Savage Library

I was down in Howard County recently and decided to stop by the library.  I went to a branch that was renovated about 3 years ago.  When the kids were little, I used to bring them over to this branch for story time.  (What fond memories i have of this place!). At that time, the building was split between the Senior Center and the library. The library now has sole possession of the entire building. Every square inch if this additional space is utilized to excellent advantage!

Coming up to the entrance, the building looks much as it did when my kids were little.  

But then you walk inside and WOW!  The building has been lightened and brightened.  Paint and carpeting has been lightened and updated.  There are more seating areas and a LOT more computers!

This area used to be dark & foreboding. It was filled with tall overstuffed bookshelves.  The wall that divided the two buildings was right in the middle.  

Laptop bar bridges the area between the adult and teen sections. 

Teen area, above & below.  I love how big the space is!

The cafe area (below) has plenty of seating and snack machines. It is the one place in the library where you are welcome to sit and eat. 

Computer area in the middle of the old, adult section of the library. 

More study space back behind the computer area. 

A view across the library up to the circulation and reference desks. Back in the day, circulation was in that space on the left where the computers are now, and reference was buried off to the right where the adult computers are. 

Right about where the person is standing - that's about where the old Reference Desk was located. 

Beautiful combined Reference and Circulation desk! I live how curvy it is - and I adore how much space they have to work with!

Book Review - Every Falling Star

I've reviewed this on my Books for Teens Blog, but I wanted to point this book out on here, also.  Considering the current international tensions with North Korea, this is a very timely read.

I became aware of this book through a cousin who heard the author speak.  "You must read this book".  I asked why, and he replied "Just READ it.  Read it now."

I have read it.  No, that's too simple a term.  I have devoured the book.  It's a spell binding tale of the nitty gritty survival of a young child on the streets of North Korea.  What flabbergasts me the most is the knowledge that this tale - the sad tale of life, death, and daily survival is STILL happening every day in North Korea.  I had to stop and remind myself several times that this was not a story set in the Middle Ages - it's a true story set in the 1990's in North Korea. 

My Tease for the story:
Sungju's family lives a life of privilege in Pyongyang.  They live in a large apartment, he has a dog, and they have food on the table every night.  He goes to the best school in the area, and he takes martial art classes, and has the best of everything.  Until that fateful day.  While never specifying what his father did, he did something that got the family banished to a work farm in the northernmost reaches of Korea.  The house they settle in has no electricity and no central heat.  Money is scarce and food is scarcer.  The town school is a rude awakening to Sungju as he realizes that the sheltered life he has lived is not the norm in the rest of Korea.

When the money and food run out, Sungju's father leaves to attempt to sneak across the border into China and smuggle food home.  As the months pass and his father doesn't return, hope begins to run out for the family.  Sungju awakens one morning to find that his mother has left, attempting a last desperate run to find food.  Sungju struggles to survive on his own, but hits a snag when he returns home after foraging for food to find that brokers have sold his house and their belongings to other people.  Forced onto life in the street, Sungju's desperate struggle for survival begins.

Sungju lives by his wits.  The desperate tale of survival doesn't pull any punches.  He eventually manages to escape the North (hence the book) but so many more never do. The tale of survival rivals any "reality" television we have in the United States.

In the words of my cousin Dave, Just read it. 

Monday Musings

I had a shopping list the last time I went to Home Depot.  Look at the first item on the list.  I know it says "baseboard heater" - but at first glance, doesn't it look like "Bastard Heater"?   We did get a baseboard heater to replace the existing baseboard heater which was original to the house.  (1970)  I do believe that anything built recently is more efficient than anything that's been in the house for the last 47 years! 

I've seen nicks like this on the corners of buildings in a couple of areas around Baltimore over the last few weeks.  I don't know what's happening, but I suspect that a truck has been pulling themselves a little too close to buildings recently.  I'd love to know if it's the same truck or lots of different trucks.  You can tell how high up the nicks are - you can see a gentleman in a baseball hat walking by underneath the nick in the building.

