Three Things Thursday

Once again it’s time for the blog challenge Three Things Thursday, the purpose of which is to “share three things from the previous week that made you smile or laugh or appreciate the awesome of your life.”

1. Little Free Library

I had heard about and seen photos of little free libraries on Facebook and other social media and news sites, but I had never seen one in the wild until last Saturday.

This little gem is outside an insurance company office in Puyallup, WA.

The Little Free Library movement was started in Wisconsin by Todd Bol and Rick Brooks in 2009. Its mission is two-fold:

• To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide.
• To build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.

Its goal is “To build 2,510 Little Free Libraries—as many as Andrew Carnegie.”

This goal was reached in August of 2012, a year and a half before our original target date. By January of 2015, the total number of registered Little Free Libraries in the world was conservatively estimated to be nearly 25,000, with thousands more being built.

The philosophy behind little free libraries is “Take a book. Return a book.” In other words, for every book you take, you should put one book back. The aim of the process is to promote not only general literacy, but also neighborhood community. These libraries are run on the honor system by community members, for each other.

Check the Little Free Library web site for information on how to establish and maintain one in your neighborhood.

2. West Coastin’

Since retiring from St. Louis, MO, to Tacoma, WA, my husband and I have been enjoying what we think of as West Coasting. So I was delighted to see a little guy wearing this T-shirt:

3. Easy Passage

We took this photo from our car on a 2009 visit to Tacoma. The tree was on a road leading to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

We ended up living just around the corner from this tree. When I arrived at my new home in April 2013, I was disappointed not to see this tree. Sometimes on our walks we stand near its stump and fondly remember how much it amused us when we first spotted it.