One Bad Apple...

As a Christian, I don't believe in karma. To some degree, the concept of 'what goes around, comes around' does exist for me. But to believe that you are repaid for the good or evil you do on a regular basis? Not so much. 

But let's say it did exist. How evil do I have to be to see my Little Free Library repeatedly vandalized? Broken door. Broken latch. Books and toys tossed around. I was encouraged to fix it. Clean it up. Refill it. But then this... two days in a row every book was removed. I found some of them. Know where? Come on, guess! My neighbors yards. Thrown in the yards like any other piece of trash. Want to talk about a rage-quit moment... Seeing red! Heck, I even cried in front of my kids. This was I-am-having-a-meltdown moment for me. My kids know that I don't cry. I see it as an upset in my hormonal balance of calm. Unless someone I truly loved died.  

Sadly, I thought this was the last time. We were already planning to pull it down to replace the box part when we had the money for new materials. The last repair wasn't strong enough to withstand the beating it takes from kids who yank and hang on it. But this time... this time my husband and kids all seemed to think I gave it a good enough run. And that it was time to move on. And I was inclined to agree. Reading is a passion for me. I love reading books. I love collecting books. And I have tried to instill that in my children. One of them is truly an avid reader like me. So I count that as a win. But outside, I see kids who think of books as junk. I see children who were not raised to show appreciation, but instead are given over to destructive actions. It hurts. And don't get me wrong, not everyone who checked it out were bad people. There was a grandma walking with the kids every so often. A dad who took his kids bike riding and would stop by. Neighbors who added books sometimes. 

But as the saying goes, 'One bad apple spoils the bunch'. In this case, spoils the good for others. I can't keep paying money to fix this box. Or keep having my heartbreak moments when they trash the books or the box. How about having to clean up the mess? I don't want to keep getting upset that someone didn't raise their kids to do the right thing. It lasted almost a year and a half. Not too shabby, right? But as I announced it to the community I'm a part of and was thinking that I would just donate books we don't want anymore to the local library, or to the bookstore that serves the library, I was encouraged by that community of mine. One of them gave me a camera system and made a sign to put in, announcing to anyone who opens the library that they are being recorded. The idea is, maybe that will deter the ne'er-do-wells to steer clear of mischief. The camera is old tech, so we thought we would see if we could get it running. If not, we planned to install it as if it works to still try to scare anyone out of bad ideas. 

As I was waiting for my husband to put the camera into use, someone came by and dropped off a bunch of books! I had been keeping it empty until the camera went in. I figured I would just let those be there. Not add anything else. Then I caught them red-handed. 2 young boys about 12-13 years old. Grabbing all the books (see above picture) and anything else that was in it. This time I took off, barefoot and hot blooded. I made them return all the books, save one each, into the box and lectured them about trashing my little library. I could only hope they would take it to heart since I mentioned the coming camera... Did it work? Nope. Most days, I was either outside or watching when they came by. Today... I wasn't. And what did I find when I went to the mailbox? 3 books had been shredded and thrown around my neighbors' yards and in the street! I cleaned up the mess. Didn't cry this time. Just felt anger. I stripped everything out of the box. Threw everything on the table and walked away. Why bother with a camera? Sure, I can report them. I can shame them online. But what good will that do in the long run? I still have to clean up the messes they make. 

This truly will be the last time. Time for the library to be permanently closed. A heart-wrenching moment for me. But a necessary one if this kind of behavior can't be stopped. People can only push my buttons for so long before I walk away. Dream or no dream, I have limitations. 

If you are a parent, do everyone else a favor - raise them to have respect. To live honorably. And to be someone the rest of the community can see as at least decent. If you don't have kids but think this kind of teaching is too hard - don't have kids. 

Quick: I Need An APP Maker!!

Recently, I was talking to someone about my Little Library. It has had a positive impact in lives of people who have come to our home (not even realizing we had the library!). They either took books, left a book, or said they would be coming back. It makes me happy to have something that affects others in our community. All while fulfilling a wish I've had for years. 

One of these recent conversations I had, was about how there should be a game app for Little Libraries. Picture it as a sort of Hide-n-Seek thing. Like Geocache. Like Pokemon GO. But for BOOK LOVERS! Can you imagine how much fun that could be?! Okay, I'm calm now. Excited, but calm. Let's rationalize such a thing. 

But they have a locator for Little Free Libraries, you say.

Sure they do. But in order to have your library on their locators and app, you have to pay for it by purchasing a charter sign. And honestly, people like me can't afford that. Who is paying to have their little book nook featured these days with our broken economy? So here is where I'm proposing something totally different. 

A free app. That people can create an account with. It will have map functions that allow you to search your area and find Little Libraries - FOR FREE! If you have an account that is showing your library, you'd have a photo so people know what they are looking for. Maybe tell what ages your included books are for. Let people know if you prefer they exchange, borrow, or just take books. Personally, I prefer people take a book. I have told locals that I talked to that I want them to take a book and not worry about bringing it back. Share the books with others. Find their new favorites. If they feel like dropping another book in, great! Maybe I will find a new favorite for myself or my kids. 

