Address: 855 W. Textile Rd.
Steward: Anita Wilson
It was inevitable that our landscape would change with the installation of a pathway across the front of our farm property. I love reading and I wanted to encourage ‘mental exercise’ in conjunction with physical exercise for those using the asphalted walking path. It was our way to add another level of ‘connectivity’ between us and our wonderful community. When I first learned of the Little Free Library (LFL) movement, which was established as a way of providing literacy around the world, my husband drew up a plan and shared his design of our initial LFL with a friend of ours, Mike Cobb, who is a great woodworker. And about four years ago, I was surprised by the gift of my first book house! We installed it and curated both adult and children’s literature in this one library. I watched as my LFL generated interest, not just for the walkers, but as a destination for local readers who actually drive to my LFL. Kids were just as interested in peering in and discovering books as adults. So I decided I needed a kid’s LFL to be installed lower to the ground, to reach our younger readers. We thought a schoolhouse would be a welcomed addition and once again, Mike Cobb’s superior skills were put to use! Both LFLs have a great deal of charm in their design which continues to produce a lot of compliments.
Our LFLs have provided an equal amount of joy to us! And the site has evolved with their usage. My husband and I installed some sandstone steps in front of our adult library to accommodate one of our oldest neighbors, a 98-year-old resident of the assisted living facility at the corner of Textile and State. Every day, using his walker, he would visit our LFL as part of his daily constitutional. We installed the steps to allow him easier access up the slight incline. My husband also installed a large sitting rock in the shade of one of our remaining trees along the street.
To our delight, one day a young girl came by on her bike. She carried a pad of paper, a pen, some colored markers and a stapler. She sat on the sitting rock and all afternoon composed a series of stories under our tree. She wrote them, carefully illustrated them and stapled her finished stories in booklet form which she numbered as volumes in a series. She then added them to our library!! Observing these kinds of activities provides ongoing value to what started as a way of sharing my love of reading. I am also both amused and flattered by the amount of notice my LFLs have generated. I have been randomly introduced and recognized as living in the house with the two LFLs. One of my libraries has been used for a geocache site and I occasionally notice that a painted stone or a handmade bookmark has been added in addition to the contribution of books.
Come visit us and Take One, Leave One and REPEAT!! The Butterfly Ranch Little Free Libraries are located on Textile Road between State Street and Lohr Road. I welcome and appreciate the contribution of books. A current and actively curated collection of gently-used literature keeps the concept alive!! I welcome your support and enjoyment of OUR Little Free Libraries!!
–Anita Wilson
She worked, she read, she retired, she reads more. She shares her love of reading with the community!
Featured in September 2018 newsletter