Summer fading, winter comes--
Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs,
Window robins, winter rooks,
And the picture story-books.
Water now is turned to stone
Nurse and I can walk upon;
Still we find the flowing brooks
In the picture story-books.
All the pretty things put by,
Wait upon the children's eye,
Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,
In the picture story-books.
We may see how all things are
Seas and cities, near and far,
And the flying fairies' looks,
In the picture story-books.
How am I to sing your praise,
Happy chimney-corner days,
Sitting safe in nursery nooks,
Reading picture story-books?
Robert Louis Stevenson
“This is not a new idea, but it’s a great idea so we are ‘paying it forward,’” said TADL Director Metta Lansdale Jr. “The message behind the Little Free Library is simple and dovetails with TADL’s mission; it’s about building literacy as well as a sense of community.”
Learn More about the synchronicity of small community libraries and the Little Free Library Movement.
You will really enjoy traveling around the world visiting beautiful and in some places very strange outside libraries. Share with us if you have had the privilege of seeing any outside libraries in your travels.
In this quite garden alone I do sit Hoping friends will drop by for a visit Warmth from the sun, softness of breeze The squeak of my gate would surely please
Seedlings floating by brushing my cheek A near perfect day but for one thing I seek Wanting to hear a squeak from my iron gate Hearing someone say, I'm so sorry we're late
I try very hard to keep a smile on my face In my minds eye I can go almost any place Climbing mountains, wading through brooks My adventures come from reading many books
Day nearing it's end, nothing more I can say The black iron gate didn't squeak open today Tomorrow the sun is definitely going to shine Going out when it's nice folks are more inclined
Author Eileen Clark 2011
I was eight years old in second grade when I began to notice the kids in my class always had the answers when called on and I never did. I remember the year was 1947 and the reason I remember that date is because I can still see it written on yellow lined paper with a black led pencil. The teacher wanted us to put the date up in the right hand corner of our paper and I never could remember the date. I stayed back in second grade and that was the beginning of the rest of my life. I won’t drag you through all of the agonizing experience I had, just the ones that are still with me. Forth or fifth grade, walking home from school I threw one of my books in the bushes because I didn’t understand my homework and would skip school the day test were given. In the summer my two brothers went outside to play after they finished the chores and I sat at the kitchen table with my mom trying to teach me math, how to tell time and spell simple words. She painted pictures on the back of big sheets of wallpaper, balloons, apples, balls, and a big clock with moving hands. I also heard often, ” Why can’t you get this stuff right like your brothers do.” The sad thing is I also looked bad, very skinny, straight brown hair, a big space in the middle of my teeth, my eyebrows grew right across my forehead meeting each other. Also I was left handed, no one but me in my class was left handed and I had one front tooth that was BLACK! It seems I fell on my face one day on the sidewalk hitting my teeth, nice. I quit school a few days after I turned sixteen, who would of guessed.
So now we’ll go to my adulthood. I never thought about it catching up on me like it did. The first time was with my kid sister. She’s still in her teens and I’m married with one child. I remember the very day, we were in the post office and I said something to her, don’t remember what it was but after she answered I felt much younger then her and way less knowledgeable. She was passing me. The second time was even worse because this time it was my teenage daughter. We were in the yard at our home in Texas and after I got done telling her something she kindly corrected me, very scary. And then the worst of the worst, I wrote a nice letter to my granddaughter who’s about ten or twelve and a week later I see my letter on her dresser in her bedroom with corrections made on my spelling. Still I did pretty good bluffing my way through life. I had many good jobs, wrapping meat in the supermarkets, working in the insurance company, worked at a double wide factory hanging the curtains in all the rooms, cleaning, staining, trimming, and final inspection. At forty I got my GED, ya ! I got a job at a workshop as a therapeutic technician working with adults that had retardation issues, or as the correct way of saying today is ( special needs ). I remember one day saying to a co-worker and good friend, they don’t know things like I don’t know things, the difference is, they don’t know that they don’t know things, I know that I don’t know things, that I’m stupid!
