Things have been a little crazy here at the Quill. I had intended to have this post done by Thursday at the latest but it didn't happen. My mystery allergic reaction is back so I have been hanging close to my new BFF, Eppi and now have five new fighter friends that I must ingest daily. These little guys make me so sleepy and dizzy that I am having a hard time getting things done. I found out all the things I am NOT allergic to but not what I am, test results should be back in the next two to three weeks, until then I guess I'll be moving at a snails pace!
Speaking of mysteries, this brings me to the next "goodie" in the Give Away I am holding in conjunction with the Mother Goose ATC swap over at Creative Swaps. If you have not been over there, you must visit and see the wonderful ATC's that are rolling in for the swap. So far I want one of each! I am getting so excited to see which ones I get. Anyway, back to the Give Away.....
I remember the exact moment in time that I fell in love with mysteries. I was in Mrs. Brown's fourth grade class. (Can you guess which one is me?) 
We went to the school library every Thursday and this was one of my favorite times of the week. Our librarian, Mrs. Vines, was a solemn looking woman who reminded me in the manner of her dress of Aunt Bea. She always wore floral print dresses, one of those triple rope pearl necklaces and matching earrings, and sensible black tie granny shoes. For some reason when I think of her I always remember her in a blue and white floral print dress. She always wore an expression as if she had just eaten a lemon. To be quite honest I was terribly afraid of her. She was a no nonsense type of woman and I saw her harshly scold some of the other children and I never wanted to be on her bad side so I just avoided her with the exception of timidly handing her my books to check out.
For all her dour disposition she had a lovely reading voice and she always picked a chapter book to read one chapter from before we were allowed to wander down the isles of what could loosely be termed a library. Our school library was in a large shared room which served as library, gym, and auditorium. At one end of the room rested a small stage, a hardwood open area in the middle served as gym/auditorium, and at the other end was a beautiful carved wooden hand railing that sectioned off the library end. The books lined the back and side wall, with four rows of shelves end to end making little isles. At the end of one isle was a big podium with three steps leading up to it. Resting upon the podium was a huge dictionary. I loved to climb the steps and turn the pages, read the words, and look at the line drawings. I spent many a happy hour with my own copy of the Thorndike Barnhart red bound dictionary, that each student was required to have, drawing those little pictures.
One Thursday, Mrs. Vines, chose a book from one of the series she had purchased for our library, one of two actually, one that would appeal to boys, The Hardy Boys, and one to girls, Nancy Drew. The book she chose was The Secret of the Moss Covered Mansion. She chose a chapter right in the middle of the book that left you hanging at the most exciting part. I remember sitting across the table from two little girls who were often my rivals. We sat looking at each other knowing that we all wanted that book! I just knew the little blond girl would surely get the book because she was a book monitor and Mrs. Vines seemed to like her. I was sure her little dark haired shadow would trip me to keep me from that book. Now I was a very timid child but I wanted that book! I don't exactly know what happened but when Mrs. Vines released us to check out books, the three of us shot out of our seats. In the scramble the two girls collided, knocked over a chair and became entangled and got the wrath of Mrs. Vines for all the noise. I reached the check out desk first and the book was mine!
I read every book in that series and discovered the Meg mysteries, as well as the Trixie Beldon mysteries. Another thing I discovered was that underneath her dour exterior Mrs. Vines was a really nice lady. I once was sent to help her because I was finished with my work. She began to talk to me about books and I opened up and we had a lovely time dusting book bindings and shelves. Later on the two little girls and I became quite good friends and even started a book club that met at recess on the play ground under a sprawling oak tree. We would share mini book reports on what we were reading.
How does this relate to the Give Away you say, well, look at the lovely package below. 
Would you not just love to know what it contains? Here is a clue........ I am not going to tell you! This Give Away "goodie" will remain a mystery until the winner unveils it! To enter the Give Away just leave your name in the comments section of this or any of the Give Away posts and you will be added. You may read the details here.
Stay tuned for the next Give Away "goodie" post coming soon........
Blessings,
Miss Sandy
Photos: The Give Away "Goodie"; Mrs. Browns 4th Grade class; Nancy Drew Books
7 comments:
Miss Sandy,
I somehow found your blog through someone else's blogroll, and it must have been meant to be. I, too, fell in love with the Nancy Drew series as a third grader. I read all the books in the series (and still have most of them for my daughter!) I also loved the Trixie Belden books. Thanks for bringing back these wonderful memories for me (glad you made it past the blonde and got that book)!
Blessings,
Christi
Charm & Grace
This post brought back good memories of my school librarian - going to the library was always a treat.
The first Nancy Drew book I read, however, was not a library book. I think it was a gift from my grandma.
Miss Sandy --
thank you for your kind, inspiring words. I still love the library. i go at least once a week for inspiration. In fact, I'm planning on blogging some of the beautiful books I have seen and checked out lately. Here In Huntington Beach, calif, we have a three story, beautiful library, complete with espresso and gift shop. Today would be a great day to go. The air outside is so bad from all of the fires. It has never been like this before. I only let my puppies out for a few minutes and bring them right back in.
See you at the library!
sigh, I LOVE the library! Like Karen, I love going to our library for inspiration. There is just something about row upon row of books, just waiting to be opened, each one filled with wonders and delight.
I loved Nancy Drew, and Trixie Beldon. It was the thrill of a lifetime to read the "next" one, wasn't it? I am anxiously awaiting grandchildren, so I can take THEM to the library.
xo Lidy
You've brought back fond memories of the library for me! I remember my mother taking me to the children's area there when I was little; she'd patiently wait, holding my baby brother while I was able to choose 2 or 3 books. When I became a teenager, both my mother and I got jobs in that very same library, so even more memories of my mother and I were made! I found you by way of sweet Dawn at the Feathered Nest and I am very glad I did! =)
Ahhhh, I have such fond memories of Nancy. I also read Judy Bolton. I even read the series that was popular when my grandmother was a girl...Ruth Fielding.
So, did you reveal which child you were?
Dear Miss Sandy,
I so do love a good book. Still to this day I read children's books outside of storytime with my son. So which little girl are you in the picture?
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