“Ginny Gordon and the Lending Library” was one of the first books my older sister, Hanna, bought for me as a payment for babysitting for her. She was 13 years older than me and I was a very young babysitter, but this was in the 50s when very few houses had locks on their doors. There was no need for locks as crime was extremely rare. The worst thing that happened was that for a few nights someone went up our street and stole the milk money people had put in their empty milk bottles at the end of their walkway, ready for the milkman who delivered the milk in the morning.
I had no reason to worry about being left at my sister’s house without adult supervision, babysitting for her from age 9 until I was about 12. There were only two times that I got spooked, and both times were because of listening (before the days of TV) to scary radio shows. One was a story called The Monkey’s Paw, and another was The Maltese Falcon. I often listened to Richard Diamond detective stories on the radio in those days, as well. Scary stories, but I couldn’t make myself turn them off.
Already, I had a love of stories, so the books Hanna bought for me were treasures. Each Friday night, when she and her husband went out grocery shopping and to a movie, I waited impatiently to see what the title of this week’s book would be. They were usually published by the Whitman Company of Wisconsin, and cost about 69 cents. After a while I had quite an extensive collection of Whitman books and I loved every one of them.
When you move 800 miles away, it’s necessary to leave some things behind. Books are heavy and take up space, so I was only able to take a few of my treasures with me. Now, decades later, one of my younger sisters mentioned that she had some old books in a box of “stuff” that she salvaged from our parents’ house before it was sold.
Last week she surprised me with this collection of books from my very early days.
Notice that there are two Annie Oakley books in the collection. No wonder we played Annie Oakley games at home. Here is the sister who saved my books, sitting in an old trunk, playing Annie Oakley.
Wasn’t it sweet of her to bring me those old treasures from my childhood days?
July 31, 2017 at 12:24 pm
Precious memory!
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July 31, 2017 at 12:34 pm
Not sure why it says Anonymous. That was me, Juanita Kelly. Computers are frustrating, unlike childhood where the biggest decision of the day was which stick to use for my stick horse that I would ride for hours. Thanks for bringing back memories!
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July 31, 2017 at 3:25 pm
Hi Juanita. I can’t help you on the anonymous part. Not sure why it does that, but just sign your name at the end and then we’ll know it’s you…on your stick horse. 😉
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July 31, 2017 at 3:25 pm
It sure is!
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July 31, 2017 at 12:31 pm
What a great story, Anneli! And it was very sweet of your sisters to bring you those old treasures!
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July 31, 2017 at 3:10 pm
I couldn’t believe she had kept them safe all these years.
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July 31, 2017 at 12:43 pm
How wonderful to have those books. I have a couple from when I was a kid and they are treasures.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Lots of nostalgia!
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July 31, 2017 at 12:56 pm
This post is wonderful!
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July 31, 2017 at 3:11 pm
Thank you. Anyone who likes writing, reading, or just fondling books, knows what treasures those oldies can be.
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July 31, 2017 at 1:55 pm
Those are really treasures! How thoughtful!
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July 31, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Takes us WAY back, doesn’t it?
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July 31, 2017 at 2:00 pm
Great payment for babysitting! And a great gift of old treasures. Those things from childhood are so special. As to the Monkey’s Paw, I read it in a high school literature class and it scared the living daylights out of me. I can’t imagine what it would be like listening to a radio play version as a preteen. That is a very creepy story.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:23 pm
I don’t remember anything about either of those radio plays, except that I was really rattled. But the books, yes, great payment for babysitting. Reading, a gift for the rest of my life.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:28 pm
Perhaps reading something makes it stay with you longer.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:50 pm
I think so.
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July 31, 2017 at 2:02 pm
The older we get, the more precious our memories become 🙂
Cheers !
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July 31, 2017 at 3:13 pm
So true Hans. I just had a thought. My older sister, Hanna, bought those books so it means she held them at one time. She’s gone now and somehow it’s special to me to know that she touched them.
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July 31, 2017 at 2:08 pm
I loved Heidi. Have you shared that photo before, Anneli? I just had a major dejavu. 🙂
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July 31, 2017 at 3:15 pm
Yes, I did a blog post on guns and Annie Oakley so that’s where you saw my younger sister’s picture (where she is sitting in the trunk). But the photo of the books is a new one.
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July 31, 2017 at 2:25 pm
What a perfect and thoughtful surprise for you Anneli. Talk about loving memories!
