It's No Mystery

Encyclopedia and I go way back. I often drifted toward the "S"s in the children's department of the Pratt Public Library, looking to see if there was a new installment of Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol to add to my considerable stack of books.

Amateur sleuth Encyclopedia Brown and his friends solved mysteries. They were written in short-story form, giving the reader lots of clues to try to deduce the situation, right along with Encyclopedia and his friends. And, if you were clever enough, you just might figure out the ending before having to turn to the back of the book to find the solution.

Donald J. Sobol died last week at the age of 87.  Starting out his professional career writing for the New York Sun, Sobol eventually worked his way up to reporter, and then worked at the New York Daily News for two years.

Though Sobol began writing mysteries in the 1950s, the first Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective book wasn’t published until 1963, after it was repeatedly turned down by publishers. Once published, however, the book became so popular Sobol soon followed with more stories about 10-year-old Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown and his sidekick Sally Kimball. The stories were translated into 12 different languages.

"Thanks to Donald, generations of children have learned to read and solve mysteries alongside Encyclopedia Brown, one of the most iconic characters in children's literature."

 Don Weisberg, president of Penguin Young Readers Group

I'm still a fan of mystery and thriller books. And I wonder how much of the love of that genre is related to my early days, curled up with yet another Encyclopedia Brown mystery.

Me in 4th grade, the height of my Encyclopedia Brown days

I looked up Encyclopedia Brown on Amazon and found more than 1,000 entries. Some of the latest were $5.99 books for the Kindle. Encyclopedia looks a little different than he did back in the 1960s, doesn't he?

But he still seems to be popular, as 2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of the “Encyclopedia Brown” series, and a new book, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme, will be published in October.

Sobol wrote more than 80 books, including 28 in the Encyclopedia Brown series, writing daily until a month before he died. And that is inspiring, too.

Rest in Peace, Donald J. Sobol. 

Mysterious Disap'pear'ance

It is the case of the disappearing pears. As I young reader, I loved solving mysteries with Encyclopedia Brown.

"Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues."

"Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down."

This County Line farm wife does not.

Earlier this month, it appeared we had a bumper crop of pears hanging in the trees south of our house.

Even back in April, I was anticipating pears when the trees were loaded with buds.

But I guess my skills as orchard attendant are not much better than my skills as a gardener.

When I would come back from my walks, I would often check on the pears' progress. I picked a couple, and they never ripened. So I deduced that they should hang there longer.

(Photo taken August 5, 2010)

Then one cool morning last week, I decided it was the day for my bountiful harvest. If I got really industrious, I might even break out my Grandma Neelly's Pear Honey recipe. (I wasn't sure how I was going to can the jam since I don't have canning equipment, but a girl can dream, can't she?

The pears were gone. They weren't hanging on the trees. They weren't littering the ground. All but five lonely pears were gone.

I was perplexed.

Encyclopedia Brown was not available to lend a hand. Neither was his trusty friend Sally Kimball. So I asked my resident green thumb expert what happened to the pears.

He had seen some squirrels carrying pears away. Since we are conveniently located on the County Line, I guess they invited all their friends from both Stafford and Reno Counties. They either had a great summer picnic, or they have them stashed for the winter.

It's hard to believe squirrels could abscond with that many pears. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't polar bears or penguins.

"Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man." I do not.

So much for my career as a detective ... or as a backyard orchard owner.

Randy says he didn't need the extra sugar he would have consumed with Pear Honey anyway. Well, there is that, I suppose.