When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to become a librarian when I grew up. I devised my own Dewey Decimal system for my collection of books at home, and my little book-loving heart filled with ... pleasure (you thought I was going to say joy, didn't you) every time I presented a stack of books to the children's librarian at the Carnegie Library in my hometown of Alexandria, Minn. There was something immensely gratifying about that book check-out process: the librarian would take out her pad of ink, pull the cards from the books, stamp the due date on the cards, and hand the books back to me. It was marked in ink, this approval I had, to go home and read.

My career plans changed after that kindergarten year, but my love of books and of libraries endured.

People who attended my reading at Little Joy Coffee last night got a bonus slice of entertainment, although some may not have noticed; it was subtle. The music that played over the coffee shop's speakers as patrons ordered drinks and nibbled on cheese, crackers and (G.) olives was inspired by my book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man.

The book explores the life and career of my paternal great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs.

The sign outside his door must have listed his office hours, but I don’t remember paying much attention to it. Instead, I’d follow the well-traveled path from The Times-Delphic newspaper office to the northeast side of Meredith Hall and crane my neck to assess the situation: was the sturdy brown wood door closed, or was it open?

Sometimes it was closed, and I'd wander around the north wing of the building, in case he was talking to a colleague in the hallway.
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When my daughter, Louisa, asked a few weeks ago what I wanted for my birthday, I had a quick response: "Take me to see the movie Little Women while you're home for Christmas."

I received my gift Monday evening, the night before she returned to California. She bought my ticket, and my husband, Steve, and son Elias accompanied us to the local theater, where I proceeded to cry intermittently throughout the film.
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