Freshly Baked Books

Today Joey received a box of books that he ordered off Amazon. I jump at the chance to open a fresh box of books. Brand new books happens to be one of my favorite smells. It's right up there with freshly cut grass and the smell of rain. It signals newness and nostalgia for me all at the same time. Promise and reflection. There are probably a few reasons for this, all related to childhood. The first has to do with the fact that I was home schooled until I was a sophomore in high school. Yes, little known fact. Each fall we would get our schoolbooks in the mail in giant boxes. I would be waiting for these books for weeks and would look for the UPS truck every day. Each box held the promise of learning and it was so exciting to go through all the books. Even math books seemed fun on Book Day. The second memory that I associate with the smell of a new book is connected with my grandmother. When I was ten years old she passed away from breast cancer. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she loved buying gifts. That last Christmas she bought all of us gifts that would continue long after she was gone. I think that was her plan. She passed away that January. For each of us kids, she bought a subscription to a monthly book club. Five years later, I still looked forward to receiving those monthly treasures. I wish she could have seen the joy on our faces when we opened our packages. What will we get this time? Anne of Green Gables? Maybe Tuck Everlasting! Each box had stickers you could place on each book that said "This book belongs to _____". I loved it! And of course I had to place a sticker in each book. Anyway, as soon as I opened that box of books today, all these memories came flooding back to me. It's funny how just a smell can do that! I had to share it because it makes me happy. Right now I'm smiling. :)

Speaking of smiling, we're at Day 15!! And tomorrow will be a big landmark - two weeks flat! As I type, Joey is packing things up to go to Livingston for a Work Weekend. He just packed Gus/Houdini into the truck. And I think now that's my cue. Off to the big metropolis! :)