Felt
One of the advantages of my work is that I get to see what people are reading. In the course of handling requests, I get a feel for what's trendy at a certain time, at least among readers in my area. I'm exposed to new ideas and reminded of old ones I may not currently be considering. There is not, contrary to what some may think, any time for reading while working in the library. However, you do get a dose of serendipitous mental stimulation through titles, blurbs or cover art as the books pass through your hands. A few days ago, a group of Christmas craft books crossed my desk, including one that was solely about holiday decorations made from felt. Seeing the cheery but simple ornaments displayed on the cover reminded me of my daughter's first Christmas. She was a day short of one month old then. My first husband and I were young parents, scraping to get by on the type of salary being young affords. We were living in a tiny ramshackle apartment behind a shop tha