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July 31, 2017 at 3:15 pm
It sure was! Makes me smile whenever I look at them.
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July 31, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Lovely! I had Heidi and I remember Annie Oakley, though from TV not a book.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:21 pm
Did you know that Heidi sold over 50 million copies? I think I read that somewhere. The copy I have was published, I think, in 1941.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:24 pm
Wow! I hadn’t realised it sold that many! And is it my imagination (or faulty memory) or were there follow ups? I seem to remember sequels.
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August 1, 2017 at 6:39 am
I think you’re right about the follow up books. I know there was another one called Maezli, which I had at home and read. That one got lost somewhere. I just looked up Heidi sequels, and there was “Heidi Grows Up” and “Heidi’s Children.” Did you know Heidi was written in 1880?!!
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August 1, 2017 at 7:57 am
Wow! No, I didn’t! I’m astonished, I thought it was a contemporary book (well, of my age group, anyway!)
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July 31, 2017 at 3:14 pm
Annie Oakley was my hero in those days. 🙂 I always found it amusing to see the big muddy boots on the ground below me. The spring mud was just horrible up there. 😮 Oh and I’ll have another look for any other treasures that may be lurking.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:16 pm
I hadn’t noticed the boots, but I sure remember the gumbo up there! It was so bad!!!!
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July 31, 2017 at 4:41 pm
Your sister is sweet! What a nice unexpected gift for you! I was telling a high school friend today that my oldest brother got rid of the few boxes of my childhood stuff I am sure was at our parents’ house when he sold it. He didn’t call and tell me I still had anything there! So I lost my high school annuals and other stuff that would help me a lot with writing my autobiography now. Oh well. I’m glad you have such a great sister! 🙂 Oh yeah, thank you for following my other blog!
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July 31, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Thanks, Patsy. Your brother probably never even thought about those items having any meaning for you. Most likely assumed his own reactions to memorabilia were the same as yours must be. I know the feeling of losing high school annuals. I wish I had kept mine. At one of the reunions (the first I ever attended) someone let it be known that she had made copies of the annuals and had them for sale at cost, so I bought one. That helped for the one year anyway.
And yes, I do have a great sister. Actually I have another one but she lives too far away for us to visit much. I look forward to following your writing on your other blog!
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August 1, 2017 at 3:40 pm
Well, actually, he wouldn’t have cared. Things were not great for him when he was doing that. I think he may have put my stuff in storage, but never told me where it was. I haven’t seen or heard from him since he sold our parents’ house; that was 8 years ago!
You are fortunate to have been able to get a copy of your annual, though! I have just gotten in touch with a high school friend on Facebook messenger and she is looking for a particular teacher in her annuals for me! Ha, ha! Although, I’m not sure I should put his actual name in my autobiography. It’s not a good story (for him.) I’m glad you are interested in reading about my somewhat boring life. I’m looking for feedback on it so feel free if you have any questions or criticisms. I think I have to figure out how people can post comments on PAGES instead of POSTS, though??
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August 1, 2017 at 4:48 pm
On my blog, people can comment on pages. I think you just have to choose the right settings.
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August 1, 2017 at 4:57 pm
Okay, thanks! I know they can on this blog, so maybe I just wasn’t done setting it up?! 😉
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August 1, 2017 at 5:40 pm
I tried to figure it out but mine is all set up and I don’t really know why or how. But there is a good Help section.
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August 1, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Actually, I just figured it out, but I had to do the settings on each page. Thanks anyway.
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August 1, 2017 at 5:44 pm
Smart girl!
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August 1, 2017 at 5:45 pm
Thanks! 🙂
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July 31, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Oh the memories that came back when you got that box of books. When I had my first daughter my mom had boxes of books she saved for us from when we were little. It was so cool going through them and remembering which ones were my favorite.
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July 31, 2017 at 6:01 pm
I think we should make an effort to hang onto things from our childhood. Sometimes children don’t realize how much they will treasure some things later and parents need to make the effort on their behalf to save some of the more special things for them. Wasn’t that great that your mom did that for you?! I’m sure you’ll do the same for your daughter.
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July 31, 2017 at 6:18 pm
This is absolutely wonderful. Your story and the books made my day. Thank you!
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July 31, 2017 at 9:23 pm
That’s so nice to hear, Jennie. Thanks!
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August 1, 2017 at 4:11 am
You are welcome!
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August 1, 2017 at 3:32 am
Anneli, I love these books and such a heartwarming post full of sisterly love and reading, too.
