Planning for Holidays

I have 2 things on my mind today - how to schedule my staff during the holiday season and how to schedule my family time. These are tough choices!

I don't have much time to post today, but I will say this - I work for a fabulous library. We provide excellent customer service, and that includes around the holidays. We do, however, close for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We get paid for those closed days, too, which is delightfully generous! It throws a bit of a monkey wrench into our scheduling, but you know what? I love puzzles! I'll work it all out (in fact, I think it might all be worked out already) and I think all of my employees will even be quite satisfied with the results. We'll see!

Now for family! How do you schedule limited time off so that you can visit 2 sets of out-of-town parents, don't completely overlap time that other family members are sleeping in the beds you'll need, and still see everyone for the hols? Oh, add in that it's nice to visit with old friends who still live in those 2 towns, and you've got quite a scheduling cocktail, let me tell you! How do you all do it? Do you have one set thing you always do?

When Si was really little we made our families travel to us for Christmas, but now that he's older, and our parents are older as well, we travel to be with them. We'll make it work, especially since all 4 of our parents are wonderful, loving people who understand that they can't always be the center of the day. Everyone has always been so kind about sharing us with the others.

Knitting Update

I've been busy with knitting and even some crocheting (gasp! That's me crocheting on the left!) lately, although my pace has slowed down a bit from years past. Being Fall, I am well into Christmas Prep. This is always a tricky time because I tend to be overly ambitious and want to knit more things than I have time for. I mean, a hand-made gift is always so much nicer than a store-bought one, don't you think?


But seriously, with a full-time job and other various things going on (injured shoulder, etc) knitting has been harder to accomplish!

These three felted bags were my donations to the Levy Fundraiser. The large pussywillow bag is the one that was in the art show.



This is a close-up of the little Noro basket-bag. I do like how it turned out, and adding the little beads makes it really special. I call it the Noro bag because it took one skein of Noro yarn . . . I forget with kind. I knit the bag when I was on heavy pain meds after my leg broke.




This is a large wool bag. I knit it with 2 strands together, sort of intending it to be a market bag of sorts. It felted beautifully. I still have some of that wool left, and may make some other felted item from it, but I don't know what.

Household Chores

As many of you know, the last 18 months have been full of ups and downs for me . . . many of which have involved downs through which I could not do much physical work. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, then, to hear me say that it has been a wonderful weekend of doing simple things around the house and with my family. Here is a brief list of things I've done this week and weekend to keep the household running. I share it not because it's spectacular by normal standards, but because for me, coming out of lengthy physical trials, it seems significant (and I took a day off work to sleep in the middle, too, because I was exhausted, so I'm still not all the way there, sigh, but I'm really trying to look on the positive side):

• took Si shopping for his suit (a 3 hour ordeal during which he kept saying "I don't really care what I wear" but after which he was quite appreciative)
• went to International Festival with my son and DH
• took my son to the zoo (last Sunday) and walked myself into the ground
• did laundry (last load is in the washer!) and even carried some of it up the stairs by myself!
• made dinner twice (usually Mike cooks . . . see pic)
• worked long hours for the levy (did I mention it passed? lol)
• got more of the "old mess" cleaned up in our family room
  
• hung the wreath above our mantel that's been sitting on the hearth for nearly a year (see pic)

OK - that's probably enough. Suffice to say I'm happy to be continuing down the road to normalcy.

Dressing Up

My son went to the Fall Formal at his HS last night. I was really proud of him for going stag, too, because back in my day it didn't happen much. Apparently, kids do that more often now, but I'm still proud of him. We don't have many times in our lives when we wear formal clothing. I suppose I dress up most often of the three of us in our family. My husband usually wears jeans and golf shirts, even to work. My son is the same. Our church is very casual, as well, and we all wear jeans or shorts there, too. So when Si said he wanted to go to the Formal, I knew we'd have to do some shopping . . . unless I could convince him to wear his Scout uniform . . . but that would be downright silly. Sigh.

