I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. I once asked my mom when I learned to read. She replied that I followed her around asking what words said until I was about five so she assumed I knew how to read by then.

I was fortunate to come from a long line of readers. Granny and Grandpa Lohr’s house contained a treasure trove of reading material. I spent hours there reading National Geographic. There was a bookcase upstairs with such treasures as an illustrated Smith Family Robinson.

Everyone in my family read the local newspaper, the Stettler Independent, and Mom and Dad had subscriptions to The Western Producer, Western Horseman and other magazines. Dad had copies of books on his interests such as birding, horses, nature, and the history of Western Canada. Dad read us bedtime stories—usually his books. Often he nodded off during the reading, and I recall jumping on the bed while he slept, until Mom came in and stopped ‘the bedtime reading.’

Dick and Jane readers comprised the reading curriculum in grade one. I surreptitiously read ahead, my finger tucked in the page where the class was taking turns oral reading in case I was called on.

Erskine got a new school the fall I entered grade two. Sixty years later, I can close my eyes, see that library and feel the awe—an entire room full of books just waiting for me. It was my mission to try to read as many of those books as possible.

When I entered high school, the William E. Hay Composite School Library had even more books. I moved in with Grandma Collins in Stettler and walked to the public library—at that time in the basement of the Town Hall Building on Main Street. My favorite authors were John Steinbeck and Leon Uris. I added some large print books for Grandma to my stack of books and carted them all home.

I read everywhere and anywhere. I recall going to a regatta on the Red Deer River with Dad when I was fifteen. We took the truck and camper and, of course, our lunch so we’d have a place to get out of the sun and eat. I spent the entire day in the camper absolutely glued to Gone with the Wind. Dad came into the camper for his bologna sandwich and asked if I was going to come out and see what was happening. There was no time for that—Scarlett and Rhett were my focus!

I don’t have many positive memories of my year in nursing at the University of Alberta, but my favorite time was spent in the library where I had a part-time job. I recall sitting at the check-out desk surrounded by the dusty smell of books combined with the ancient nurses’ residence building, basking in the relative quietness. The library was my escape from the chaos of dorm life, plus working there provided me with some much-needed spending money.

On one of our early dates, Doug took me to the Alix Auto Wreckers where he searched for car parts. I started carrying a book in my purse or bag, and I never go to a car event now without at least one good book. Last year, a stranger passing by at a car event in Pomona, California, asked why I would want to read a book when I could be looking at all the old men on their way to the next building filled with cars. I chuckled and kept on reading.  

The Library in the Education Building at the University of Saskatchewan was my second home during my years there as a student and then as an instructor. I knew all the staff and who to ask what question. Saskatoon also had amazing public libraries, and I was a regular patron over the twenty-three years we lived there. I took our children to the libraries. They particularly enjoyed ‘Pooh Bear’ story time in the evenings.

As all parents of young children know, there isn’t much time for private moments spent reading or otherwise. Sometimes, I would lock the bathroom door and spend as much time as I could in there reading. I recall our daughter on the floor peeking under the bathroom door saying, “I know you’re in there!” Her statement would bring me back to reality from wherever the book had taken me, and I would sigh and come out to continue my mother role.

When Doug was out of town on business and the kids were settled for the night, I would go on reading jags. I’d look at the clock on the nightstand and realize that it was 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. I knew I had to get up in a few hours, get the kids to daycare or, later, to school and be at work. Still, I would read on, just to find out what happened.

The years went by with many changes, but reading was always a constant. When we moved to Calgary in 1995, the neighborhood library seemed like a cold, unfeeling space although I still checked out books. I never did bond with it the way I had with the Saskatoon libraries.

In October of 2005, we moved into our home on the acreage in Foothills. One of the first things I did was go to the Okotoks Public Library and purchase a membership. I remember walking through the doors and feeling the warmth and busyness of a well-managed library. Staff members were friendly and helpful. I attended a few programs and started to volunteer one morning a week. I knew that I had found my new ‘second’ home.

In October 2017, I joined the Library Board and have since spent numerous hours at Board meetings and promoting the library in the community. Now we are beginning to write a fundraising plan to help with the future expansion of the library.

Today, when I enter the Okotoks Public Library, I still feel the awe I felt as a seven-year old child, amazed at all the wide variety of resources and programs waiting for me. But, the books are still my favorite.
 

