K is going to a birthday party for a friend tonight. She wanted to give her friend something cool and something cute. She chose Magnetic nail polish, which is too cool, and a Chihuahua feltie from "Felties: How to make 18 cute and fuzzy friends" by Nelly Pailloux, which is too cute and also very cool.
She even has a little bone!
I helped her finish the feltie last night. She cut it out and put it together, I only got to sew a couple boring seams. But we talked while we sewed and that is the whole reason I taught K to sew. And so she could have the awesome power to make her own stuff. But mostly the mom daughter time.
I took K to the local library before she could focus. Before she could stand, I would carry her in and sit her on the floor next to the book bins and she would spent hours flipping through the pages of the picture books. She asked for her first library card before she was two, as soon as she could form the sentence. She was the teeny tiny girl at the story times that would answer questions, and then ask questions, and then want to check out the book afterwards. The wonderful children's librarian, the beautiful and brilliant, Ms. P, who still asks about her every time I see her, always talked to K for as long as K wanted to talk. The library was where she wanted to go the day before school started, and after school everyday she could, and on the day school let out and all summer long.
Her love of all things Harry Potter started at a party at the library, when she wore her Mandrake costume to her first Harry Potter Party. She hadn't even read the first book or seen the movies, but all the little Harry's and Hermione's were so excited over her costume they just had to pull her out of her pot and make her scream with glee. Books, and cookies, and punch, and crafts, and librarians who loved it all. She was hooked for life. Since then she has been Ginny, and Anna Beth, and Hermione, and Luna, and Sarah Jane, and a fairy and Katniss, for parties and dances and story times. My favorite is still the mandrake, all grown up now, in her t shirt and jeans
A few years ago, she saw older kids volunteering, and asked if she could join them. Ms. J, who had known K for years, looked at her and whispered "How old are you?" When she heard the answer, which was a few years shy of the 14 minimum, she said "This will be our little secret." We've spent the last few summers in the library, she volunteering, me playing with sticks and string, keeping an eye. Good times.
This year, K has been selected to apply for an internship. You have to be 15 or in 10th to 12th grade, but she has been grandfathered in, due to the librarians at two branches wanting her. The librarian at one branch said, she would love to have her, but understands the other branch is closer, and gas is not cheap. The librarian at the closer branch said "She's Mine!"
Tuesday was K's last day of school. She was home by 12:30 and at the library at 5:50 for volunteer orientation. At 7pm she started volunteering. They dove right in to remodeling the teen room, clearing shelves till 8pm and then she was back the next morning at 7am to start painting. I picked her up at 11am, covered in primer and monster mash green paint and forced her to go to the orthodontist and a piano lesson. She's back again this morning, reloading shelves and assembling new furniture.
She was assigned a project before school even finished. The library has created an outdoor reading garden. There is a bridge and a counting path and a little house and an outdoor story time area and... it is just wonderful. They are also making a paver hopscotch game. K was assigned to paint the first block
As soon as she finished she yelled "Run! Run! It's the Clergy!!!!"
As we were driving home yesterday, after she had stopped whinging that she had to leave, she said "Mom, I think I want to be a librarian. Of course they make even less than musicians." I told her to do what makes her happy. She smiled. "Librarian musician!"
Yup, she'll be happy.
