Look Away, Ms. Wilma.

It is very possible that I will face persecution for what I am about to reveal and that all three of my former librarians - Ms. Wilma, Ms. Gail, and Ms. Akins (who, incidentally, is still going strong after 47 years in the public school system) - will forever blot my name from their memory.

I, Tyla, a lifelong lover of the written word, yea, a librarian these past eight years, have succumbed to temptation. Envious of mantels and vignettes on blogs near and far, I have ripped the covers off books for decorative purposes. In my effort to fit in, be a part of the group, go along with the gang, and keep up with the Joneses, I have defiled the very thing I have sworn to defend. Okay, so maybe defile is too harsh a word.

What I actually did was take a few old books that had seen better days and were recently weeded from my library’s collection and gently remove the pieces of tape which had long ago been added to hold together their covers. Of course, before doing this, I did check just to make sure none of the books were first editions. You never know. Many schools have some very dated collections.

Good news, though. Apparently, Pottery Barn endorses this type of bibliotherapy. So, now I have my very own set of coverless books held together with a nice piece of twine to adorn my winter mantel. And the best part is I didn't have to shell out $39.

P.S. My day at home ended up not being as productive in some areas as I had hoped but I was able to get Ren in to see her eye doctor for an annual eye exam. This means she won't have to miss any school to have this done later. Sadly (but expected), each eye was just a bit worse and required stronger contacts and it seems her left eye is the weaker of the two. Her doctor is soooo nice and when Ren expressed an interest in her career she offered to let her come back one day and shadow her to see what a typical day is like.