So we went shopping this week. It took about an hour to find a jacket, pants and shirt that he liked that was within my price limit (afterall, he's still growing, so those lovely "last forever" suits aren't necessary). Then we had to get shoes. Since we were already at Macy's we went to the men's shoes and looked. Yowza! Those puppies are expensive! If you want comfortable dress shoes, you have to be ready to shell out some bucks! And you know what? Dress shoes look ridiculous with jeans! I found some cool all-black high-top tennis shoes that would work for the Formal and still be practical in his everyday life, but alas, they didn't have his size. Grrrrr. We finally (after 2 hours!) settled on a pair of pull-ons. Good grief - shopping for him was nearly as difficult as shopping for me! Here's the thing, though - he looks really fabulous. But don't take my word for it - you can see for yourself!

Now that we've spent the money, we need to find more places to go where he can wear this suit! Got any ideas? I'm thinking we have about 9 months or so before he outgrows the dang thing. I'll get him a Christmassy shirt and tie so he can wear it then, but honestly, we need more!

PS - if you're wondering why I'm suddenly posting every day, it's because I've taken the challenge to be part of nablopomo - National Blog Posting Month. :-) Think I can make it?

Cereal in the Morning

I love cereal. I've always loved it. I could eat cereal every meal of the day sometimes. In fact, I'm sure there have been days when I have!

There are times when I like the sugary opulence of Captain Crunch or Cocoa Puffs, but usually I prefer the plain cereals; Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Corn Chex, Oatmeal. I also like Raisin Bran, granola and Grapenuts. My dad is the same way - he eats the same breakfast with the same cereals every day. He used to mix Raisin Bran and Grapenuts (as I recall), but now he eats his 100% Natural granola.

I remember when we were kids, we used to beg to be allowed to have cereal for dinner when Mom and Dad were going out (our other favorite choices for those nights were pot pies or TV Dinners, but I personally never liked those as much because they had vegetables and things in them that I didn't like). I was delighted in college when the cafeteria installed huge cereal dispensers that stayed available to us at every meal, not just breakfast! Yay!

What cereals do you like? What is your favorite breakfast? What breakfast foods remind you of your childhood?

As I finish up my bran flakes with dried blueberries on top, I salute all of us cereal-lovers everywhere!

on being sick

I'm not feeling well today. It's nothing big, dramatic or serious. I'm feeling over-tired and weak. I went back to bed after calling in to work and slept an additional 2.5 hours, and I know that soon I will go back to sleep again.

What makes some bodies more resilient to illness than others? Health seems like a gigantic Cribbage game to me. You ever play Cribbage? Well, if you're doing well in Cribbage, you're likely to totally smoke your opponent. There are 2 parts to every hand, and honestly, if you win the first part you're likely to win the second part, and then you get extra points for winning and extra points for winning big, and it just goes on and on! My sister and I have joked about this. I feel like personal health is like that.

Some people have good personal health. They may catch colds now and then, but not often. When they do, they can usually just "work it off" or "let it run it's course" or take extra Vitamin C and it all fades away. The other players in this great Cribbage Game catch everything that comes down the pike (in the first round of the hand) and then if they don't see a Dr., call off all extra-curricular activities (and sometimes work) and totally let their bodies rest, it will turn into something worse (the second round of the hand). The sniffles turns into bronchitis. A headache turns into a migraine. A cut on the hand turns into an infection.

Someday, when I'm face-to-face with our creator, I'm going to respectfully ask Him why He built us this way.

For now, I'm just going back to sleep.

Good News!

The levy passed! Woohoo! So very happy, and very thankful to all of the voters, our loyal customers, who value what we do. Thank you!

A New Side of My Right

I was awake pig-stinkin' early today and, in fact, I didn't even really resent it. I'm seeing a new side of the elections this year.

You see, I have voted in every election since I turned 18. I may have missed a few primaries, but I have never missed a November election (that I can remember, anyway). I was raised in a politically active family. My father was (maybe still is?) a Precinct Committeeman for our area, and he served on the local (and maybe higher) Board of Elections when I was young. I had a Social Studies teacher in High School that teased me because I could be counted on to give "the Republican Viewpoint" in every discussion. He found it doubly hilarious that I was close friends with the granddaughter of a Democrat Senator.

I remember my very first election when I turned 18. It was a Big Deal! I proudly went in, sure that I was studied and ready to cast a knowledgeable vote. I remember being shocked by finding candidates and races on the ballot that I hadn't heard about and for which I had not prepared. I also remember that it was a Presidential Election, and I dutifully cast my vote for Ronald Reagan to help him win his re-election.

