Once we were old enough, us five kids all had chores and work to do--ranging from clearing the garden of rocks each spring, to haying to feeding said hay to the cows in winter, to digging irrigation ditches, so on and so forth. Between that, school, sports and friends, there wasn't a lot of time for ourselves, but what time I had I spent reading. And that was another thing that changed with the seasons, my secret reading places, of which I will now share my top 10--knowing that every reader probably has their own list to rival my own. I would love to hear some of them.
10. Below the big field, across the fence, along the creek, under a big oak there would be these groves of low, white flowers among dense grass. It was soft and soothing--and in the summer, a perfect place to read yourself to sleep, lulled by the dappled light on the pages. I read Sounder there, as well as my first reading of My Antonia, from which my all-time favorite quote comes from..."Happiness is being dissolved into something complete and great".
9. The barn. There is practically nothing more comfortable then a chaise lounge made from hay, especially as it comes with it's own lovely perfume--an earthier, heavier dried grass aroma. I read Animal Farm there for a reason, although in hindsight, probably not the best idea I've ever had.
8. The corner behind the wood stove. Whether it was winter or not, it was strategically important, keeping me literally under the view of my Mom. If quiet, I could read there for hours without being bothered--which was perfect when I went through my Michner phase.
7. The Bouncy Tree. In another field, an old tree bent low enough to scrabble on to it, with one perfect branch as a back rest. You could read and bounce-away the afternoon and it's where I would read about Satchel Paige, Amelia Earhart and other amazing people.
6. The hay fields. When the hay was about yay-high, ready to be cut, you could lay in the middle of it all, nothing but gold and blue around and above you. No one could ever find me there--except mice and snakes..but they never told. Perfect for the Little House on the Prairie books.
5. In bed under the covers (after the generator was off for the night with a flashlight): Quiet perfection-- for Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
4. The hammock. duh! This is where I would read anything resembling romance novels--which were few and far between in our library. But the few Joan Collins books I snuck outside were illuminating to say the least.
3. Behind the ranch, up a logging road, off a little side road, there is a small, almost octagonal meadow of moss, surrounded by downed trees, all covered with moss. When I was much younger it was my secret emerald forest, and it was perfect for reading Lord of the Rings.
2. My parents room. For some reason, their bed was always more comfortable and the room was always cooler or warmer, depending on the season. 1.The Rock. Way up the logging road behind and above our ranch, there was an outcropping of rocks from which you could see the entire property and then some. With a pbj, cookies and a jug of water, I spent probably hundreds of afternoons up there, reading everything from Hotel New Hampshire to all five volumes in the Hitchhikers Guide (I especially liked the third book, 'Life, the Universe and Everything'), dreaming of what was out beyond the horizon of trees.
So, there is the list...if I close my eyes on a late January afternoon in Austin, I can smell the hay or the pine--or the woodsmoke. I can feel the moss or the breeze and I can remember what I felt as I read and dreamed in my own perfect corner of the world in Oregon, each of these a building block, some big, some little, to who I am today.
Thanks Mom and Dad. It was amazing.
Lovely piece!
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