I had forgotten that.)

C is getting married this coming December, and she is looking to move out of NY, to somewhere less crowded and less expensive. Not as rural as where we are, but not as city-ish as where she is living now. She said she wants a better quality of life, and to feel that she is not working to just live and pay bills. The sight of the neighbor's kids playing out in their yard and riding along in the wagon with the tractor just floored C to the point where it made her sad to think that kids can't do that up on Long Island.  Kids up there have play-dates, she said. Sounds way too structured, I said.

I hope that C can convince her mother to get on a plane for the next visit.... her mom has never left NY... and I have been trying to get her down here for years now.  Her mom, my cousin F, would love it here. Except for the coyotes. And the snakes. And the lack of world news being broadcast 24/7.  C told me that we are in our own little world up here in these the hills.

Indeed we are. And most of the time, that's just fine.

School Daze

I was sitting in the principal's office of a local elementary school before nine o'clock this morning, explaining the plans for my after-school book club for book lovers in grades 4, 5, and 6. The principal loved all of my ideas, and even wrote down a few of the book titles I had chosen for the students.

We decided on Thursday afternoons for the book club, and rather than giving me a classroom to use for the meetings, the principal suggested I use the school library. Perfect!  All of this begins in September, which gives the students a couple of weeks after the start of school to settle in and settle down after their summer break.

The principal especially liked my idea of teaching the kids how to keep a book journal, so I will be searching for brightly-colored notebooks when the school supplies go on sale in mid-summer. From now till September, I will be searching for appropriate books for the students. I brought in a sampling of the books I have already collected for the kids, and the principal was pleased with the selection.

This is going to be so great... I can hardly wait for September!

Mother's Day

It was a year ago today that our Savannah found her way home after being lost somewhere in the woods for 12 days. We thought we would never see our dog again, considering the dangerous wildlife and poisonous snakes out there, but somehow she not only survived, but came back with just one tiny scratch on her leg, and her collar and leash were still attached. An amazing miracle for which we are forever grateful. I never take it for granted that Savannah relies on us for love and care and shelter.

My husband and I have both been under-the-weather for nearly two weeks now, even though the weather itself has been picture-perfect, Texas-postcard beautiful. I think my very bad cold turned into bronchitis and my energy level dropped to zero on at least two of those days. When I'm not able to even hold a book and read, then you know I'm sick... but my head and chest were too stuffed-up to even concentrate. I'm still coughing a bit, but I feel much better.

This coming Friday, I am meeting with the principal of a local elementary school. I will outline my plan for an after-school book club for the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders of that school. "The Magic Wand Book Club," inspired by our recent trip to Universal to see the Harry Potter exhibits there.  I doubt that any series of books has resonated with children as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter -- and it wasn't just the kids who latched on to those books. It seemed like everyone was reading about Harry and Hogwarts when that series was being published. And looking at the 'magic' happening still at Universal, Harry's popularity hasn't diminished.

I am certain that the love of books and reading can be brought to kids everywhere, whether or not they're able to travel to Florida to see the world of Harry Potter. I intend to do just that... to take kids who already like to read and make them see that reading is not just an assignment for their school years, but it's a habit that can follow them through their entire lives, enriching it with untold blessings and diversions and discoveries.

Wands are on order... pens and book journals.... and I will be buying books, books, and more books. I will teach the kids how to take care of the books they wish to keep, and hopefully encourage them to start little libraries of their own, whether it be one small shelf or an entire bookcase. I spent some of my recent sick days making bookmarks for the students, and writing an outline of our weekly meetings. I already have nearly 40 books, and plan to have at least a few hundred before our first session of the new term. I intend to have novels and non-fiction for the kids to choose from... they will pick out what they would like to read, then tell the rest of us about the story. After completing three books, the kids can choose a wand. I am hoping this reading experience becomes a life-long love of books for all the kids who join this book club.

The most important message of the book club will be its motto:  "The magic is not in the wand... the magic is in me!"

The Book Club

I have spoken to the principal of a local elementary school, and will meet with her next week to outline my plan.  She has approved my idea to host an after-school book club for students from the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades of her school. I already have the theme and title for the club, but won't post it here till we get closer to the starting date, which will be at the beginning of the Fall term.

Being that the school's budget is not exactly over-flowing with funds for after-school events, I assured the principal that I will cover any and all costs. I have spent the morning making bookmarks for fifty students, and my summer plan is to search bookshops and thrift stores for gently-read books appropriate for those grades.

I may have to start a separate blog for the book club.... we'll see...

Saturday stuff....

Gorgeous day today... sunny and warm, not blasting hot, not a drop of humidity. Every day should be like this one.

We brought Savannah to the dog park yesterday.... the big-dog park has been re-opened, the pool is filled with water, and benches are in the shade beneath the trees. Savannah loves it there, and I truly think she feels safe. The park is fenced in, she can run and play without having a leash on, and watching her jump in and out of the pool is as much fun for me as for her. I even think Savannah has come out of her shell a bit because she is letting strangers at the park pet her, and she gets up close to them to sniff their clothes and lick their hands. We have boarded Savannah at a nearby facility when we've gone out of town, and having those 'strangers' take care of her has probably boosted her confidence. Savannah has learned that not all people will hurt her, and I am hoping by now that she believes that we wouldn't let anyone with bad intentions even get close to her.

First Thursday Tea has started up, and the friends and neighbors who remember to make note of each first Thursday have been here on those Thursday afternoons. Out here in the middle of the hills, one day is just like the other, so I can't blame anyone for forgetting. Savannah walked around the dining room table during the tea parties, sitting next to each woman in turn, and then moving on to the next when she gets a treat. Smart dog. I am so happy that she is getting to be more social.

We drove up to Georgetown a few weeks ago (me and two friends up the road) to visit another friend who had moved from our road last year. The community up in Georgetown is a Sun City development meant for people over 55.  The houses are adorable and manageable, as is the property itself. Say what you want about having your home sit on numerous acreage, but all those acres mean extra maintenance. There were sidewalks and walking trails and ponds and community centers and classrooms where you can join a group for countless hobbies and crafts. Georgetown was like a DisneyLand for adults. Beautiful and civilized, friendly and welcoming. I now understand why so many people have relocated to Georgetown when their city jobs are over and they are looking for something more peaceful and serene. And our sort of country living in the hills here.... I used to think it was peaceful. Then came the snakes and coyotes, the raccoons and the bobcats, the after-midnight trains and the pre-dawn gunshots.... not to mention new neighbors who believe that shooting off mega-fireworks every week is a lot of fun. Oh well.... for now, we are here in the hills. Maybe Georgetown will be in our future.

The young girl renting our cottage has settled in and seems to be quite happy. She has had over-night guests -- friends and her mom, and the little cottage no longer sits empty all the time. She works all week long, takes care of her ailing grandmother on occasion, pays her rent promptly, and is just the perfect tenant. We are hoping that she will be there for a good long while.

Our handyman continues to work well, and the Spring projects are now going into Summer ones. We're hoping that most of the heavy work can get done before the temperatures get above the one-hundred mark.