The library

A few weeks ago, Rod introduced Jack to the wonder that is the local public library.

Jack had been to libraries before as a place to meet friends and hang out. he had played with the computers (do they all have computers in the children's area now?) and had pulled all the books off the shelves when he was very little.

But he had never gotten a library card and checked out books before. But the library is cool on a very hot day and we have been ordering far fewer books lately as we've made our way out of medical debt. Thus, it seemed like a reasonably good idea to Rod when I suggested the public library as an escape hatch from extreme heat one day.

Rod hasn't told me all that much about his visit with Jack, though Jack clearly enjoyed it and he picked up some books that, I acknowledge, it would never have occurred to me to offer him.

We read those books at night as we got ready for bed, and then when they were almost due, Jack and I went while Rod made dinner. We weren't sure what time the library closed, but we wanted to be sure the books didn't end up overdue and I knew that there would be an outdoors drop box.

Well, it turned out that the library here has amazingly civilized hours -- so Jack and I went in not just to drop off the books, but also so I could look around and Jack could check out three new books.

I loved watching his joy as he rushed through the stacks, not sure where to start, but as thrilled as I have ever been by the enormous stacks of endless knowledge! He pulled book after book out to look at it and I think he would have taken every one of them home!

We finally settled on three that he wanted most and went home to dinner.

One of the books Jack chose was one about Koko, the gorilla who uses sign language to speak with humans and other gorillas. We read that one last night, with dad and Mamma alternating chapters, and then we went out to koko's web page where we got to watch videos of Koko playing with her kittens and chatting.

I was delighted to catch up with Koko, who captured *my* imagination when I was a girl. I was sad to hear that Koko hasn't had any babies yet -- it seems so clear that she wants to. But it also seems to me that she may never mate because she has grown up outside gorilla culture and doesn't know how "gorilla dating" works. Poor Koko.

I was also delighted to be able to combine books with the Internet. Jack loves his computer, but it has become clear that he thinks that playing his computer games is "doing school". I want to make sure that we tie books in as often as possible. (Just call me "old-fashioned".) ;)

Oops, Jack and I have to pick up the tree trimmings so Rod can start mowing the lawn -- more later today, I hope.

(Oh, and the photos? Jack took those, though I cropped them and made then B&W Who else would consider my hair worth photographing? I love this kid!)