joyful day
After all my talk about how much we missed the library, you can imagine my delight last week when, stapled to our paper bag of remote-pickup books was a flyer announcing that we would be able to visit and browse again beginning June 2 at 10:00! The boys had an online book group meeting until 11—many pandemic features are still hanging on—but as soon as that finished up we made a picnic lunch and headed up to the library and playground. Just like old times! Only not quite. After we greeted Ms Bethany and Murphy the Turtle and told them how glad we were to be back, the boys settled in to read the vast selection of graphic novels that had been denied to them for so long (I browsed picture books; joy!). We hadn't managed to leave the house until after 11:30, so I figured our lunch would be a little late... but 12:30 passed without a murmur, then 12:45, and then finally at 1:00 I told them eating could wait no longer. That's not something I ever would have had to say back when we were taking library time for granted!
The other difference is that I forgot that carrying thirty or so books is hard work. Last time we did this I had the cargo bike! I didn't even think about how much has changed in our family cycling setup in the last 15 months, and I just brought my backpack like I always do now. Well, it didn't really matter: the boys had their doubts, but I managed to get all of mine and Elijah's checkouts in the bag, plus our lunch tupperwares (Harvey and Zion brought their own backpacks). Well, they weren't actually all in the bag: four ended up strapped to the outside. It worked.
none of them fell off!
Of course, before we packed everything up we had lunch at the playground, and we all read right through lunch. Then I dragged them away from books for a little climbing, but when we got home Harvey and Zion read straight through til 5:00. Some of the time in the hammock! Life is good.