I have trained and worked in the polls, spending those long days helping people exercise their right to vote and feeling very energetic and happy to be there. I was dismayed to find that my co-workers for the day were lackadaisical, to say the least, and weren't prepared to give excellent customer service.

I have played hostess to the polls in our libraries, welcoming the poll workers and encouraging them to use the facilities, making sure they had library cards and reading materials for the slow times during the day. In 2004 when the wait time at our library branch was 6 hours long, I stirred up my staff to walk around, mingle with the neighbors, work with people to get them library cards, clear fines, help them get comfortable during their long waits. That year, we read to children all day, helped the volunteers who brought food and drinks in to the waiting voters and allowed people to have pizzas delivered to them in line.

This year, though, for the first time, I actually worked on a campaign in earnest. As you've seen, our library had a levy on the ballot. I've talked about the issue before so I won't go into it now (especially since the polls are closed, and the results are coming in now, so there's nothing you can do anyway). I helped make phone calls, I spoke to community groups, I wrote blog posts, I donated hand-knit items for the fund-raiser, and today I worked as a poll greeter at the crotch of dawn (yes, you read that correctly). It was a new side of things, and I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I found an issue that was important enough to me that I went out and really worked to see it win. I might just have to get behind some more issues in the coming years. Not tonight, though.

It's been a long day. I'm a light-weight compared to many folks who are still at the "watch party" at our campaign headquarters. It's not even 11 pm yet, and I'm calling it a day. I feel I can safely go to bed since "they" have "called it".

WE WON! THE LEVY PASSED! w00t! w00t!

And I am glad that I have had a part, not just in voting, but in helping others to learn about the issue. After all, I am a Librarian, helping people find information is what I do.

Why I Love My Job

I know it's not cool to love your job, and I have to admit that I can very easily get into a gripe-fest with the best of 'em, but I have to share a story today about why I love mine. I was walking around the floor around noon today, just looking around to see if anyone needed help. A woman called me over and said "Hey Miss Cathy! I'm glad you're here!" which is heartwarming, to say the least (I mean, who doesn't like to hear that someone is glad to see them?)

This woman (I'll call her D) has been in our library branch regularly to use the laptops in our Job Help Center. These computers are set out so that customers who are doing job-related work (resumes, getting email accounts, posting resumes online, searching for jobs, even studying for GED) can use them without having to work with the usual reservation software we have which limits people to 1-hour sessions, and only 3 of those a day. So D has been using the JHC nearly every day for a few months.

She called me over today to talk about how she finally finished the first class she took in college and is now taking Psychology. She's very excited because she passed the first one, and it's been so long since she was in school. She attributes her success to all the help she's gotten at our library! We've helped her learn to use Word so she can type her papers. We've helped her figure out how to submit her homework online through the college website. We've even helped her figure out her FAFSA and register for classes. We've been with her, helping her out, the whole way.

She told me this "it's been real hard, having to come here on the bus every day, but it's been worth it. We have our own computer now, which is why I haven't been coming in as much, but we don't have a printer yet, so I had to come in today to print out parts of the book I need." Yup, she's even getting her text books through the website!

She said "I hope I can do really well in this Psychology class, because it's all about the brain and talking to people to help them solve things, and that's what I know I'm meant to be doing." She had a huge smile on her face. I said "it feels really good to be working towards a job you know you'll love, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Miss Cathy, it surely does"

And that's all I have to say about that.

Keep Our Library Strong!

Think for a moment about what your community would be like without a public library. Do you use your public library? What do you use it for? Don't use it? Why not? Are you glad it is there for others, even if you don't use it? Remember when I wrote about how proud I am to work for the Library of the Year? Want to read research about how libraries produce incredible return on the investments our communities put into them, including economic development?

Well, we have an issue on the ballot Nov. 2. If you live in the area, you will have the opportunity to tell us (and everyone else who is paying attention) if you believe that public libraries are important to you. Think about these things: books that everyone has access to but no one person needs to buy, storytimes for children, Summer Reading Club that motivates children to keep their skills up during the summer, Homework Help Centers after school, Job Help Centers in every location where people will help you create a resume, get your first email account, learn to look for and apply for jobs online, access to the internet and free wifi, movies and audios that you can borrow for free, friendly, helpful staff (who have all had to take cuts in pay and hours and have still added services this past year) . . .