I read books with the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children. My Dad read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to us, so I do know how stories read aloud can create scary “pictures” in our minds!
“Heidi” is a classic! 💐
This was a precious photograph, maybe I saw once awhile ago but worth showing your Annie Oakley self. I loved the musical, “Annie Get Your Gun.” My favorite song was, “Anything you can do, I can do better!” Hugs, Robin xo 💖
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August 1, 2017 at 6:33 am
*smile* I had forgotten all about “Anything you can do, I can do better”! And yes, The Bobbsey Twins, and there was also Trixie Belden. I remember getting in trouble for reading Nancy Drew in class when I should have been listening to the teacher, but she should have been glad I was so hooked on a book! Isn’t that the main goal of a teacher – to teach the kids a love of reading? Everything else will come along in its own good time if only we learn to love reading.
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August 2, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Anneli, so happy you recognized the defiance in Annie’s song to the main male character.
So funny, I almost called him Rhett Butler. (Scarlet was her own definition of defiance! 🙂 ) Maybe his last name was Butler?
You are very right about teachers, they should be happy about reading. I had sustained silent reading in my 6th grade classes, for 10 – 15 minutes daily. We also read newspapers and played “reporters.”
I was the Language Arts teacher so it was nice to also read aloud to our students. I chose, “A Wrinkle in Time” for futuristic theme and “The Yearling,” for country (rural) theme, as it was a county school district. I read one Trixie Belden book! What a joy to have your books back.
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August 2, 2017 at 3:46 pm
Yes, yes. Reading is a wonderful thing.
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August 1, 2017 at 7:12 am
How cool to have those old books. What a cute photo of your sis. Being 13 years older, you weren’t even born yet when that picture was taken. I have a few of my old treasures, one being bubble gum cards of the Partridge Family and my childhood love, David Cassidy. However, I’d love to have my old books. What a treasure that your sister came across in that old box. 🙂
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August 1, 2017 at 7:17 am
I’ve confused you, Lori, and I’m sorry I didn’t make it more clear. In this post I talked about two of my three sisters. One was 13 years older. I babysat for her. She bought me the books. My younger sister, the one in the trunk, is the one who salvaged the books from our parents’ house many years later and brought them to me last week.
Hang onto those bubble gum cards. Those old things become more precious with time because of all the good memories they trigger.
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August 1, 2017 at 7:24 am
Ohh. Thanks for clearing that up. See, my mind is on a million things, once again. Ha. I didn’t realize you had a sister so many years older than you. Do I remember that you also had a brother, or am I thinking of someone else?
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August 1, 2017 at 7:28 am
You’re right. I do have a brother too. We were always fighting as we grew up but we love each other to pieces.
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August 1, 2017 at 7:48 am
What a lovely post, Anneli. I have a few old books and they’re real treasures. How sweet (and wise) your older sister was to give you books and encourage your love of reading. Isn’t it funny how those early experiences track through our lives as part of who we are and who we become? Great post and I love the Annie Oakley photo. Adorable. 🙂
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August 1, 2017 at 7:55 am
Thank you, and thanks for visiting my blog. I think it’s so important for people to learn to love reading. It’s the key to everything knowledge-related.
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August 1, 2017 at 8:14 am
And never a dull moment. 🙂 Thanks for the follow Anneli. I’m happy to connect!
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August 1, 2017 at 10:44 am
Likewise.
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August 1, 2017 at 10:47 am
Excellent post and trip back in time.
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August 1, 2017 at 10:48 am
Thanks, Belinda. I was so tickled to see these books after so many years.
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August 2, 2017 at 12:01 am
I envy you for having those old treasures from your childhood. Seeing the Heidi-book brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post!
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August 2, 2017 at 5:56 am
In a way, we could say, they’re just “things” and more clutter in our lives, but sometimes “things” like this serve to bring back memories of good days from long ago.I’m happy to hear that Heidi triggered some memories for you. It sure is an old classic.
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August 3, 2017 at 5:01 pm
Cool old books and the picture of your sister in that trunk is cute!
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August 3, 2017 at 5:30 pm
😉 I always liked that picture of her. She must have been three or four at the time.
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September 20, 2017 at 11:52 am
I am surprised the books fared as well as they did, considering how many times they were read, lent out and reread. 🙂 Both Margot and I enjoyed them so much. ❤
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September 20, 2017 at 3:51 pm
We were always taught to take care of books. I’m glad for that.
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