I made a huge batch of taco seasoning over the weekend.  I absolutely love the layers that the spices make as you pour them into the container!  It reminds me of the sand art pieces that were so popular back in the 70's!  Once you mix all of the spices together, the taco seasoning mix is a pretty even shade of dark red.  But right now - everything just looks magical, doesn't it?  When I make Taco Seasoning, I follow the recipe on All Recipes.  You can find the directions here:  Taco Seasoning.

Am I horrible person?  Sometimes I wonder.  I've lost my temper in a very big way twice over the last couple of weeks.  Once with someone who asked for my opinion on something, and after I told her what I thought, she told me I had "no right to express any opinion since I hadn't paid my dues yet this year."  The second time with my Mother in Law who told me that women should learn their place and not work outside of the home.  I really do need to calm down a little.  Can someone tell me how to dial it all back and make ignore the things that poke at me the most?

 

Prayers for this little kitty, as he's not been feeling well lately.  Tiger will celebrate his 16th year with us later this week.  He's been a wonderful cat.

Tales From the Classroom

 Enjoy this blast from the past that I originally posted on May 7, 2015. 

I was a substitute teacher.  My Four Year Mission? To teach in strange new classrooms, in different schools throughout the county.  These are the tales of a substitute teacher.

Assignments of two or more days are unusual for substitutes.  Typically, these assignments go to people well known by the teacher or staff of the school.  Only rarely are they put out on the  SubFinder system for anyone to grab.

I felt particularly blessed this particular spring day.  I had found a 2 day job at a school in the Northern part of the county, just before the beginning of Spring Break.  Even better, the job was for a kindergarten aide!  More than likely, the regular aide would be the teacher, and I would be relieved of the responsibilities of classroom management.

I arrived on the first day to find both the teacher and aide waiting for me in the classroom, in order to explain our very unique situation.

The school was being renovated, one pod at a time.  As each new pod opened, the grade would move into the new classrooms, and then renovations would begin on the old classrooms.  At this point in time, the new kindergarten pod and expansion was completed.  The aide was going to be teaching, I would be helping, and the teacher would be moving things down to her new classroom just as soon as the County Building Inspector gave the go ahead.

We started our morning with a classroom full of children and equipment, and the teacher sitting at her desk, working on the kids' records.

Late that afternoon, the teacher got approval to move into her classroom, and things began to get strange.

The teacher had a large cart.  She would load the cart up with stuff, and then take off down the hall.
When we left school on Thursday afternoon, she had emptied her closets, and had the custodian help her move the tadpoles in their tank down to her new classroom.

Friday was surreal.  We started with a classroom full of students and a fully decorated classroom.
As the day wore on, the items in the classroom slowly started to disappear.  Entire bulletin boards, learning centers, play areas, books, just *pouf* gone.  The kids were mostly game, as they thought this was a grand adventure.

When we came back from lunch, all of the tables and chairs were gone.  It was me, the aide, 18 children, a rocking chair with some books, and a CD player.

We improvised for a while.  Took the kids out for an extra recess.  Went to specials.  Went over to another kindergarten classroom to watch a movie, and then... we ended up back in our classroom.  Everything was gone at this point.  We sat in a circle on the floor in an empty classroom and the aide said "I know!  Let's play Duck, Duck, Goose!"

I know, you're sitting there thinking "an empty classroom, a nice, simple little group game.  Great idea!  What a great way to wait for the buses to be called!"

I sat in the circle on the floor as first one little guy, and then another took turns going around the circle "ducking" the other kids.  I kept a close eye on the clock.  We had 10 minutes left until dismissal began when disaster struck.

