I grew up in a small town where it was safe to leave your doors unlocked at night and to go for a walk after dark and not be afraid.  Once a week, from the time I was eight years old, I walked 6 blocks to  town.  I took books back to the library from the previous week.  Each time I went, I took my stack of books to the reading area, next to the huge fireplace and made my choices.  I loved the way it smelled and the old structure of the building.  
I have always been an "Old Soul".  I love the elderly.  I guess due to the extraordinary woman who was my grandmother.  She was four foot eleven and about as round as she was tall.  She left me a legacy that I hope to pass on to my own.
One of the other favorite places was her front porch swing, where she would tell me stories.  She often comforted me there by stroking my hair and repeatedly kissing me.  I never grew tired of hearing her stories.
She has long since gone home to be with the Lord.  To this day, I have always lived in a house with a porch and a swing.
She has been the inspiration for the book I recently wrote and published called "The Crimson Parasol".  I based the  book on her life stories and embellished with a bit of imagination as she didn't tell all the details.
I am sure you will love reading it as much as I enjoyed hearing her tell the stories.