Nine Fisherman's Reels

My daughter Heather and I are regulars at the library. We’ve visited once a week her entire life, whether it’s our local branch, the grand Salt Lake City Main Library, the elegant Harrogate Library (a Carnegie original from 1906) or a tiny military base collection. She takes forever to decide what to bring home, and her choices generally make sense to no one but herself. Often – but not always –  they’re Disney books and DVDs. Occasionally they’re DVDs she already owns. About a year ago I realized she was using the large initials on their spines to spell 5- or 6-letter words. One week she brought home DVDs that spelled the word “SHARK.” The week before it was “CASTLE,” and before that she checked out “FAIRY.” Last December she spelled “BEDLAM,” a word I’ve never heard her use. But this week she needed seven DVDs to tell us what was on her mind.