I did a lot of reading growing up. There was a lot of Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys, ALL the Judy Blume books, Tales of Narnia, and so forth. I'd take my books outside, or curl up on my bed to read. You see, once I hit 2nd grade, I was like an only child. My sister & brother went off to college, and I didn't have anyone left to bug. HA! So, I spent a lot of time by myself. On any given day, you could find me either drawing or reading... or both.
However, it wasn't until my 5th grade teacher read to us almost everyday after lunch from a book of poems by Shel Silverstein called "Where The Sidewalk Ends", that I found my all-time favorite. That time after lunch, to me, was precious. I looked forward to, and devoured each of those poems. My teacher would read to us in different voices, and her inflections were funny.
There is one poem that has stood out to me more than others as my favorite. It's titled "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out".
I'm not even really sure why this is actually my favorite... other than maybe it's because taking the trash out was maybe my least-favorite chore. Or maybe it was the way my teacher read it to the class. Maybe a combination of both? The world may never know.
All I know is that I have fond memories of Mrs. Ratliff, my 5th grade teacher, reading this to my class... smelling sort of like a cross between Sucrets throat lozenges and old lady perfume, mixed with her kindness. I know, that's an odd recollection, right? But to me, it's a comforting and fond memory.
