I made a couple of finds at the Little Free Library on my way home from a jog today. The classic children’s book Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White and Forever by Judy Blume were nestled in the box. I’ve been wanting to read some Judy Blume novels since watching the recent documentary Judy Blume Forever.

But this donated copy was missing the first two pages. I felt like Alvy in Annie Hall, who couldn’t watch a movie in a theater if he missed the opening credits. Fortunately, due to the power of Amazon and its “read sample” button, I scanned the first two pages of Judy’s book.

I didn’t take home the copy of Charlotte’s Web because I read the story within the last couple of years. But a note on the flip side of the front cover made me smile. It seemed like a discovery I should’ve made in late June, after the school year ended in the district, instead of in late October.

Dear Cheyenne,

It’s been a terrific year in 3rd grade.

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Mrs. V.

It brought back fond memories of Mrs. Voisine, my third-grade teacher at DeWitt Clinton elementary school in Rome, New York. Later on, I did the math and determined that Cheyenne would have graduated high school in 2015. I wonder what she’s doing now and if Mrs. V. is still teaching.