If this levy doesn't pass, Columbus Metropolitan Library will lose roughly half of it's operating funds. We've already made all the "easy" cuts we can make.

If you'd like to support the best library in the nation, you'll vote YES on Issue 4.

Paddler Home!

My dear son has been on the Current River in Missouri all week with the Boy Scouts. They paddled 92 miles over 5 days, camping each night.






They just arrived home an hour ago, so I haven't heard all the stories yet, but I wanted to share a few pics and highlights.
1. Simon wrote some limericks about his fellow paddlers (mostly about the capsizing events!),
2. Simon has an amazing paddler's tan, with VERY strong tan lines showing that he was wearing his PFD and his sandals all week.
3. It was very very very hot. So hot in fact that Si went directly to a cool bath upon arriving home. LOL




4. Si's canoe-mate was Dominic, pictured with him here.
5. Si is starving (well, nothing new there)

Dendrites

It's been a long time since I've talked about my crafting! Today I share brain cells! I'd found 2 different kinds of brain cell patterns online, one for knitting and one for crocheting.

Being primarily a knitter, I was fascinated to find the Knit a Neuron Project. Based in England, these are brain researchers who are using knitting as a way of sharing information about brain science and also hoping to end up with a 3D knitted representation of an actual human brain. Cool, huh?

I tried knitting a few of these little ditties, and they're easy and quick to knit. It's a good way to use up excess sock yarn, too, although I have other ways to do that, so I'm not worried about it. I also like participating in something international like this. I'll probably send my finished neurons over to the UK before too much longer.

A smidge of catnip inside, and they'd be perfect for my little fur-faced children . . . although Rosie would still probably prefer the little double-pointed wooden needles I use to knit them (she's weird like that).

Aesthetically, though, I didn't find these as striking as the crocheted neurons I'd seen on Etsy. I decided I had to try some of these, and I can't stop! They're free-form, and they're a blast to hook up. I can do one in an hour, and sometimes start the second. Also, they allow me to continue to contemplate the delicious and amazing miracle that is my brain (or anyone's brain, for that matter). As a casual student of brain research via early literacy, I've long been fascinated by how the brain is put together. And besides, aren't they cool?

Speaking of finished projects, I have 2 more to show off! One is the Branching Out scarf that I've been working on as a knit-along project with the weeknight knitting group I'm part of. I think the others finished months ago, but here is mine, finally being blocked. It's hard to see the pattern clearly because the yarn is so ethereal that it doesn't photograph well. Trust me, in real life it's pretty. Just don't look too closely, as there are quite a few . . . umm . . . design features in this beginning lace project. The pattern is less obvious in this variegated mohair, but that means it's a little less obvious when I make those . . . umm . . . alterations. (wink)

My other new FO is the vacation-knitting! I'm wearing the Argosy Wrap that I started for travel knitting, and I finished it up last weekend. - it's made of this wonderful silk/cotton blend with long self-striping colors. Love it!

I wore it to my first real Art Show! The Main library is currently having a juried show of all staff-created art. Submissions were sought a few months ago, and I submitted just one piece - this felted bag. It has pussy willows on it, and it is one of my best bags. If you recall, I started this a few years ago, inspired by the art of my friend Mary Ann.



Here I am with my bag on display in the gallery. They even displayed it so that you can walk around and see both sides. Exciting! The opening reception was Thursday evening, and the show runs through the last full week of August. If you're in or around downtown Columbus, do stop by! It's free, and there are many, many beautiful and interesting works of art by my colleagues at CML.

On Being Great

Well, my library system has been chosen as the 2010 Library of the Year! It's a huge honor, and I'm so thrilled to be able to say that I've helped bring us to this point . . . me and hundreds of other dedicated staff and volunteers over the years. We do have an excellent library system, and we have been blessed with great leadership, both now and in the past. CML has long been on the cutting edge of great customer service, excellent services to children, babies, teens and most recently job hunters. Sunday a group of managers went to Washington, DC (paid for by our Friends of the Library) for the award ceremony and the celebration. We came back home on Monday (and we're all exhausted!). It was a good trip, though, and it was most generous of the Friends to charter that bus for us! What really ended up bringing me to tears, though, was after we got back when our marketing guru, Alison, wrote about me in her LJ blog. Wow. I'm humbled, but, of course, I still had to share it with you all. (blush) I think she is dramatizing my situation a little, but I sure do appreciate her props. Makes me feel all warm and gushy inside (in a good way).

