Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products, including flooring, doors and moldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products and is committed to providing outstanding value and personalized one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and his dog raced there and through fields so wide, with dreams in their pockets and stars as their guide. Every day's an adventure under the open sky. In their world of stories, time just flies by.

Peter McCully: Peter lived on a quiet road in Coombs, in a cozy yellow house with a red front door. He shared this special home with his best friend in the whole wide world, Gracie—a fluffy white American Eskimo dog with the softest fur you could ever imagine, and eyes as bright as two twinkling stars. Every morning, Peter would wake up to find Gracie sitting beside his bed, her fluffy tail wagging like a feather duster in the wind.

"Good morning, Gracie," Peter would say, and Gracie would respond with a happy bark that sounded exactly like she was saying, "Good morning," right back to him.

One sunny Saturday morning, Peter sat on the front porch reading his favorite book about dragons and castles. Gracie lay beside him, her white fur gleaming in the golden sunlight. As Peter turned each page, he noticed something that made him feel a little sad.

"Gracie," Peter said, closing his book and looking down at his loyal companion, "I love reading so much, but I've read all my books at least three times. I wish I had new stories to discover."

Gracie tilted her head to one side, her pointed ears perking up as if she understood every single word. She always seemed to know exactly what Peter was thinking.

Just then, Mrs. Chen from across the street walked by with her shopping bags. Peter waved enthusiastically. "Hi, Mrs. Chen!"

"Hello, Peter," she called back. "What are you up to on this beautiful day?"

"I'm reading, but I wish I had more books," Peter said.

Mrs. Chen smiled warmly. "You know, I have boxes and boxes of children's books in my attic that my grandchildren have outgrown. I've been wondering what to do with them."

Peter's eyes lit up like birthday candles. An incredible idea began forming in his seven-year-old mind.

"Mrs. Chen, what if we could share books with everyone on our road? What if we built something where neighbors could take books they wanted to read and leave books for others?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Peter," Mrs. Chen said.

"Like a little library for the neighborhood!" Peter exclaimed.

"A little free library," Peter said, the words feeling magical on his tongue. "Gracie, did you hear that? We're going to build a little free library!"

Gracie jumped up and spun in a circle, her fluffy tail creating a white tornado of excitement. She barked three times, which Peter knew meant, "Yes, yes, yes!"

That evening, Peter sat at the kitchen table with his parents, explaining his idea. Gracie sat at his feet, occasionally adding helpful barks at the most important parts.

"A little free library is a small wooden box on a post," Peter explained, using his hands to show the size. "People can take books they want to read and leave books for others. It's like magic sharing."

Mom and Dad exchanged proud smiles.

"That's a wonderful way to bring the community together, Peter," Mom said, "but building a library box will be quite a project. Are you ready for that much work?"

Peter looked down at Gracie, who was nodding her head as if she completely understood the question. "Gracie will help me. She's the best helper in the whole world."

"Woof!" Gracie agreed, her tail wagging so hard her entire body wiggled.

"Well," Dad said, "if Gracie is your construction supervisor, how can we say no? Let's go to the hardware store tomorrow and get supplies."

The next morning, Peter woke up extra early, so excited he could barely contain himself. Gracie seemed to sense his excitement and was already waiting by the front door with her leash in her mouth.

At the hardware store, Peter and Dad picked out everything they would need: cedar wood that smelled like Christmas trees, screws that gleamed like tiny silver treasures, hinges for the door, a piece of clear plastic for the window, and special outdoor paint in cheerful red and blue colors.

"Can Gracie help carry something?" Peter asked.

Mr. Henderson, the store owner, smiled and handed Peter a small paper bag filled with colorful knobs for the door. "This seems like the perfect job for a construction supervisor dog."

Peter carefully tied the bag to Gracie's collar with a soft ribbon. Gracie stood extra tall and proud, knowing she had an important job to do. She carried that bag as carefully as if it contained the crown jewels.

