Fall 2017
My kids and I discovered our first Little Free Library when one appeared a few blocks down the street from our house a couple of years ago. Suddenly, it was there where before there was a simple street corner. The magic of the small, bright blue box itself, with a fish head for a handle and a tree trunk for a base, would have been enough. But inside were books! My son was uneasy with the idea of taking books from the little library. “Are you sure, Mom?” he said, looking around warily as if someone might be watching, ready to accuse us of stealing. I explained the concept to him, that we could take books that we wanted to read, and also drop off books that we were through with, for others to enjoy.
We picked out a few books and headed home. My son went straight to his bookshelf and gathered some books he’d outgrown. He insisted we go right back to the Little Free Library and drop them off, so we did. It was the beginning of our love for the little libraries. Nearly every day now when we walk home from school, my son and I stop to check the inventory. Sometimes, we vary our route to hit another Little Free Library a couple of blocks away. I love that it’s become part of our routine. And I love that people have placed these treasures on their property to promote reading and friendship and sharing. Writer Peggy Dills Kelter shines a light on Hood River’s Little Free Libraries, beginning on page 58. As you’ll read, the little libraries have come from diverse sources, created with the help of many people. Thank you, all, for helping to bring whimsy, more books and a bit of magic to Hood River’s neighborhoods.
In a similar vein, a group of community members are working to promote happiness this fall in the Gorge. For the second year in a row, October is Gorge Happiness Month. One Community Health, the area’s nonprofit health center, started the movement last year to mark its 30th anniversary. Gorge Happiness Month is expanding this year with activities and celebrations held in communities around the Gorge designed to “make happy a habit.” Happiness is tied to good health, and there are things we all can do to bring more happiness into our lives (page 50).
In fact, there are some things right here in these pages that make me happy, including Brian Chambers’ stunning landscape photos (page 44) and Daniel Dancer’s fun story about traveling down the Gorge by SUP (page 56). And there’s Kacie McMackin’s quintessentially fall recipe for leek and potato soup (page 68). Yum. Here’s to happiness, friends. Cheers!
—Janet Cook, Editor
