Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!

Although we still get a little whiny about not being able to visit the unbelievably awesome Nichols Library in Illinois, we take what we can get. And actually, our local library is not too shabby. So we'll take it. Technically, it is not "our" local library, but more on that later. Christian, Kimball and I stomped around the library two days in a row this week. Very tantalizing, all of those books.

Ah, a library. Don't you love the papery/woody aroma of all of those books sitting on the shelves biding their time just waiting for someone to pick them up and escape into their insides for a moment or two? Poignant memories remain from my childhood of visiting the multi-storied SLC Library, and a few years later, the Provo City Library in its lovely creaky old building in the downtown area. Taking my own kids to the Nichols Library was a matter of routine for our family. Story time for toddlers. Recording endless reading logs for prizes. Listening to visiting authors. It was all way more than good. A library is such an asset to any community, don't you think? Encouraging the pursuit of even more knowledge, etc., etc., yada, yada.

You can see in these pictures that this library isn't solely about books. Check out the ornate marionette stage donated by the local university. Kimball is itching to join the von Trapp Family Singers. He's been practicing "The Lonely Goatherd" for a long time now. The windows behind Christian and Kimball are actual leaded glass. And the Harry Potter corner is adorable.

So one of the cool things about a library is that we get to

check out those yummy smelling books for free! Free! Well. Not really. Not really at all. Not for us.

Because I live in Hooterville, aka, Tiny Town, aka, No Free Library For Us Towne, I don't get to go to my library and use it for free. BECAUSE WE HAVE NO LIBRARY! . . . nor do we have our own police department, nor our own fire department, nor our own hospital, . . . but we do have our own golf course! Yay! The fact that this golf course is bleeding money as rapidly as the water passes over Niagara Falls is of no matter. The fact is, the former mayor who is now on the lam (and I'm not making this up) was mighty proud of that golf course that he railroaded through. And now we've got it. Lucky us. A golf course and no library. (Priorities, people!)

As a result of Hooterville not having its own library, I am resigned to borrowing Ashley and/or Jordan's library card issued by The Big City to the South. It all worked well and good until the librarian asked me at the check-out if my address was still current. Tick, tock, tick, tock. I cannot tell a lie. Yeah, well, I'm not that person listed on the card. Tick, tock, tick, tock. You are not allowed to use this card if it isn't yours, I am told by the librarian. Humph. Blink, blink. But you can pay a $75 non-resident fee to have access to the library, part of which will be reimbursed to you by Hooterville, I am also told. Ooookkkaayyy. Humph. Geez. But then I started to reason it out: why would they need to charge me a non-resident fee, for heaven's sake? I mean, what's that all about anyway? And then it occurred to my slow-pokey brain that since I don't pay taxes to The Big City to the South, I am not contributing to the establishment/maintenance of their pretty cool library. Fair enough. I've concluded that for me and my personal ethics it would be something akin to stealing a Big Hunk from the local Piggly Wiggly since I would be receiving something I didn't shell out for. And I'll tell you right now I'm NOT going to sell my soul down the river for a stale Big Hunk. If I'm selling my soul down the river, it better be for something worth all of that fire and brimstone--something like a Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster. Black, please. jk!!! . . . . Maybe red. jk!!! jk, alright?!!! In the meantime, I'll be the proud owner of my own shiny library card issued, received, and utilized all on the up and up.