The summer of my fifth year we moved to Templeton, population 2500 people, 1250 dogs of various breeds, 2000 cats of all colors, 2 rabbits – tamed, and 10 horses. We had arrived in the big city! I loved it there for one simple reason; our house was next to the public library. Books. Glorious books. They were everywhere. Momma allowed me to go anytime I wanted and to stay as long as I wished. I could not imagine anything better than this.
But an end to all good things must happen and so did this chapter in my life. Daddy had been working at the Chevy dealership’s garage repairing cars and trucks. After one year of being told when to work and how to work he decided that he could do better on his own and be much happier. He rented a Quonset hut building in a small town near by to open his own repair shop. He and Momma purchased a house one block away. It was in this house I was to finish my growing up within my family circle. It would have been a painful move for me leaving all of “my” library books behind if Momma hadn’t introduced me to “the Library card.” I could have kissed the feet of the genius who though up that idea. I didn’t have to leave my books behind and better yet I did not have to go to plan A.
Plan A was thought up the moment I knew my parents were moving. Plan A, the result of many excursions to forbidden areas of the library, was so simple. Step one was to set up a “nest” under the stairs that lead up to the grown up section of the library with all of my clothes and toys. Step two was to sneak into the break room to “borrow” the librarian’s lunches each day. I knew I could do it. Of course, I would miss Mom and Dad but they had Dusty and would be to busy moving to miss me. It was a perfect plan.
The library card saved me from my budding life of crime. I was free to move to Brooks. Free to read forever. Free to live with Momma and Daddy, and to my surprise free to run all over town. Brooks was so small. The population of 100 people and the surrounding farms supported two grocery stores, a post office, a bank, a two-room school, and Daddy’s garage. This was heaven on earth to me – books, school, and freedom to roam. I had no idea that my growing years would be filled with queens, entertainers, adventure and excessive blessings. Not to mention my brief encounter with illegal drugs. Little did I know or care that my life there would lay the foundation of my future of travel, children, status, friends, love and blessings beyond anything I could ever have dreamed.
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