Got Books?

Does your neighborhood have any of these? The first time I saw one was when I visited Mollie in Chicago shortly after I retired. They were everywhere in the Ukrainian Village where she lived until just the other day. I thought they were charming. I hoped that Auburn would have them too, but sadly they didn't when I first came here.

When I arrived, the town was thriving. There was a lot to do here in this town and in the ones around us. But I was disappointed by the litter I found everywhere. There is a myth in the south that the PNW is full of a bunch of barefoot hippie folk wandering around the mountains in search of nuts and berries to sustain themselves. I was hopeful to leave the disrespectful thoughtlessness of people who felt it fine to drop their trash where it landed and walk a way to leave it for someone else to clean up. My dreams of a clean street utopia were short-lived. People here are every bit as slovenly as those in the south. But there were street fairs and farmers markets and the community center arranged day trips to the wine country and the shore. But that changed with Covid, and it has been slow to re-emerge. Probably just as well, if it was available, I'm sure I'd have gotten Covid a few times over 

As Covid restrictions began closing down our town, these started appearing in the neighborhood. The first one I noticed was in front of the Episcopalian/Presbyterian church. They seem to be a good community citizen, but their books were mostly of the Christian Self Help genre. I've read quite a few of those. So I left them for others who may want them more than I do. Soon this one appeared on J Street. What the picture doesn't show is that there is a shelf below it, on the fence where they also leave fruit and vegetables and even snacks sometimes. The books are mostly romance novels and some children's books for a pre-teen. I have taken a tomato and an apple or two, but the books aren't really what I read. 

Then Yesterday I took my old route home from the park. I had given up walking that way for a while due to street construction. But it is a shaded walk and the weather was warm. To my extreme pleasure, there is a new street library box on 7th street. And the owner has excellent taste in reading material. I had to exercise self control to only take one book. This is the one I chose. It is great, full of all the wisdom that I somehow failed to learn through osmosis and being raised by southern women. I will go by tomorrow to drop off one of mine that I have already read. It makes me feel so much better about the community culture here. I feel like I'm not the only one who wants to build one.