mural

At the beginning of the year, Jerry and Harry came around and asked if there were any projects that I'd like done in the library. Right inside the door of the library was a blue wall:

Nice but not interesting. I asked if they could put a mural on the project list, and so they did.

When I got back from being up north in May, I had a message to call a woman named Peggy in Michigan about a mural. I phoned her, and we talked for a while about possibilities. I suggested book characters, and she said, "Oh, like Tom Sawyer?" That wasn't what I had in mind, but after she said it, I knew that's what we should have: book characters that are not known by Disney cartoons, but only in the imagination of the reader.

So I made a [very rough] sketch of what I had in mind:

When she got it, she called, and we talked some more. It turned out that she'd be here with her work team during the week that we were up north in July. I was excited to see what would be on the wall. When I got to the library, I was blown away. The mural far exceeded my expectations.

As you can see, Peggy is an incredible artist. There have been several people who have stopped in to see the mural, and they've all commented on how wonderful it is. My favorite reaction, however, came from a little boy who stood and looked at it for a minute and then walked over and reached out his hand and touched the lion, as if he meant to pet it on the head. It looked so real and friendly to him.

I'm so grateful to Peggy for sharing her amazing gift with us. This mural makes the library so much more inviting and interesting! Thank you, Peggy!