I am a Reader Because...

I know this isn't quilting related, but I was thinking about how much I love to read (and don't understand folks who don't!) and that got me to thinking about my first reading memories.  I remember lots of reading in my family.  My great grandpa Tony (who immigrated from Solvorn, Norway at age 18) could not read English (though he spoke it fluently) and he pretended to read the newspaper in front of his children and great grandchildren because he believed education was important.  My great grandma Myrt actually read the newspaper to him when we were not around.  I heard this story YEARS after he was gone and I was grown.  His son DeLos always read to us kids from the encyclopedia.  We mostly had him read from the D for dogs section and I know those pages got quite worn!  DeLos' wife was my mother's mother--Grandma Char.  I named my daughter for her and the vast majority of my happy childhood memories somehow include this fabulous woman!  Grandma Char was in forensics in high school (and encouraged me to be in it too) and I have her tiny metals from it.  She loved to read aloud and one of my very first memories is her reading from this book!

I can still hear my Grandma Char reading my very favorite poem in the book!  It goes like this:

Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay, to wash the cups and saucers up and brush crumbs away, An shoo the chickens off the porch, an dust the harth and sweep, An make the fire, and bake the bread, and earn her board and keep, An all us other children, when the supper things is done, we set around the fire an has the mostest fun a-listnin to which tale that Annie tells about, and the goblins at get you, if you don’t watch out!

Wuzst they wuz a little boy who wouldn’t say his prayers, an when he went to bed at night away upstairs, his mama heard him holler his daddy heard him bawl, but when they turned the covers down, he wasn’t there at all, they seeked him in the rafter-room, cubby-hole and press, they seeked him in the chimney-flue and everywheres I guess, but all they ever found was his pants and round-a-bout,an the goblins will get you if you don’t watch out

An one time a little girl who always laugh and grin, and made fun of everyone and all their blood and kin, an wasn’t  when there was company an old folks was there she mocked um and shocked um and said she didn’t care an just as she kicked her heels and turned to run and hide the wus two big black things astanden by her side an they snatched her through the ceiling for she knew what she’s about Er the goblins will get you if you don’t watch out!

An little Orphant Annie say, when the blaze is blue, an the lampwick stutters, an the wind goes woo-oo, an you hear the crickets quit, an the moon is gray,an the lightning-bugs in dew is all squenched away, you better mind your parents an your teachers fond an dear, an churish them that loves you and dry the orphant’s tear, an help the poor and needy ones at clusters all about or the goblins will get you if yo don’t watch out!