Blackberry Ice Cream and Ladybugs

Saturday found us driving on the country roads of Monument in the Cabrio, top down.  The Colorado sky was pure blue, painted with brilliant white clouds, and the bright sunshine felt warm and welcomed in the higher elevations.  We came across a little main drag cafe' of sorts, featuring homemade ice cream.  I got a single blackberry cone, yep blackberry....it took me back to when I was about 5 or 6 living in Glen Burnie, MD.  My folks would always stop at an ice cream parlor when we were out and about.  I always got blackberry.  The summer fruit and blend of cream is the perfect combination.  Enjoying the Colorado day was only enriched when a ladybug landed on the lens of my sunglasses. Life was just perfect at that moment, and again a reminder of how much I love Colorado, this place I call home. 

New Look at Books

I cannot ever walk directly through the door at Barnes and Noble, I must stop and look at all the sale books in the entry foyer first.  Two books immediately caught my attention today,  one about "Daddy" and another about "Granddad".  I don't have grandchildren (yet) and neither my dad or father in law are with us anymore.  I wished so badly to have a reason to buy these colorful, whimsical books.  Next, I found myself browsing the bargain stacks and once again drawn to children's books.  My heart dropped to the depths of my stomach, and literally, I felt a tear slide down my face.  I felt very sad realizing I will no longer be buying books for the children of my school library.  My personal finances will allow me to buy limited quantities for my classroom, but never again like the quantities afforded me as the teacher-librarian for 11 years at Ames, even on a tight budget, a budget that allowed for new titles to lure the kids to read. I am going to miss this so much.  It took great willpower to avoid going to the back of the store where the children's section is....that would have caused me even more sadness and pain.  I wonder if I will ever be able to walk into the Tattered Cover again, or even The Bookies?  I am going to need some serious therapy to get through this void that is facing me as I transition to my new teaching job.