Father's Day

I should have done this yesterday, but I was too busy wrapping up the travel blog.

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my dear husband, and my father-in-law. You guys are great!

Home Sweet Home!

We are home from our Epic Road Trip . . . and the blog is more or less done! Mike is still working on uploading his pics, but I'll let you know when they're ready for viewing!

A few catch-up pics

A few weeks ago we visited my in-laws in Marietta, OH. It's a lovely little town on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, and they're wonderful people so we enjoy visiting. Si and Mike also love to get a few bags of their favorite potato chips, Mister Bee's. They love them above all other chips, so when we saw a delivery truck parked a block away from Grandma's house, I just had to get Si to pose for pictures! There is a better pic of the truck, but as this one shows my teenager smiling it won out.

He was so happy to finally get some chips, he just stuck his head into the bag to breath in the goodness of Mister Bee's. LOL He is in heaven!










Mike and I have been trying to eat healthier, and for us that includes sushi. Thing is, sushi restaurants are EXPENSIVE! We've hit upon a compromise. We spend half the money or less and just buy the raw fish ourselves. Some cutting and arranging, and presto - our very own customized Sashimi platter!




More food than we'd get out, quality on par since we buy it from a Japanese grocer that supplies those restaurants, and as an added bonus we get to enjoy it in our own home and stuff! As you can see, I've been playing around with arranging.





Memorial Day brought us to Operation Flag. The Boy Scout troop goes to a local cemetary every year to replace flags at all the graves of veterans. It's a good thing they do. There's always some older veterans there to talk to, and the boys all get to be a part of honoring brave men and women who have fought to make our country what it is. Simon was even on the news! As the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, he was the "ranking" scout for the event, and spoke for the troop. He did a great job! I was hoping it would be available online, but no dice. We caught it on DVR, though, and will be sharing DVDs with grandparents. :-) Maybe Si and I will upload it ourselves later today.

Today is our last day of work/school before THE EPIC ROAD TRIP! Our intent is to post daily updates from the road with video, so check back over the next couple of weeks and see if we managed to figure it out!

Vacation Planning

So far so good . . . our planned day of vacation start is getting pretty close now, and no one has to have surgery or be on medical alert or anything, so I am starting to think we might actually get to go! We've been wanting to take this epic road trip for about 5 years. We've been talking about visiting the Royal Tyrell museum for longer than that. Something has always gotten in the way (usually medical crap).

Well, this summer we are going on our much-anticipated trip! Yay! We are going up to Drumheller, Alberta (35 hours of driving) first, then perhaps to Calgary for a day. Then we'll do due South into Montana to the Glacier National Park, and come East via South Dakota (Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Badlands) with our final stop being Chicago to see friends and visit the Field Museum.

Our plan is to eat many meals out of our coolers, do some in-park cooking, and hit local eateries, avoiding national chains for the entire trip. We originally planned to camp as much as possible, but have opted to get inexpensive hotels instead to save the work of having to set-up and tear-down nearly every day. My SIL (a travel agent) has offered her on-call services, but we haven't decided if we want to just be spontaneous or if we want to call her each day and say "we'd like tonight to be in X location". LOL

We have made a deliberate decision NOT to take a GPS but to rely on maps, guidebooks and local people to find our routes, hotels and restaurants. We have our passports (first one ever for both Simon and ME!!!), and we traded in our old PT Cruiser for a mini-van several months ago.

We've spent hours and hours talking about routes, maps, timing and what we want to see. We've got a big stack of books on CD, some tried and true and others new to one or all of us. We purchased a new cooler (the one we got for a wedding gift has finally deteriorated beyond practical use) and we've made many, many lists. Mike has gotten extra memory chips for his good cameras so that he can properly document as well as really be an artist again.

