Read. Return. Repeat.

My Very Own Books Box

As soon as I heard about Little Free Libraries, I knew I wanted to make my own.
What a great idea!  A public library, right on your own street, that's always open, and always free.  It nurtures a sort of social reading network, where you get to meet the books that live in your neighborhood, and the people who read them.

One of the More Upscale Models Around Town
My little Books Box started when we moved to our new apartment in South Park, San Diego.
After we moved in, we had boxes of books I needed to unpack.  Books I loved, but knew I would never read again.  So out they went.  I put them in a cardboard box near the curb that said "free books".

Over the next few days, I delighted in hearing people rifle through the box and carry off one of my old, well read books.  And then they were all gone.
We went for a walk around our neighbohrood one afternoon, and we came across a Little Free Library. It was painted the same color as the house it stood in front of.  And it was filled with a fantastic bouquet of books!

I chose a book and we went back home.  Over the next few days I found more books around my house that I didn't want to read, including the one I had grabbed from my neighbor's library!

I decided I would have to build my own.  I started with an old wooden crate.














I painted it to look pretty and I put it on the fence outside with some books in it. On the top, it says: Books Box. Read. Return. Repeat.
Already, the Books Box has been a real success. We live on a street with high foot traffic, so we are always finding new books in there.  It's like having a bookstore right in front of our house!  I find myself reading more so I can finish a book and return it to the library for someone else.  I even put some old CDs and magazines in there.

My Finished Books Box and its First Inhabitants

Through an open window, I hear people commenting on a daily basis.

 Oh, how cool!
Hey! It's one of those free libraries!
They have these all around town!

I smile and pick up my latest Books Box find.
Read. Return. Repeat.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cheap and Easy Dog Kennel to Greenhouse Conversion

Image
Our new home came with a 6' dog kennel, and we don't have a dog. But we do have a garden--and I've been vying for a greenhouse. So I put on my re-purposing hat and decided to transform that puppy pen into a hothouse humidor for my growing collection of greens. I wanted a cheap and easy dog kennel to greenhouse conversion. My first impulse was to run over to the Home Depot and buy plastic sheeting to cover it. That vision abruptly ended when I did a quick search and saw the price tag on the stuff. The greenhouse conversion was starting to sound a little too  green,  if you know what I mean .  The next morning, inspiration struck me the moment I stepped into the shower. I was face to face with the very vinyl I would need to cover my greenhouse! I quickly got dressed and ran out to the local Big Lots (with my hair still wet) and picked up five  clear shower curtain liners  with metal rivets at $6.00 a pack.  Home we drove to set up shop. First, ...
Read more

Italian Bruschetta Recipe

Image
Summer could never be complete for me without my favorite appetizer of all time. Bruschetta is pronounced "broo-SKET-tah" (see here ) and is typically made with Italian plum tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and basil. I decided to make ours today from our beefsteak tomatoes that have ripened up in the garden, and they were just perfect. Here's my recipe for Italian bruschetta. Bruschetta with Garden Ripe Tomatoes and Sweet Basil Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings  Serving Size: 3 slices of toast Ingredients 3-4 red, ripe tomatoes, diced. The riper, the better! 2 cloves of garlic, minced 5-6 sweet basil leaves, shredded 2 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar a dash of salt and pepper 1 loaf of good Italian bread, thinly sliced and toasted Directions Stack the basil in a pile. Start by dicing your tomatoes and placing them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Next, chop your garlic and basil. ...
Read more

Can Having Kids Actually Save You Money?

Image
I know what you're thinking.  Having kids saves you money? Are you crazy? What about diapers? What about college?!? On parenting websites, you'll find calculators that let you add up exactly how much money it will cost just to get through your baby's first year of life. I plugged in some numbers, and gasped when I saw the total of just under $7000.00. That's a lot of money, especially considering that we we are also going to be short one income for that year. The  latest estimate  for rearing a child until college age is a whopping quarter of a million dollars. I'm assuming that's for upper middle-class people who actually do silly things like calculating the costs of being alive. Yes, having kids costs money. But guess what? So does  not  having kids. Don't believe me? Think of all the things you would be spending money on if you didn't have a living breathing money pit at your feet. Last-minute weekend getaways, eating in fancy restaurants, and...
Read more