Back home, Dad helped Peter set up their workshop area in the backyard. They laid out all their tools on an old blanket: a hammer, a screwdriver, sandpaper, measuring tape, and a pencil for marking where everything should go. Gracie immediately appointed herself as the official supervisor. She sat on a nearby garden chair, watching everything with her intelligent brown eyes. Every few minutes she would bark once, which clearly meant "good job," or twice, which obviously meant "be more careful."

"Okay, Gracie," Peter announced, "we're ready to start building our little free library!"

The first step was measuring and cutting the wood. Dad handled the power saw while Peter and Gracie watched from a safe distance. Gracie's ears twitched at every buzz of the saw, and she occasionally woofed her approval when each piece was cut to exactly the right size.

"Perfect measurements!" Peter declared, and Gracie barked her agreement.

Next came the sanding. Peter rubbed the sandpaper back and forth across each piece of wood, making them smooth as silk. This was dusty work, and soon Peter's clothes were covered in tiny wood particles. Gracie tried to help by sniffing each piece after Peter finished sanding it, giving her official quality control approval with a gentle lick.

"Gracie, you're getting sawdust on your nose," Peter giggled, brushing off her black button nose with a gentle finger.

The assembly phase was the most exciting part. Peter held pieces of wood while Dad screwed them together, slowly forming the walls and roof of their little library. Gracie walked around the construction project, inspecting every angle and occasionally offering suggestions with thoughtful barks. When they attached the hinges for the front door, Gracie watched so intently that her head moved back and forth like she was watching a tennis match.

"What do you think, Supervisor Gracie?" Peter asked. "Does this hinge look straight to you?"

Gracie approached the library box, sniffed the hinge carefully, and gave one firm bark of approval.

The painting day was Peter's absolute favorite. He had chosen bright red for the main body of the library and sunny blue for the roof. As Peter carefully painted each wall, Gracie lay nearby, occasionally lifting her head to check his progress.

"Stay back, Gracie," Peter warned with a laugh. "We don't want you to become a red and blue dog!"

But Gracie was far too smart for that. She kept a safe distance while still maintaining her supervisory duties. When Peter painted the words "Little Free Library: Take a Book, Leave a Book" on the front in cheerful yellow letters, Gracie's tail wagged with what could only be described as pure pride.

The installation day arrived with perfect weather. Dad dug a hole in the front yard while Peter and Gracie watched. Then together, they carefully lowered the wooden post into the ground and attached their beautiful little free library on top. Peter stepped back to admire their creation. The red and blue library looked like a tiny house for books, standing proudly at the edge of their yard where everyone walking by could see it.

"It's perfect, Gracie!" Peter exclaimed. "But it looks a little empty, doesn't it?"

Gracie tilted her head and looked at the empty shelves inside the library box.

That afternoon, Peter gathered books from his room: stories about brave knights, magical unicorns, friendly dinosaurs, and silly monkeys. Gracie followed him back and forth, carrying a small picture book in her mouth that she had somehow selected from his pile.

"Good choice, Gracie," Peter said, taking the book from her. It was a story about a dog who saves the day, which seemed perfect for their library's very first book.

Peter carefully arranged the books inside their little free library, making sure that each one was clearly visible through the window. Gracie sat beside the post, her fluffy white fur blowing gently in the breeze, looking like the proudest construction supervisor in the entire world.

Within an hour of stocking their library, amazing things began to happen. First, little Emma from next door skipped over with her grandmother. Emma's eyes grew wide when she saw the library.

"Grandma, look! It's a tiny house for books!"

Peter ran outside to explain how it worked. "You can take any book you want to read, and when you're done, you can bring it back or bring a different book for someone else."

Emma selected a book about a princess who loved to paint, while her grandmother added two chapter books about mystery-solving kids to the library shelves.

Next, the Johnson family from down the street stopped by during their evening walk. Mr. Johnson took a book about building birdhouses while Mrs. Johnson added three cookbooks for children to the collection.