The little man who goosed his friend took off at a pretty quick clip around the circle with his friend in hot pursuit. Little man tangled his feet up in each other and crashed to the floor.  As we watched in horror, little man then rolled across the empty floor and smacked *slam* into the closet door.  When he sat up, we noticed in horror that the pattern of the lattice work from the bottom of the door was imprinted upon his head.

I grabbed little man and ran him down to the nurse, before he even had a chance to realize what was going on.

The nurse pulled out an ice pack and called his parents while I ran back for his backpack, because, guess what?  Bus Dismissal was getting ready to begin.

As I turned the corner into the nurses' office, instead of the expected tears, I saw the great big grin on Little Man's face.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked.

"That was awesome!  Did you SEE that barrel roll?  And how hard did I hit that door?  Is the metal still in?  I was trying to knock it out!  Did you see my head?  Look at these cool lines!  And now?  I AM GOING TO BE THE FIRST PERSON TO GET ON MY BUS!!!"

*sigh*

Books, Books, and More Books

 I'm attending a workshop later this month.  One of the categories that we're discussing is short stories.  We are discussing one story in each of these books.  I've read the assigned story in each book, and now I'm working my way through each book. This Is How You Lose Her is the one I'm working on right now.  Junot Diaz is a gifted writer who writes very compelling tales.  His stories in this book tell a unique tale about the mistakes that people make that destroy relationships.  I don't know if this is a personal reflection, or stories he has heard over the years, but I enjoyed them all! 

Do you have a pile of books you intend to read?  I do.  Right now, I have my pile on the edge of the kitchen counter.  These are all books that have tickled my fancy for one reason or another.  None of them are on any required reading list.  Every Falling Star will be the next one up.  One of my cousins met the author recently and highly recommends the book.  It's the true story of the author who lived in and escaped from North Korea.  I'm looking forward to reading the book! 

Monday Musings

It's been a while since I've sat down and reminisced about the past week.  I think at this point, I'm going to have to go back and think about my past month!  It doesn't seem like much has happened, but when I think over all the little things a lot of big things have happened.

Happiest of Easters!

Two of our kids were home for the weekend.  It's not as nice as all 3, but I'll take it!  Considering oldest child begins finals in a week, I understand his hesitation to come home for the weekend.  It would definitely put a crimp in your study plans for finals!  We're going to swing up and grab him the week before graduations, and then he's going to hang out with us for a while after graduations so that we'll all have time to spend together before middle child begins working in the real world.


The Zombie Gospel
Our pastor was reading the Communion Liturgy on Holy Thursday when he made a most interesting slip up...
The liturgy reads "Jesus came to feed the hungry and heal the sick"
What he said "Jesus came to eat the sick"

One of the most solemn moments of the liturgy in one of the most Holy moments of the year quickly became one of the most hysterical.

He stopped himself and said "I guess I've been watching too much Walking Dead lately!"

I still laugh every time I think of that moment!


Bathroom Renovations Begin
So, since the Property Brothers have ignored my repeated requests to come out and help us renovate our 1970's extravaganza of a bathroom, we've met with the contractor and signed paper work.  We've already done a lot of the work ourselves.  (Removal of the tiles around the bathtub.)  He's going to do a lot of the work, but we've got a fair share to do ourselves in order to keep our costs down.  We need to paint the ceramic tile to look like white ceramic tile.  And we've got to replace the baseboard heater in that bathroom.  It rests on the floor, so we need to replace it BEFORE the new floor is laid down.  The goal is to have all of this finished before Mother's Day.  Do you think the goal will actually be met? I don't!!!  It's going to be a very hectic month!

(Hey Jonathan and Drew- don't worry, we have so much more that needs to be done around here.  If you're looking for something fun to do, let me know.  I've got some thoughts about replacing the roof and adding a front porch to the house next year... I'd love to have your input.  Honestly, if anyone from HGTV would like a shot at helping us update a 1970's rancher, we'd love to have your help!)

