Slam Dunk Success!
I thought it was just me. Moving to Greensboro, I was totally failing on the library system. In DC, I checked out an excessive amount of books from the library. Weekly. And when we moved here, we continued checking out books, but also started racking up fines. A lot of fines.
Point blank, the library does not email you to renew your books or your due date. And they don’t stamp their books. You simply get a long receipt or you can log in online. I guess I’m pretty lazy, but after seven years of automatic emails AND a date stamp, I am having a hard time adjusting.
I racked up a bunch of fines and then we started using Henry’s card. And, oh yeah! The kids DVDs are a dollar after the first week. DC doesn’t fine you anything for children’s materials ever. Unless it something insanely late. So after battles over DVDs, not unlike toys in the cereal aisle, Henry also has reached his limit in fines.
He was sure to point this out to me one day last week and that he wasn’t able to check out a book he had been wanting to read: Dream Team.
So this afternoon when I had nothing on hand for his birthday, I took Lucy to the library instead. I have resisted checking out books for myself, since I feel like I’m in a state of flux anticipating the baby’s arrival. But Henry’s last lecture is tomorrow and I thought this was a gift he might appreciate.
Over the years, he, or let’s say we, have been known to return gifts. Well, the beauty of a library book includes the expectation of the return! Genius.
It was Lucy’s idea to wrap the present. And luck would have it that my blank library cards were sitting out in plain sight in my studio. So at least he will have a memorable keepsake from his birthday.
I totally intend to get Henry another gift in the future. But with all of the house and baby preparation, spending more money did not feel like a great idea at this time. Late spring is like a mini-Christmas for us with all of our birthdays in a row. So instead, I decided all of today’s meals and we went to Maxie B’s for dessert. Yum! I had no idea he could love something sweet so much.
And the gift was a slam dunk!
Happy Birthday, Henry! I love you.
