Long Library Rant and Other Things

Well, all that snow excitement is finally over, thank goodness. We had flurries up until lunch time, but then it turned to rain. I just went to get the mail in short sleeves, and the sun made it pleasant. I can see a good walk this afternoon.

Emily called from Destin and said she might need to spend the night. They ran a marthon down there yesterday, and she was exhausted and kept hearing bad things from her colleagues about the roads into Warm Springs. By the time she got here, it was nearly dark, and we were afraid for her to risk running into icy roads after dark. Not that I minded her coming by. After her being 4 years in South Dakota, it hurts my feelings that she sometimes passes within 2 miles of me when she goes to Mobile. Even in her post-marathon lethargic state, it was nice to see her again. I had to work until 9:00, but we managed to get in a little talking. We exchanged cars, thinking mine would be heavier and safer if she ran into ice. I heard from her just as she was leaving the interstate this morning but not since. I have to assume she got there and is already at work.

I decided to record my library experience from Thursday so I'll remember it if it never happens again. It's the downtown library, and I hate to go down there, but that's the only library in town that carries audio cassettes and CDs, and I use those more than books. Just getting there is an adventure. When we first moved here, Mama and I drove downtown on a Sunday morning to try to find it and ended up going in circles. Then I called for directions, but they were from I-85 and getting off at a busy area around Alabama State. So I got out the map and found an easier route. I can go almost all the way on one road - the Atlanta Highway which turns into Madison Avenue. That left turn off Madison is the key. Half the turns are one-way, so I just choose one that's not and then go a few blocks and wind around somewhat until it appears. On Thursday, I was thinking of other things when I saw the SUV in front of me get into what looked like a left turn lane. We were in the general vicinity of where I turn, so I just followed it. I think we both noticed at the same time that we were turning into a one-way street. Luckily there was almost no traffic at the time and a convenient service station on the corner, so we both barreled into it. I noticed that it was a Covington County tag leading me astray.

Anyway when I got there, I did as I usually did, walk past the 3 or 4 sullen people sitting staring at a computer screen. I never expect a Hello or anything, so I went straight to the media room. I did stop at the new book section to look around and ended up straightening a shelf or two. Having worked at libraries for years and years and volunteering at libraries and using them all my life, the Dewey Decimal System is very important to me, and it worries me when numbers are out of place. For example, in the quilting section I found a cookbook called Recipes from Luverne First Baptist Church. Very strange. I'll have to check that out one day.

I got back to the media room and amazingly this nice lady who was typing in a corner looked up and said, "Good morning." Wow. That made me happy. It also made me happy that they have gotten in a lot more CDs; the only thing is that they are in no particular order - fiction mixed with nonfiction somewhat alphabetically - and they are on low shelves so that I feel like I'm standing on my head before I find what I want. While I was looking, I heard the lady start to hum along with a gospel version of Jesus Love Me that was playing softly in her cubicle. She had a beautiful voice, and it made my media room experience very enjoyable. I found a couple of CDs and decided to go upstairs. There's a beautiful spiral staircase and wide steps that I like to walk up, so I did and found a couple of books and then went to check out.

I put my books down on the desk, and the girl looked up and greeted me cheerfully. Usually they don't speak until they bark out the date due. But this one even helpfully told me what color my library card was when I was digging around for it. She commented on my books and told me in a complete sentence when the books were due back, thanked me and told me good-bye. I was in complete shock, and my euphoria lasted pretty much the whole day. I wonder what happened. Is she new? Have there been complaints? I know I have complained long and hard to whomever would listen. I'd prefer to go to the Pike Road branch, but every time I drive down Vaughn Road, they sense me coming and put the Closed sign on the door.

Coming home from the library is a little easier now that the construction is finished on the street I like to take. I just get on a random street headed my way and go back to Madison and turn right. I'd like to take more time to explore around that area. Mama used to live around there and remembers a lot of the streets and likes to explore a little. There are some beautiful old houses and ones that used to be beautiful. It's nice in the daytime but I won't be poking around downtown Montgomery at night.

Time for that walk. Darby looked at my feet when I went to let her out just now. If I have on my walking shoes, she gets pretty excited. Of course, it may mean I'm walking on the treadmill, which gives her the opposite reaction (kind of like my reaction to the treadmill).

If anyone reads this and gets this far, here is a lovely surprise (and surprised) picture of Elise when we lived in Greensboro. Now she's far, far away from NC in Texas.