Cancer Sucks
I've lost family members to cancer.  I've had friends struggle with cancer.  But this week has truly sucked.  A friend of mine, Barbara, entered Hospice this week.  Barbara is 55 years old.  She's been living with cancer for 17 years.  Her husband died of brain cancer 8 years ago.  Her oldest son died at the age of 3 from cancer.  Her second son went through a go round with cancer when he was seven.  he's been in remission for 20 years.  She has two younger kids who are cancer free, but they are young to be left as orphans in this world.  One is graduating from college next month, and the other is a sophomore in college.  God Almighty, that family has been plagued by cancer.  Many prayers that the children experience peace in the upcoming days and month.

Welcome to the Night Vale

http://www.welcometonightvale.com/listen

Now this is a fun set of Pod Casts.  It's off beat, slightly wacky and imaginatively fun.  Having said that, I'm enjoying listening to it.  I found it through the library - it was recommended listening.  Now that I've started listening, I don't know if I can stop until I finish all 105 Episodes.  Great, first there was Game of Thrones (which I just now caught up on - I'm ahead of the books I've read now, and I no longer know what's going to happen next or the motivation of the characters.  I seriously need to get back to reading the books.) and West World (3 more episodes to go) and now there's Night Vale.  Seriously, you story tellers out there need to stop doing such a good job!  How is a librarian supposed to concentrate on just one thing when you all keep cranking out such awesome tales?  You can find Night Vale here: http://www.welcometonightvale.com/listen

The Great British Baking Show

Disclaimer Notice: This post contains Affiliate Links.

We have fallen in love with the Great British Baking Show.  We've been streaming it on Netflix, and we absolutely love it.  We've become arm chair experts in the fine art of baking pastry.  I found Chetna's cookbook - The Cardamom Trail.  Having seen her beautiful dishes, I decided that I had to get the cookbook and try some of these gorgeous creations myself.  Cardamom was a new flavor for me.  I had heard of it, but never cooked with it in any way, shape, or form.  (There aren't many spices I'm not familiar with, but Cardamom is one of them.)  It took me a while to find the Cardamom.  It wasn't in the "regular" spice aisle at our grocery store.  It was in the organic food section.  

With the purchase of the Cardamom, we began cooking our way through Chetna's cookbook.  First up was the Carrot and Banana Spiced Cake.  This very easy cake recipe hid an unexpected depth of flavor.  

*Note - due to our gluten and dairy allergies, we subbed in Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour and used fake butter in place of the real thing.  I couldn't tell the difference at all! 

For this recipe, I couldn't find a dairy free version of the Mascarpone Cheese that is called for in the icing.  Let me tell you, the cake didn't need it!  It was rich, moist and all around wonderful!  If I were to make this for company, I would top the cake with powdered sugar, just to make it pretty!  If I had a paper doily on hand, I would put the doily on top of the cake and then sprinkle the sugar on the doily and then remove it, leaving the gorgeous lace like pattern on the top of the cake.

(I admit it, my cakes don't look nearly as good as anything produced on the British Baking Show.)

I've got the ingredients for the Black Sesame and Lime Cake as well as Clove, Cinnamon, and Chocolate Cookies waiting to be pulled together for Easter Sunday.  I can't wait to see how these taste!

Hereford Library

Daughter and I are trying to hit up as many of the libraries in Central Maryland as is humanly possible this spring.  I'm going to have to give up the quest at the end of May... but I think I'm going to have enough pictures of libraries to see us well through the summer!

We spent a fun day roaming through the northern part of Baltimore County earlier this month.  We stopped in at the Hereford Library, a beautiful, newly renovated library located in a two story building.

As you enter the door, the quiet study room is on the right.

Looking straight back from the entrance, through the children's section.

DVD's are on the left side of the stairs.

Art from the Maker Space under the stairs.

Group study area!

The view from the back of children's to the front of the library.   Very pretty, isn't it?

Don't you love the little pumpkin headed up the stairs?