We have someone to check on the house, the cats, the mail and the plants. The neighbors will also be watching out, as well as random other friends. Last minute prep will include:

• going through our medications to ensure we have ample supplies to last the whole trip
• laundry and packing, which could be interesting considering Glacier still has snow issues
• updating our water bottles and camp dishes, making sure they're all clean
• packing the cook box with all kitchen/camp cooking essentials
• packing telescope, binoculars
• checking first aid kit and updating expired stuff
• grocery shopping
• packing the van
• for me, deciding what knitting projects/supplies to take
  

Can you tell we're excited? What kinds of things do you do to make sure you're ready for a 2 week vacation on the road?

Read any good children's books?

School Library Journal has created a list of what are considered by their readership to be the Top 100 Children's Novels.

One of my favorite Children's Lit blogs, written by two teachers, typed up the list and asked what books we've read. What a great idea (and thanks for doing the typing for me, my friends!)

I'm going to put the titles in PURPLE if I've read them! I've read a lot of really great books . . . is it any wonder it's hard to keep stuff in my head?

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)
88. The High King – Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief – Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes – Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret -- Selznik (2007)
51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle – Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes – Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

Zoooooooooooooooo!

We can mark the progression of Simon's life through visits to the Zoo. We have had a membership there for as long as we've been married. I remember . . .

• Going to the zoo while pregnant to get to know another couple better. Husband was a co-worker, and they were new in town, and his wife was preggers, too.
• Taking babies to the zoo on "play dates", and seeing all the other children sound asleep in their strollers at the end of the day while my own kid was totally pumped up and ready to do it all again!
• Simon's first complete spoken sentence was "I like animals."
  
• Countless pictures of Si climbing on the animal statues, with time being determined by how large and then small the statues started to look compared to his body.
• Going to Saturday morning programs for parents and preschoolers.
• Taking my newly-potty-trained kid to Saturday classes at the zoo - without me!
• Taking my growing boy to summer camp for day-long experiences at the zoo, only to pick him up after 5 full days and have him say "can we stay and look around some more?"

We have been so excited about all the improvements; reading about them in the newsletter, watching the construction. We watched the manatee building being built, the cool new play area where kids can act like bugs and animals (we particularly like the dung beetle ball-pushing), and each new big habitat area as they've opened. Our zoo has come so far over the years, and I feel like it's a part of our family, in a way, because we've grown along with it.

Last year when my parents were visiting around this time of year, we went to the zoo and took my wheel chair so I could be pushed around, knowing I didn't have the strength to walk far.

Today we walked through about a third of the zoo grounds. It was totally packed, being Spring Break for all schools and an absolutely glorious day. Simon is so knowledgable that as he was telling me about animals, their habit, quirks and habitats, other families would listen. It's like visiting Gettysburg with my husband - I have my own tour guide!

This is the koalas - I've circled where the 2 koalas are hiding!

Funny quotes from Si today:

• as we entered the zoo: Ahhh - I think I feel my life force returning!
• walking: Mmm, the familiar scent of over-buttered popcorn and primate excrement!
• remember when I practically lived here? I need to do that again.
• to the Komodo Dragon: Hello, buddy, you've been growing, haven't you?

Decisions

I've been pondering decisions for a few weeks/months/years. Should I go for that next new job? Should I seek a promotion? These questions always lead me to re-evaluate where I am, what I'm doing with my life. I'm firmly middle-aged now (at the very least) and I have had a lot of health issues over the past several years. What is my purpose in this life? Why am I here? It's all tied in together, you see? How can a person make decisions about what to do in their career without considering what their purpose on this earth is, what their other goals are (family, health, finances) and what their priorities are and/or should be?

Weighty stuff, eh? You bet!

So lately I've specifically chosen not to pursue job advancement. This may seem surprising to some of you who know me because I've been frustrated with situations in the past where I've sought promotions and haven't gotten them. True, I was frustrated, and perhaps there is still some of that in my (the frustration), but this decision is different. I was moved to a new branch last June, and I really like it here. My staff is great, the challenges are interesting, and the potential at this location for what we can do in the community . .. well . . . the potential is amazing. I've put down some roots and I've started my vision gears cranking. I can't move now! In other words, as much as it pains me to admit it (love you, Boss!), my boss put me in the right spot. LOL

So what does that say about all those other heady questions? Well, it says what I've said here on my blog before. I'm here to try to make a difference in the world. I can't say it as well as this song can, so I'll ask you to follow the link. Happy Spring!