Step up the fun factor a notch!

Maybe set up events sometimes for a search. Find this little library and sign a log. Or enter a giveaway. I don't know. But make it a challenge that others can enjoy. See who can find the most maybe? Especially during summer and winter breaks. This gets parents more involved too. I know that seems like a foreign concept to so many, but if a parent promoted reading more, their kids would show improvements in other areas of their lives. Reading is proven to have positive results in grades, learning, and just in living. Reading takes us all to another place, to be someone else for a while, to live a different life. It teaches us new things that can be useful in real living. 

One final note...

There is another benefit to this idea. It would bring the community together more. There are a lot of things said about how a Little Library has brought people to meet each other. Neighbors meet neighbors. Discover things they share in common. Look out for each other more. Could you imagine the changes your own street might see if that were the case? We have amazing neighbors! I know 3 of them by name. And we are getting to know them better as time goes on. One of the families on our street has even talked about homeschooling their grandson and asked about getting help from me. See? Finding things we will have in common! This is something we all should want to cultivate in today's world. There are just so many reasons we want to avoid each other. But that just makes more issues. We need to be coming together more. Building each other up more. 

What if creating such an app could do just that? Can you imagine it? Because I could... 

Leave me a comment below letting me know your thoughts. And if you have heard of something like this already started, please let me know so I can join the fun!

A Nerdy Little Free Library!

I've wanted one of my own for a long while. You see them in front of houses. Some are super creative. Some are just little boxes with doors. Settled nearby, there may be a bench to sit and read on. Whatever the look and set up, each one supports literacy efforts while sharing with others the joy of reading. We have visited many others over the years. But never had one of our own. Until now, that is. 

When we first bought our house, I told my husband that I really wanted to build a little free library out front. We have a circular drive that has a nice little rock-covered area by the road. This was where I planned to have it.

A lot of things came between me and my library though. From building a tiny house out back to fixing a busted water pipe, to making a shoe rack and then fixing a busted water heater. Never a dull moment has translated to never enough time! So this project took about a year to complete... I'll just share the highlights with you!
After creating a Pinterest board with ideas and instructions, I found instructions for a simple build that I printed out. You can get those HERE. You can even print out the instructions that were about 14 pages long. It walks you through each piece you will need to measure and cut out. There is a list of materials you will need, so you can get prepared ahead of time.

I started measuring the pieces I knew I wanted and marking them on the plywood we would be using. I had decided to make some decorative adjustments to the design. I wanted it to be more nerdy. The original look is a cute country style, but mine was going to be colorful and embellished. 

While building the tiny house, we were cutting out little pieces that (to me) looked like little doors. Suddenly, my idea was born for a design! I told my husband about it and he started cutting the pieces more like rounded Hobbit doors. 

Skip ahead several weeks... or a couple months? I lost track. And we finally started the project! My husband dug the hole out front, poured in the concrete, and added the metal bracket that will hold the post firmly in place. Then we started cutting out the pieces I had measured to put everything together.

This is as far as we got in one go. Not because we took the name Little Lazy Library too literally. We had been going through a triple degree summer in Texas that kept going even through September. After getting this much done, we were both drenched in sweat and ready to call it for the day. 

The next time we started working on it, we had a box shape in place. We added a sturdy, larger board on the bottom to add stability and strength for when we attach it to the pole out front. Where we live, the winds can get pretty strong. 

The following weekend, we added the shelf. I wanted a space for taller books, but another smaller space for shorter books or even little fun things to share. It was really taking shape by this point!

Helpful hint: See those smaller pieces lining the corners? We added them in and even put wood glue on to make sure that it was extra sturdy.

My husband sanded all the surfaces down as smooth as he could with the plywood. Don't expect perfection from that type of wood. It is quite textured. 

Then he had to construct the angled roof so that water wouldn't just sit on top (if/when we get rain here). He also had to plan to add in weather stripping in the front so that water and dust doesn't come in. 

Finally, there was the door. We had quite a time of trying to decide how to make the doors. After all, glass would be needed to make it clear so people could see the books inviting them to read, inside! During a building lull, I participated in a yard sale that was hosted by a friend.

She had this just sitting there, waiting for a new home. And the light bulb went off! Here was my door! She graciously allowed me to take it for the project. My husband had to cut the frame and resize it a bit, but it would work perfectly. We took out the glass and found a piece of plexiglass to use instead during a thrift store run. This would be clear like glass, but not nearly as breakable in case a rock was thrown at it. (Something we had happen to our porch door...)

It was many months later before we could continue on this project. Like I said, it took about a year. We added this siding from scraps we had left over after the tiny house building.

I then added outdoor paint to the outside and inside to completely coat it against any possible water damage. I did this a little bit every chance I could. Standing for long periods of time is quite painful these days. But I think it came along nicely, don't you?

Finally! We were ready to install it. And I must say, I am quite proud of the way it turned out. I plan to paint the little doors when I get more colors for it. I added book-related quotes that I love as well. My daughter and I are excited to add books once the concrete has hardened a bit. 

I am so happy to share a love of books with others around here!