Quiet study nook upstairs.

Isn't this a gorgeous Maker Space?  I'd love to get in there and create!

I'm a big fan of the laptop bar!  Nice study tables, and there's lots of seating in the teen section.

View from the back corner of the upstairs to the front.

The second floor has the public use computers and a balcony that runs around the building.

What's Going on Here?

It's not often that I run across blatant sexism anymore.  I ran across a lot of it 30 or so years ago, but there is less of it now.

Recently, I had a company come out to give us an estimate to replace the gutters on the house.  I didn't call one of those fly by night companies that knocks on your front door to give you an estimate because "someone down the street" is getting work done.  I called one that advertises heavily on the radio in the DC Metro area.

The guy walked into the house, looked around and asked "Where's your husband?"

"I am in charge of home maintenance.  Please, sit, and tell me about your gutters."

So, he begins to tell me all about his product.  He tells me that his product is superior because they have the longest, strongest screws in the business.  He shows me this 5 inch long screw that they screw through the gutters and into the soffit.  He then shows me the screw that "his competitors" use.  I hold up the screws next to each other, and the actual milled part of the screw - you know, the part that goes into the wood and has the inclined plane wrapped around the center - is the same length on both screws.  I pointed this out to him, and he replied "but our screws are stronger than theirs".

So I asked him, "are your screws poured or forged?" (Logical question, right?)

He stares at me for a minute and then says "What's really going on here?  Women never ask questions about construction.  Am I being punked?  Where is your husband?"

Before I get a chance to throw him out, the dude calls his supervisor and says "Something's going on here.  The husbands' not here, and she's asking all the questions.  This just isn't for real."

I heard the boss say something on  his end, and he ended the conversation.

As he hung up the phone, I stood up and thanked him for his time.

He left, and never even bothered to place a follow up call.  (Not that I would have bought anything from him.)  I guess he really didn't need the sale that badly after all.

Honest to goodness, can you believe that this kind of thinking still exists today?

Book Review: Hillbilly Elegy

Disclaimer Notice: This post contains Affiliate Links.

I know, I know.  I said I was going to take book reviews off of this blog.  I was wrong to say that.  I like having the books I love here, and I enjoy sharing them with you in this space.  So, ignore what I said before.  My book reviews are back!!!!

One hundred years ago, many of us had working class ancestors who worked in coal mines, factories, and steel mills.  These jobs provided upward mobility for many working class American families, moving them up into the Middle Class.  Many families moved away from family farms into big cities, following the siren call of well paying jobs.

As manufacturing jobs moved overseas or automated, the cities that were built to support the industries remained.  But without the industries that supported the workers, the families that remained behind fell into crisis.  And there they stay.  Crime, Drug Addiction, Alcoholism, and Abuse run rampant in these communities as families struggle to survive.

J.D. Vance grew up in one of these little towns in South East Ohio.  He tells the tale of his own family, which is the tale of many families in the struggling factory towns throughout the Rust Belt.  While his family struggles with alcoholism and drug abuse, he managed to find a way to not only survive, but thrive.

If you are curious about the forces that drove the last election, the growing class divide in the United States, and what can be done to help stop the forces that are tearing at the fabric of our families, read this book.

I'd like to make a point here.  My own father was from South West Indiana.  J.D.'s story close matches my Dad's story, and much of J.D.'s larger family history matches my larger family history.  We still have family in Indiana who live in once thriving little towns.  I grew up outside of Dayton, Ohio, within an hour of where J.D. grew up.  As I was reading J.D.'s story, I heard echoes of my Dad, and I began to understand many of the decisions my Dad had made, and more of who he was than I ever did in the years that he was alive.

No matter your personal politics, Hillbilly Elegy tells a story that needs to be heard.

