Passion

Part of my backlog of books to read in my basement library

Now there is a blog title to grab your attention.  

I am passionate about a lot of things.  Politics,  friends, movies, music, genealogy research, photography, gardening, food and……reading.  

Of course I am a passionate lover but this isn't the forum to go into that passion.  Co-workers, friends, family and hubby reads this blog….occasionally and I wouldn't want to embarrass them (or myself) with a written account of my naked passion in that arena,  maybe someday folks but not today.

What I'm writing about today folks is my passion for reading.  I believe I've written about this subject before but I feel the urge to write about it again.  

I first began reading back in the Fifties.  "Force read" I call it since it was the Dick and Jane books with "see Spot (their dog) run."  I remember even at that early age "WTF?" Of course the acronym "WTF" didn't exist then (I take literary license) but I knew even then that THIS wasn't the reading I was destined for.

So while I whiled away my time in boredom at the back of my elementary school class, I noticed a row of orange book binder books on the shelf behind me.  Up until that time the only other reading I had done was the Weekly Reader, which, if I remember correctly was a "Weakly Reader."  No meat, not much substance. "WTF?"  

The "Weakly" Reader during my time - early 1950's

While Mrs. Yost droned up in front of the class I turned around and took one of those orange books off the shelf.  The one I chose was "A Biography of Ben Franklin."  

A "Little Orange Book" - I couldn't find one for Ben Franklin on the Internet but it looked like this -  I think I also read this one - I read them all!

I would read that book in class while teach up front was telling the rest of the class to "see Dick" doing whatever he was doing.

My old East Ward Elementary school - I took this photo from the back porch of my friend Larry Meredith - I wish I had  taken more photos of this school because it is no longer - this grand old building was torn down in the late 90's to make way for a new elementary school which looks like crap.  I am so lucky that I lived at a time to attend school at such a grand old building and not one of these Russian mausoleums that they call elementary schools today.

My sixth grade classroom where I began serious reading.  I sat in the back but on the day this photo was taken I was at home, quarantined with both of my brothers, one of whom had scarletina fever.  Thus a very historical photo was lost without me in it.  

Eventually I read all the biographies including Alexander Hamilton, Lewis and Clark and including even a book on their Indian guide Sacagawea.  

"Take that next bend and that's the Northwest Territories"

 Now that my reading appetite was whetted, next up was to get my library card at the Downingtown library.

The Downingtown Public Library

The Downingtown Library was located in an old stone building like the East Ward Elementary school where my reading gene was first awakened.  The library was only a few short blocks on Lancaster Avenue from the school which was located on Washington Avenue.  

When I first entered the library I was almost overcome by the welcoming old musty smell of the thousands of books that line their walls to the ceiling.  

I got my library card and began reading in ernest.  Oh those were the days.  Whole new exotic worlds were opened to me.  

This was back in 1951 folks, when I was a mere slip of a lad of ten years old. 

Me, my fifth grade elementary school photo - bad hair but genuine, eager smile

Folks, my seduction in the world of reading was complete. I was no longer interested in what "Dick" was up to, I wanted to explore the world.  I wanted to experience other folks lives; their successes, their failures and their relationships.  

Folks, that was over sixty years ago. I've read a lot of books since that innocent, duck under your desk in case an A-bomb is dropped on us, time.  

This morning Bill and I went out on this very hot and muggy July summer morning to drop some items (mine of course) off at the thrift store.  As is my won't I checked out their books lining their shelves.  Wow, 50 cents each.  I bought three.  Next thrift store I bought two more.  The last thrift store I bought three more.  Those books are now in the Tipton Library in my basement, patiently awaiting me to devour them as I have been doing for the past sixty years or so.  

At any given time I'm usually reading two books. One that I place on my bed headboard (current book a biography on Bob Hope - what a skinflint and womanizer - who knew?) and one in my bathroom "library" (a convoluted biography of Ronald Reagan by Edmund Morris who I am having a very difficult time plowing through but I will get through, there as some good nuggets of information about our 40th president in this book once you get past the self aggrandizement of Mr. Morris who considers himself quite the writer).  

My preferred reading is biographies and histories and current events.  I don't give much time to fiction, true life to me is always more interesting than some made up fluff.  I'm not a mystery or thriller fan in books but I am in the movies.  Give me a good, well writing biography and I'm happy.  

Maybe someday I'll write a book.  About what?  My life of course.  There is no more interesting subject that I know of.  At least of me.  Of course I know this wouldn't be a best seller but what I do know that there is someone out there like me who would appreciate my adventures in life.  That's why I keep a journal.  Good reading for someone in the future, that is if they aren't thrown out with the trash when I die. 

What doesn't go into my blog is in these journals. Oh my.