"This is wonderful, Peter," Mrs. Johnson said. "Our whole street needed something like this."

As the days passed, Peter and Gracie's little free library became the heart of their neighborhood. Every morning, they would check to see what new books had appeared overnight, and every evening they would organize the shelves together. Mrs. Chen kept her promise and brought two entire boxes of children's books—enough to keep the library well-stocked for months. The teenage twins from the corner house added comic books and graphic novels. Even grumpy old Mr. Patterson, who rarely talked to anyone, quietly added a collection of adventure stories late one evening when he thought no one was watching.

Peter noticed that people didn't just take books. They began stopping to chat with each other. Parents would meet while their children browsed the library.

One particularly special evening, as Peter and Gracie sat on their front porch watching the sunset, they observed something magical happening at their little free library. Mrs. Chen was helping young Tommy from three houses down find a book about trucks. The Johnson twins were recommending their favorite mystery series to Emma's older brother. Mr. Patterson was actually smiling while talking to Emma's grandmother about a book they had both enjoyed.

"Look, Gracie," Peter whispered. "Our little free library is bringing everyone together, just like we hoped it would."

Gracie's tail wagged softly as she watched the neighbors laughing and talking around the bright red and blue library box.

That weekend, something even more wonderful happened. Peter's mom announced that the neighbors wanted to have a little free library celebration party in their front yard.

Saturday afternoon arrived with perfect weather and a yard full of happy neighbors. Everyone brought something special. Mrs. Chen made her famous chocolate chip cookies. The Johnsons brought lemonade that sparkled in the sunshine, and even Mr. Patterson contributed a plate of surprisingly delicious homemade brownies.

Peter stood beside their little free library with Gracie at his side, feeling prouder than he had ever felt in his seven years. The library box was surrounded by neighbors of all ages, sharing stories about their favorite books and making plans to start a neighborhood book club.

"Peter," Mrs. Chen said, raising her glass of lemonade, "thank you for bringing our neighborhood together with your wonderful idea."

Everyone cheered and clapped. Gracie barked happily, her tail creating a white blur of joy.

"I couldn't have done it without Gracie," Peter announced proudly. "She was the best construction supervisor ever."

Gracie sat up extra tall, basking in the attention and praise. Several neighbors bent down to pat her fluffy fur and tell her what a good job she had done.

As the sunset over Coombs that evening, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange, Peter sat on his front porch with Gracie curled up beside him. Their little free library stood proudly in the yard, surrounded by the laughter and conversations of their neighbors.

"We did something really special, didn't we, Gracie?" Peter said softly, stroking her white fur.

Gracie looked up at him with her bright, intelligent eyes and gave the softest, happiest bark—the kind of bark that clearly meant, "Yes, we did something wonderful together."

From that day forward, Peter and Gracie's little free library became a beloved landmark on their quiet road in Coombs. Children would stop by on their way to school to grab a new book for reading time. Parents would browse the selection while walking their dogs. Teenagers would add their favorite novels to share with neighbors.

Every evening, Peter and Gracie would walk out to check on their library together. Sometimes they would find thank-you notes tucked between the books. Sometimes they would discover that someone had added a small decoration or cleaned the windows.

The little free library had become more than just a place to share books. It had become a symbol of what neighbors could accomplish when they worked together with love, creativity, and the help of one very special, fluffy white dog named Gracie.

And whenever anyone asked Peter about the secret to building something that brought so much joy to so many people, he would always give the same answer: "All you need is a good idea, hard work, and the best construction supervisor in the world."

Then he would look down at Gracie, who would wag her tail and bark once, which everyone knew meant, "That's absolutely right."

The Ballad of Peter and Gracie: Peter and Gracie, the finest of friends, with tales of wonder that never end. In the pages of books or stars above, they find their magic in laughter and love.

Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products, including flooring, doors and moldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products and is committed to providing outstanding value and personalized one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.