Random Pictures

How this past month has flown by.  Absolutely flown.  I was looking back at the calendare and realized that March came in like a Lion, it went out like a Lion, too!  We had heavy rains and flooding all day.  I was browsing through my pictures and realized that it's been a while since I had posted any pictures on here.  So, here's a chance to take a look at my world for the last few weeks!  

On the right, you see my mismatched socks in honor of World Down's Syndrome Day!  Penguins and Owls... what more could you ask for?

A friend is making a blanket for a baby.  She had knitted 4 panels, but had no idea how to join them together.  I sewed them together for her.  Do you see how the gray panel is longer than the rust panel?  That was a major oops on my part.  I had to unsew the entire panel and rejoin it so that the ends were straight.  The fact that this blanket is not full of cat hair is nothing short of a miracle.  I only worked on this blanket at places away from home - Starbucks and Panera provided nice table space for me!  (And provided a tasty treat or two along the way!)   Thanks guys!

 

I love our little streams around Baltimore!  They add a bright spot of nature in the most unexpected of places!  Here is one little stream on the way into a library!

Apple Pie in honor of Pi Day!  Daughter made the gluten free pie crust, and added a dairy free butter and brown sugar topping. 

Towson Library has the very best children's section entrance!  I love the castle entrance!  (There's even a huge Dragon mural in the entrance of the building that wraps around the circular entrance!)

Lastly, I found an awesome challenge to walk at least a mile a day.  It's sponsored by Leslie Sansone.  It's a pretty awesome challenge, with an awesome drawing at the end.  What a great way to get back into shape for spring!  You can find out more here: http://walkathome.com/great-walk-challenge/

2017 Resolutions - April Update

I don't know about you, but March just flew by!  I feel like I didn't accomplish much of anything but reading for an upcoming book camp at work.  Hopefully, as I work on this, I'll see that progress has been made.

1) Complete 12 Home Improvement Projects This Month

While we didn't do anything this month, we DID meet with a contractor who is coming in this week to give us an estimate on the cost of remodeling the hallway bathroom.

2) Lose A Few More Inches Around My Waist

1/2 inch.  It's progress, and I'll take it!

3) Get Away With My Husband - Twice

We did the first one.  I came down with the flu while we were gone, so I'm not sure that it counted as a weekend away, but it is what it is.

4) Lenten Cleaning Challenge

Progress continues with this challenge.
Goodwill bags to date alone!

5) Post At Least 12 Reviews on my Books for Teens Blog

I never actually got this one published last month.  It's been a crazy month!  I'll have to post 2 reviews this month!

6) Finish the Hallway Bathroom

Since The Property Brothers have never answered my repeated pleas on my blog to help us with the multiple issues we have facing us in this house, we have gone ahead and found a contractor to work on our bathroom.  We've got an estimate coming this week!

7) Participate in the NoSpenduary Challenge

Three months down, three months with no discretionary spending.  We have much more money in our remodeling account than we had hoped to have.  Can't wait to see how this comes down!

8) Learn Another Language

I've let this one slide this month.  I'm not really making the progress I would like on learning another language.

9) 100 Things Every Marylander Should Do.
I'm looking forward to experiencing a few more of these once the weather warms up!

10) Daughter's Quilt
Quilting continues.  Will I finish before the year does?  Only time will tell!

11) Clean out the Closet and Dresser Drawers in the Master Bedroom
I really need to tackle the top of the short dresser.  Ignoring it isn't making the problem go away....

12) Clean Out the Little Room in the Basement and Make it Usable
Almost cleaned out.... almost!  I should have it cleaned out by the end of the month!

13) Work on Landscaping the Front Yard
Warm weather is coming!

14) Take At Least One Class Through the American Library Association
I finished the class!  I submitted two of the lessons that I wrote, and they have been approved as library programs for this summer!  Hooray!  It's going to be a great summer!  Even better?  I got a few more CEU's to add to the total number of hours I need to renew my teaching certificate.


How about you?  What kind of progress are you making on your resolutions for the year?