Beware of unwelcome bonus at Little Free Library boxes

 

Without reservation, I enjoy visiting Little Free Library boxes in and around my own hometown. I even peek into them sometimes when I am traveling. I love the idea of passing a book I’ve read along for someone else to enjoy, and it’s fun to pick out another one to dig into.

 You're probably familiar with these. They are little take-a-book, share-a-book stations that can be found in neighborhoods, village downtowns, school entries, and plenty of other spots. 

 Santa, are you listening? I’d be pleased to set up such a station outside my own home, so neighbors and friends could swap books easily. This one is really neat, with an appealing design and plenty of room inside. There's also a smaller one that resembles an old English photo booth, although I'd probably fill that in an instant with all the books I could pass along. And there's a handy compact double-decker version, although it looks a bit like an outhouse to me. (Hey, if you've even been to camp, you know.)

 Having said all that, I cannot forget three incidents that pestered me about poking into Little Free Library boxes in the past few years.

 

MITE-y annoying surprise.

 First, it was the book bugs. I grabbed a paperback mystery a while ago and headed home with it. I settled into a chair on my patio, enjoying a mild summer evening, and cracked open the new (passed-along) book. Almost immediately, I literally felt my skin crawling, as tiny mites escaped from between the pages. (I've heard of bookworms, but this was something altogether different.)

 

Getting ANTsy about a new read.

 On another occasion, I placed a trio of paperbacks into another Little Free Library box in our town. Delighted to find a fairly new title I’d been hoping to read, I pulled a book out of the box and began flipping through the pages. That’s when I noticed dozens of tiny ants crawling all over the inside of the book.

 

WASP up with that?

 More recently, I visited still another Little Free Library near my home. Clearing out my own bookshelf, I went and piled a few volumes inside the book box. I noticed the contents seemed to be randomly tossed into there, so I began straightening up the proffered collection. 

Suddenly, I felt a painfully sharp sting on one hand. That’s when I noticed a cloud of wasps, swarming out of their nest, which was situated up under the rafters of the house-shaped book box. I reported this to the village hall, located across the street from it, and the staff there promised to alert the Boy Scout troop that managed that Little Free Library. Later, I noticed a handwritten note on the front of the box, indicating its interior had been wasp-sprayed. A few were still zipping around inside and outside of it.

 

I won't give up on Little Free Libraries.

 I am still visiting such book swapping sites these days, but I have learned to look closely before digging around for books to read. And I examine those quite carefully, especially the ones that appear to be well worn or water-damaged. If I really want such a book, I place it in a zippered plastic bag and freeze it for a day or two, hoping to do away with any mold or creepy crawlies.

 Book mites and ants and wasps, oh my!

 I guess it takes a bit more effort to host a Little Free Library than simply setting up the box and filling it with books to share. 

 

Related Items:

• How to start your own neighborhood watch program
• Late Library Books and Super Fine
• R is for Recycling Resilient Reads
• Ripped off at the thrift store!

 

Image/s: Wasp nest – public domain photo, Others - LAN personal photo/s

 

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Who’s brighter than a Border Collie?

BRIGHT - for the 2021 Holiday Photography Challenge (See sidebar for full list.). 

 

 Brookie is the smartest member of our household. We might as well admit it. This dog is scary-smart.  Border Collies are known for their amazing intelligence. Still, this one is extra sharp. (We didn't train her. She trained us.)

 Sure, we have a couple of advanced degrees among us. But she’s way-ay out there, when it comes to perception, empathy, anticipation of pending arrivals, and good old dog sense.

She's also pretty gorgeous.

 

You can see it in her eyes.

 Beg to differ? She’ll give you an entirely different look. She’s just that smart.

 

Image/s: Personal photo/s. All rights reserved.

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Lights bring horsey memories to life

 LIGHT - - for the 2021 Holiday Photography Challenge (See sidebar for full list.).

 

How many Christmas trees do you put up each year? If you’re like me, your answer is greater than one.

 Working from my home office, I enjoy having festive holiday décor near my desk. Located in an upstairs bedroom in our house, I enjoy glancing at bright holiday loveliness as I tap on my keyboard.

 Our larger/primary Christmas tree, displayed in the living room downstairs, boasts all classic clear lights. The wreath on the front porch is similarly lit. But up in my office, I relish multicolored strands on my much smaller tree. 

This arrangement features all of my horse and horse-related ornaments, collected over many years of equestrian pursuits.

 Groupings include likenesses of my own horses, as well as a couple of famous racehorses, a tiny stick pony, a couple of rocking horses, several miniature cowboy boots, home-sewn horses, a little cowboy hat, a carousel horse, and more.

You might say my office allows me to horse around a bit, while I work. Because it somehow helps not to take every project too seriously.

 Sometimes a few sparkly bulbs can lighten our lives – at least during the holiday season.

 
 

Image/s: Personal photo/s. All rights reserved.

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.