In the beginning there was carpet and apple seeds

When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher Mrs. Malone had a humongous rug in her room. It was a map of the United States and each state was a different color and type of carpet. Varying lengths, (this was the 70's and shag was a given) textures and colors were cut into the shapes of different states and somehow sewn together.

The rug was where we sat when Mrs. Malone took attendance and counted who was buying lunch. But best of all, it was where we sat when she read aloud to us. I tried to sit on a different state each time we came to the carpet. As she read aloud, I sat and listened while running my fingers through a thick orange Indiana or tracing the patterns of nubby brown Colorado, pressing my shoes into velvety green Oregon or picking at thinning red New Jersey. The royal blue Pacific and Atlantic Ocean carpet bordered the map and completed the rug into a rectangle.

In third grade, my favorite place to be was on the map rug listening to stories. One of the stories we heard was about Johnny Appleseed. He went all over the country planting apple trees. But to me, the point was, he got to travel all over. A seed was planted within me.

During a spelling test or other desk work, I would often look over at the rug and wonder about the funny shaped states. Who lived there? What did it look like? I knew one day I would have to see for myself about the real fibers of which our country was made.

So Johnny Appleseed and Mrs. Malone, guess what? I am going on a sort of a magic carpet ride. With my most favorite people in the world.

Find your cozy spot and join us!