     It has been a smoky summer with bouts of abnormally high temperatures in the high 20s and low to mid 30 degrees Celsius in our area. Calgary set a record high temperature of 36.7 Celsius (98 Fahrenheit) on August 10, 2018.  This summer was the smokiest on record as reported by Environment Canada on August 20th.  There have been additional smoky days since then. It seems like much of the world is enduring abnormally high temperatures, and some places are literally burning-up.
     The total number of fires in British Columbia to date is 2,026—fiscal year starting in April 2018 (BC Wildlife Service). I can’t imagine the challenges for the firefighting crews. I have great sympathy for people who are coping in close proximity to the fires, but I do wish we didn’t get so many winds from the West.
     Since it’s been so dry, the smoke just lingers. Strong rains would have not only improved the crops but would have washed some of the smoke from the air. Instead much of the land is parched and there’s not enough pasture or hay crops. Some ranchers are selling off part of their cattle herds because there isn’t enough hay to feed them all through the winter. What hay there is will be high-priced and is being trucked from areas where they received more rain.
     Since I detest smoke and don’t like heat, I’ve been welcoming these plus 4 degrees Celsius mornings and highs around 20 degrees. I’m so glad to see the approaching signs of autumn. Yesterday I started cutting back perennials, beginning with the delphiniums and ending with many of their small black seeds in my hair and clothes.
     We had an abundant saskatoon crop with about 60 containers of the berries in 750-gram containers in the freezer. Our raspberry bushes in the garden were very productive, and I am continuing to pick. The saskatoon and raspberry bushes are on the edge of the vegetable garden so benefitted from the watering. The smaller raspberry patch by the garage doesn’t get watered and so there were very few berries in that area.
     The grandchildren enjoy picking and eating the saskatoons and raspberries. Some of the raspberries are very large, and the kids like to put them on the ends of their fingers for “raspberry fingers” and then eat them--the raspberries, not their fingers! Apparently the wasps like raspberries too as some of my neighbors told me they had very few raspberries because the wasps got to them. A few of our raspberries were partially eaten and very sticky, but, fortunately, we were able to rescue most of them. Those ‘fake’ wasp nests purchased at a hardware store definitely worked to cut down on the wasps building real nests and loitering in our immediate area.
     Doug has been busy with a weekly golf game and, of course, with cars and events this summer in between yard work. The tractor not only covers our acreage, but Doug also mows along the avenue. (Yes, we do pay taxes to have that done, but once a year in the late summer doesn’t quite do the job!)
     Hayley dog is definitely slowing down. She had an incident about two weeks ago where she went out for her morning walk and collapsed on the grass. We took turns staying with her for a couple hours and then had to help her up. At times, her legs splay out beneath her, but most of the time she is able to get up and walk to the highway to help pick up the morning newspaper. She loves it outside so spends most of her day relaxing on the grass in the sun and then moving to the shade when it gets too warm. We know it is a matter of time so she gets lots of belly rubs, a few more treats than before and is even allowed to be a ‘house dog’ and wonder the main floor at times. It's hard to watch her health failing, but she is 12.5 years old. She perks up when the grandchildren are here and tries to trot along with them.
     I've had a busy summer with advocacy work for the library along with the usual weed-pulling at home. With some other board members and staff, we supplied, set up and worked the library booth at four events in Okotoks in just over a month. Now our advocacy and fundraising plans are being developed for the fall and winter. The library board work has become like a part-time job—all volunteer of course—but I’m learning a great deal and, for the most part, enjoying it. Working the booth definitely reminded me of my couple years with Scholastic Publishing. I had forgotten how much effort it takes to set up and work a booth for 5-7 hours in total each time!
     The Library Board also conducted a survey this summer with 237 respondents to date which will give us direction for the work of the Okotoks Public Library. If anyone reading this lives in Okotoks or the MD of Foothills and uses the library, the survey is still online for a few more weeks at http://okotokslibrary.ca  
     While I’m on the topic, we need more books donated for the Little Libraries. I look after the one in the Cimarron area of Okotoks. I replenish it once every 10 days or so. As most of my readers will know because they are readers, the intent of the Little Libraries is that if you take a book, you leave a book; however, there is much more taking than leaving. The good part is that at least the books are being taken so hopefully they are being read. We particularly need children’s books, but all donations are welcome so please contact me if you have some books to donate, and if you live close enough so that I can pick them up.
     Doug, Hayley and I  enjoyed several trips to the cabin at Wakaw Lake. Our 'adult children' and grandchildren were able to spend time with us at the lake this summer, and we enjoyed catching-up with several neighbors. Thanks to everyone who visited us this summer at home or at the cabin and those who took the time to continue our friendships. I valued our times together and look forward to meeting again soon.
     Enjoy September—it’s my favorite month of the year. It brings back many happy memories of crisp cool air, gorgeous fall colors, childhood memories of harvesting on the farm and going back to school. It will probably not surprise most of you that I just enrolled in an advocacy course—online this time—but I’m still going back to school in the fall!