I have grown to love storytime. Just before bed we read two books. Sometimes they are our own but more often they come from the library. Each Monday -between Little Gym classes the children and I pop over to the Helmerich to exchange one set of books for another. Sister picks out her own – mostly by how interesting the illustrations are and I pick out Brother’s (mostly random). They are allowed three each. The library would allow them to take more but house rules say three. I am not certain why except that that is the number I was allowed when I was young and went to the library. I still remember going up and down each isle, touching each book in turn, looking for the perfect ones, intentionally oblivious to the fact that we would return the following week. Anyway, in honor of fall, I picked up Pumpkins by Mary Lyn Ray and was pleasantly surprised at the contents. It is a story about a field threatened by development and “the story about a man who loves the field enough to do something to save it.†In a round about way it is a story about preserving simple life which seems especially apt as we pursue simplicity only a couple of miles away from the “coming soon – mall on the westside.†It will be nice to have conveniences on this side of the river but at what cost. So many trees already have been cleared or lie brown and lifeless awaiting disposal as a time of year when most don a scarlet gown for a final autumn fling. But we don’t dwell on it. We are busy growing our own “pumpkins†so we may someday save a field.
