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Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney tells the story of a young woman who set out to do three things in life:
1. Travel to faraway places
2. Come home and live by the sea
3. Make the world more beautiful
The book is a childhood favorite of mine and I took the advice to heart.
1. Traveling has always been a passion of mine. I spent a year studying abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain a few years ago and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I was completely outside my comfort zone, but I learned to adapt (to eating differently, speaking a new language 24/7 and staying out late) and grew exponentially as a result. I see traveling as the opportunity to see the world from another perspective.
2. I now live in beautiful Downeast Maine (where I grew up). Many tourists who visit Maine during the summer see it as the perfect location. There are many aspects of life here that I thoroughly enjoy, and most of them take place during the summer months. Nothing beats going for hikes on secluded trails or lying on the beach to watch a meteor shower. Winter is another story. Maine is known for its brutal winters. After the chaos of the holidays, cabin fever becomes inevitable. It is highly recommended to follow the first piece of advice mentioned here to cure the winter blues.
3. Like Miss Rumphius, I am sometimes unsure of how to make the world more beautiful. I never thought that I would end up working in a library, but in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. I have always loved reading and libraries. Working in the Children’s Department combines my love of all things literary with the opportunity to work with kids. I hope that I can leave the world a little better than I found it by working in this field.
Now, for the purpose of this blog:
I plan to use this blog to share my thoughts and ideas about library programs and book reviews. I have learned so much about the world of libraries through reading blogs, and I hope that mine will be helpful to someone. I still try to follow the three life goals of Miss Rumphius, and so there may be posts related to Maine or traveling to faraway places in addition to all thing library related. I should mention that this blog reflects my own personal opinions and not those of my library.
Happy Reading!
I LOVE Miss Rumphius and had her quoted on my last blog, What Gives 365… and I love Maine, where I visited and wrote about the Coastal Gardens — so how lovely to have you following Heifer 12 x 12, my new blog! Can’t wait to hear more from you!!
Yes, she is definitely an inspiration! I look forward to following your travels
abby, so happy i finally ventured to your blog and thank you for reminding me of miss rumphius, because i have had a similiar story….keep up the impressive writing!
Thanks for continuing to support my writing, Amy. I hope to be better about following blogs this week, including yours! Hope you are well.
Oh, you’re so lucky to live in Maine! I wrote a whole blog post about my reasons for wanting to move there and I hope to fulfil that dream one day.
Great post about Maine! Make sure to stop by the Ellsworth Public Library if you’re on your way to Bar Harbor during your trip (that’s where I work
)
I love that book! I hope to come to Maine someday. I tried to grow lupines as a result of reading this book, but it is too warm here.
Yes, lupines seem to require a certain type of climate and soil to flourish. If you are thinking about visiting Maine, you may want to stop by the Deer Isle-Stonington Lupine Festival. Here’s a site for more info
http://www.deerisle.com/calendar-of-events/
Thanks for checking out the site!
I am getting ready to teach a lesson on Miss Rumphius to a third grade class. I heard that lupines are not native to Maine and that people like Miss Rumphius started planting the seeds. Is this true?
Hi Laura,
I asked my fellow librarians at a staff meeting this morning and no one knew…but someone looked it up and lupines were not in our definitive guide to native plants of Maine. So, even though many websites say that the plant is native to Maine, I would say it probably isn’t. When is your lesson? I can try to find more information tomorrow, if that’s not too late. Have fun with your third graders! I remember making lupine stalks out of cotton balls dipped in paint and attached to long sticks in elementary school to go along with a Miss Rumphius scarecrow
https://sites.google.com/a/rsu5.org/invasive/maine-invasive-species/lupine-lupinus-polyphyllus
This site has some good information about lupines including a “how was this species introduced” section about halfway down the page. Thanks to Sandy for finding this informative site!
Thanks for explaining your blog name! When I clicked on the name, I was thinking “wolf” not “flower” for lupine.
Haha, I guess it could be either, I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks for reading!
Hi! Really enjoy your blog and so nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award. http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com/
Wow, thanks so much!
Rumphius is a wonderful book. I love the fact that the story takes its time and takes us all on a lovely journey.