I’m a Jehovah’s Witness and when I received one of our Awake magazine, on the cover was written, Does Your Child Have Learning Problems? I still have that magazine, May, 1983. I read it and then I went to our library and got several books on learning disability’s. As I read them I cried, it was me, everything I was reading was about me. My mom was telling me on the phone one day that my dad shuts down when he gets nervous or if someone is giving him directions to some place, so I guess that tells you who I got it from. I can’t read road maps, can’t drive far from home, can’t follow directions when to many are given, and get lost in big buildings. We with poor learning skills tend to shut down, became great con artist in that we have ways of squeezing out of tough situations if we’re called upon. We do much better with visual information then reading stuff. Now that I’ve read all this important information in these books I got, it’s answered so many things I had wondered about. I was an intelligent person, much more then many other people that I know so how can this be. Why did I have so much trouble learning something when so many others didn’t? Well now I know and I’m not afraid to admit it, no more shame. The bright side of all of this is people like myself are very creative and artistic and that I am! I paint, (watercolors), build things, water gardens, arbers, landscaping went to interior decorator classes, and write poems.
P.S. My writings I can spell check but I have not found a site that will help me know where to put commas so go easy on me please.
It was in September of 2012 that I created this blog I named, Books & Poems Coffee & Teas. I had learned about blogging from a friend on another website and I registered myself and started my first blog. I felt so silly writing things out to myself and no one listening to me or answering. In a short time I wandered over to other peoples blogs to see what they had to say and how there’s looked. After many months of trials and errors I got a response from someone and friends, I was hooked! Then I discovered WordPress.com and fell in love with it. I do, I love WordPress.
Many of you have been following me for several years now and know my history. For any that don’t, I have rheumatoid arthritis and use a power chair to get around. I hardly ever leave my home except for a doctors visit once a year if that often. That is why this website is so important to me by filling up my days and having the time pass quickly. I never get bored because I enjoy posting every day and getting your likes and your comments. I am using this ten year anniversary to thank you and I look forward to you coming back often. I would also like to thank WordPress.com for giving us this wonderful platform to express ourselves and keep in touch with our family and friends around the world.My best regards, your fellow blogger, Eileen Clark
My daughter has the book that the tree picture is in, quite old it is. The set was given to me and my two brothers on Christmas morning in 1939. I was born on December 9, 1939. Many years I had sat on my bed staring at this beautiful tree with the little houses wanting so badly to have my body shrink down to the size of a pixie and climb those little stairs up into the houses. I thought if I stared long enough and hard enough I could do it. Keep in mind we had no TV’s, video games or iPads, just books and lots of imagination. The page has a slight tan color and a tare here and there. I suggested to my daughter that there might be a way to preserve certain pages in the book because of viewing it over and over and over. I am done with it now because I have the picture and a poem I wrote about that tree preserved on my website and my heart.
Author Eileen Clark 2022
Image: “The Leaf Makers” Our Wonder World, by Geo. L. Shuman & Co., Volume 5, the children’s story book.
Antique 1900 Book Journal Model Painting Book For Young
Created from an antique copy of a children’s activity book “Model Painting Book for Young People”. I saved a lot of the original pages and added 50 piece of blank paper. Great looking antique picture on the front. The cover shows some great wear which gives it a wonderful old time look. I’ve listed most of the other pagers in my shop for purchase so check them out. They would be great for so many craft projects or framing.
Measures 8 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ and includes 50 pieces of blank paper. For my Antique Book Journals I’ve selected books that are at least 100 years old. I’m looking for unique and wonderful subject matter and illustrations. I’m also using some beautiful 24lb weight ivory granite paper that is 50% post consumer recycled. This paper has a great feel and better matches the nice aged original pages from the books.
kentucky55.wordpress.com 