From a child in Hutchinson, KS. to a child in Owego, NY

With only a few days left before I leave for my "bucket list" trip to Maine, I'm frantically pushing that proverbial "panic button" to be sure that I have everything ready to leave in the very early hours of May 28th.  And even though my ultimate destination is the Portland Head Lighthouse, near Cape Elizabeth, there are other places to see along the way as well.   One of them is the New England village of Owego, New York.

You know, I've never been to Owego and heck, I don't even no a soul that lives there.  But when I checked their website and learned that in 2009, it was voted "the coolest small town in America!" I decided to give it a visit.  Besides, it's right along the route that I will be taking as I travel along the southern tier of counties in New York State.

I learned several months ago that Owego had suffered through a terrible flood in September of last year.  The beautiful Susquehanna River had become swollen beyond containment due to the heavy rains that were a "leftover" of Tropical Storm Iris.  And when the river could hold no more, floodwaters rushed over the surrounding area and overtook everything in its path, including the Tioga County village of Owego.  In the more than 8 months that have followed, the people of Owego have banded together to try to get some semblance of normalcy to return to their lives.  Although many homes are damaged, perhaps beyond repair, the businesses in town have reestablished themselves.   They are trying to return to "We're Open For Business"~and I admire their spirit.  I had the chance to visit with several different folks there as I planned my itinerary for my stop in Owego.  You can tell just by speaking with them that these people mean "business" when it comes to rebuilding and returning to life as they once knew it before.

I got to thinking about what it would be like to have to go through a flood like that.  What a blessing to be able to say, "I don't know what it would be like."  I'm a farm girl from the plains of Kansas.  The closest thing to a flood that I ever endured was when the Little Arkansas River near Halstead, Kansas overflowed its bank and ruined my parents' small restaurant just outside of town.  I know what a smelly and dirty mess that was to get through but it paled in comparison to anything that the folks of Owego and the surrounding areas went through in September.  So what could I do to be of help, even now these many months later?

The answer came to me one day not that long ago at school.  A class of students and I were talking about how nice it was to be able to just go into our library at school and check out about anything a person could want to read.  Books are plentiful here and free to use.  It made me think about the kids in Owego for some reason.  I wondered how many of the children had lost their personal collections of books.  What about the city library, had they lost part of their collection?  It didn't take long to make a couple of calls and when I spoke with Gwen, the wonderful librarian at the Coburn Free Library about my bringing some new books there next week for the children to have for check out this summer, she was most appreciative and grateful.

So hey, I cashed in the coins from my money jar at home and with $100 in hand, I paid a visit to our local book store in Hutchinson.  30 minutes later, I came out with the most marvelous collection of children's books imaginable.  Come next Friday, they will be in the hands of little children over 1,000 miles away from here.  And THAT makes me happy!

Thanks to the second graders in Pat Lillard's class at Lincoln, I will also have some "stowaways" riding along with me as I head to the Northeast.  They made their own versions of "Flat Stanley" that will be given out to children at the summer story hour at the Coburn Free Library this summer.  And if you aren't sure who in the world "Flat Stanley" is, well then I think it's time you read that book!  :)  Our "flat people" are dressed and ready to go, a Kansas postcard "hot glued" to their hand with an invitation to write the student who made it a letter explaining what life is like in New York.  The Lincoln second graders were happy to know that they were "vicariously" taking the journey with me.  So you see, at least until Owego, I will not be alone or lonely  :)  I'll have 17 other "mouths to feed".  Lucky for me, they don't require a lot of food or bathroom breaks!  But I can tell you this for SURE friends~If I hear a chorus of "ARE WE THERE YET?" coming from the back seat, the trip is immediately over!  LOL

I'm looking forward to being able to see the sights along the way from the Arch of St. Louis to the Portland Head Light House at Cape Elizabeth. Stopping off in Owego for a couple of days just adds to the adventure.  Good Night!  Sleep well and have great dreams my friends.

3 of our Lincoln second graders with their "flat people" that will accompany me as I travel towards Maine.

Scarlet as she writes her message on the back of the Kansas post card that she picked out at school.

Victor and the post card that he liked the best.

Some really "cool" books that kids everywhere, no matter if it's New York, Kansas, or anywhere in between, love to read.  Take a look at the titles, listed below, and see how many you may have read as a child.

How to Eat Fried Worms
Little House in the Big Woods
Farmer Boy
Little House on the Prairie
A Taste of Blackberries (a favorite of mine)
My Side of the Mountain
Where the Wild Things Are
Skippyjon Jones
Holes
Tuck Everlasting
Kansas in the Heart of Tornado Alley
S is for Sunflower-A Kansas Alphabet