A Library Adventure

I had a plan, a great plan, really. I was off to the library to complete the project for Monday. I love the library, quiet, smells like education and reading. I knew it was the place to be. So, I went.

Shoot, there are a ton of people here, it is more rock concert than Saturday morning library. The lot is packed, and people are everywhere. What is happening? I saw the sign out front, “book sale” but I know that have these sales like almost every weekend.

I head in toward a table of women, stacks of Friends of the Library book bags and a huge neon green sign that reads; “Books, 10 dollars.” Ten’s dollars each, I wonder.

Nope, I overhear the volunteer talking to someone else with the same question. “Ten dollars for all the books you can put in the bag.”

“Wait, what? All I can fit?” The woman responds.

“Yup, I’ve seen some great packing this morning,” The volunteer responds, grinning warmly.

“Well, better get me a bag.” And she buys two.

I am laughing to myself, what fun. A little book sale at the library. I follow the sign to the meeting room. And it hits me – OMG! The room is packed, tables everywhere, books everywhere, and people everywhere! I can’t believe how overwhelmed I feel. So. Many. Books.

I dive in and wander around. Besides, I really don’t want to do the work I came here for anyway. The books are stacked on the tables in alphabetical order, by subject and even a section for “oversized” books. There are two rooms with shelves, big bookshelves with four shelves per and they are packed. On top of that there are tables, you know the long white ones with the grey legs that we all decorate for garden parties. Must be ten of them in one room, maybe more. This is the first room I am in. It has a fiction section, huge, I think. Authors in alphabetical order, even laid out in a nice pattern for your shopping convenience. On the side shelves are topics like crafts, religion and military. Room one, remember.

In the next room, it is smaller, cramped, full of shelves and only 4 tables. Those four feel like twenty, so many books and so many people in this room. Must be a biggie, I think. Sure enough this is the Antique section. The old schoolbooks that really look, well, old. No jackets and titles I can’t even see on the spines since they are so faded. I am sure these are not the super-expensive books, but definitely old. There are many “bookish” looking people standing around, searching. Upon further covert-glancing, they are all men.

Next to the antiques are the coffee-table books, again a huge shelf of them with as many titles as I imagine there are coffee-tables to put them on. Not too many people are looking here, and I can see why. They are so packed in there you can’t really grab one and pull it out. They would all come tumbling down, the shelves sag and it looks ominous. Even I quickly turn away, afraid looking at them will cause the top shelf to let go.

Next room we move outside, so “room” is really not accurate. More like an event patio. It is about eight feet wide and turns the corner. Filled with more shelves, books, and DVDs. Yes, DVDs, an entire seven -foot length shelf of them, three rows, packed in alphabetical order, once again. But that is not all…not yet. Next up, the children’s section. Full of books, big and small, older and new-ish, for all the younger kids. Yes, just the young ones, next to that is a section for tweens and teens. Even here, the tables overflow, kids are moving around them in a dance only teens and tweens know. Who buys this one? Should I get that one? Am I cool enough to read this? And covertly looking around to make sure no one else is covertly looking around. The young adult dance, alive and well, even at the library book sale.

But wait, that is not all. Ok, that is all the book area, but there is also a little jewelry “shop” set up in the corner by the huge picture window. It usually houses chairs and tables set up to enjoy the view. Not today, today is donated trinkets of all shapes and sizes. Huge pendants, tiny delicate bracelets and dangling earrings that sparkle in the light. There are three women volunteers manning the “shop” and they are busy.

Busy with people, answering questions and letting us all know today is the last day and the sale is on. Half-off everything. Whoa, hold up! Half-off, I think. Well, now I have to see what is there. So much for my work, for the moment. Shopping takes precedence.

I am wandering and listening to the chatter of shoppers. One woman is telling another about her age, seventy-five, if you are interested. She is talking about moving, I can’t eavesdrop close enough to hear where though. She sounds angry, annoyed, maybe. I move on.

Well, now what do I see here? Now for the backstory. My grandmother left me a couple cool pieces from her visit to Mexico, I have no ideas when she went, but the trinkets are old, in great shape, but old. One is a necklace that currently has a costume cross on it. I don’t like the way it lays so I don’t wear it. But here, well, here is a very cool old “antique rosary pendant” in the case.

Hum, let me see that, I request, and I am met with the volunteer reminding me that everything is half-off today. It is beautiful, filagree with twelve stations of the cross beads and smaller beads on the inner circle, in the center is the bead. There is no color on it, it is simple silver, antiqued to perfection and speaks to me. This will be perfect for that necklace I have been waiting to wear.

Settled, I pay and now, focus my attention on the task I came here to do. What a great way to spend my morning, the library book sale! I did not expect that…