The day is overcast and really damp with a cool breeze. The forecast is for rain later today. I won’t mind. It seems all this grayness should have a reason to stay around.

Today is big city day, Hyannis in these parts, and I saved all my Hyannis errands for one trip though I usually hope for a sunny day as the roads are clearer and people have other diversions. My list is four stores long with the bookstore last as sort of a reward for the other mundane stops.

When I was a kid, the library was where we mostly went for books. My town had no real bookstore, but it did have a bookcase in the back of the Children’s Corner, a clothing store. The bookcase was narrow but tall, floor to ceiling, and filled with Whitman books for 49 cents and Bobbsey Twin books, a bit more expensive. I used to take my half dollar and walk up town to the store where I’d be hard-pressed to choose one book  from so many. The Whitman books were hard cover with colorful spines, and I could find the latest in my favorite series, an adventure based on a television program or a classic like Heidi or Treasure Island. I bought Trixie Belden and Donna Parker, Zorro and Roy Rogers.

I had a bookcase in my bedroom, my own little library, and I loved all those books, but as time went on, the books got packed away, replaced by other books, and I forgot about them. When I moved into my own house, my mother brought down those books she still had of mine. There were several she had kept in boxes and brought with her when the family moved. The books were the worst for time and wear. Pages were brittle and yellow, and many of the covers were no longer attached. The spines too had separated, bent downward so the titles were difficult to read. I didn’t care. I was thrilled to have my old friends back with me. I bought a bookcase just for them. It was one of the first pieces of furniture in my bedroom. My books were back where they belonged.