Speaking Volumes

                        
 
Last night we had a craft program on making glass tile pendants. It was really fun! A lot of patrons were asking me for directions and where I got supplies, so I figured I would post all the info here on our blog. They were really inexpensive and easy to make, and they don’t look ‘homemade’ so they would make a great gift.
 
Supplies:
 
1 inch glass tiles – I bought these in bulk on http://www.etsy.com/. Search ‘glass tiles’ under supplies.
Bails – I also bought these on http://www.etsy.com/. Search ‘bails’ under supplies.
E6000 glue (or any strong clear drying craft glue) – You can find these at any craft store.
Scrapbook paper or photographs – You can buy scrapbook paper at any craft store.
Pencils (for tracing the tile)
Modge Podge or Diamond Glue (This is optional. We skipped this step at the program, but you can use either glue to seal on your paper images on the back of the tile.)
Scissors
 
Directions:
1. Use a tile to choose an image from either scrapbook paper or one of your personal photos. Trace the tile over the image you want and cut it out.
 
                              
 
*** If you are using a photograph - test the glue on a corner or unwanted photo FIRST in case it blurs or ruins the image!***

2. Apply E6000 glue over the textured side of the glass, place image on the textured side of the glass so you can see the image through the non textured side of glass. Work out air bubbles by applying pressure.


                              
3. Trim any excess paper off with scissors.

4. Attach bail with E6000, to the back of pendant. Let dry.

*** If you want you can apply diamond glaze or modge podge to the back of the glass pendant to protect it and give it a glossy look.***

Some finished products from our program:
 
 
                     


 

 That was my cry when my husband asked "What are we going to do with that?" when I said we should buy a certain item at a flea market yesterday. I had not actually seen the item in question but it was only $10.00 and hey, we had sold one of the same a few years ago for $150.00. No, I haven't been following Ebay that closely this past year, but I figure we should be able to sell it for at least triple our investment. So off I went happily on my quest for other bargains, promising to meet up with hubby later in the day, figuring he'd purchase the find. Well, imagine my surprise when we met and he said no, he hadn't. Boy, was he in trouble. On our way back to our car we stopped by the outside dealer who had this bargain. Didn't see it on his table but he was packing up so I asked him about it. "Oh, that, he says. Yeah, I wanted $10 for it, I'd take $8. I think I brought it inside during the day. Let's go see". So off we went , way to the back of the building and found his inside shop with lots and lots of stuff. But not the bargain I sought. Someone with a good eye had bought the prize. I like to think he could use the item and had no intention of selling it. Just goes to show though, that in flea market finds. you've got to strike immediately. I checked the ebay going prices when we got home. The last one sold for $90.00. Not a bad profit. As for my husband, I really didn't give him too hard of a time. You win some, you lose some! That's the name of the game.

As for the item...I'll never tell. You never know when another may come my way.

 Want to sell on Ebay? Though specifics change quickly on ebay, the following should help:
 

How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on EBay : Insider Information You Need to Know from the Experts Who Do It Every Day by Blacharski, Dan W.


Dvd How to sell on Ebay DVD 381.17 HOW 

The Official Ebay Bible : The Newly Revised and Updated Version of the Most Comprehensive eBay How-to Manual for Everyone from First-Time Users to eBay Experts by Griffith, Jim


 Garage Sale and Flea Market Annual : Cashing in on Today's Lucrative Collectibles Market by Summers, Beth

I recently read the new book Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, and watched the Academy Award Nominated documentary, Trouble the Water. Both tell the stories of individuals who stayed in New Orleans during Katrina. Both were…upsetting, moving, heartbreaking, and shocking. I’m actually embarrassed about how much the two stories shocked me. When Katrina hit I was 21 and had just graduated college. I mean, I remember the news coverage, so why did it take these two stories to make me really realize what a horrible mess Katrina and her aftermath was…and still is?

          
 
In Zeitoun, Dave Eggers writes the true story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a successful Syrian-born painting contractor, who decides to stay in New Orleans during Katrina to protect his home and rental properties while his wife and children leave the city. In the days following the levee break, Zeitoun travels his neighborhood in a canoe, bringing food and water to people, helping to rescue elderly neighbors, checking on friends, and feeding some of the starving pets left behind. So, when midway through the book a group of police storm into his home and take Zeitoun to a makeshift jail outside of a Greyhound Station, my jaw hit the floor. The police accuse him of being a terrorist and he is held for weeks without even a phone call. His family thinks he’s dead and his wife and children start to mourn. The story that follows his arrest is truly unjust and unbelievable.

Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family below:

                
 
Trouble the Water uses footage shot by Kimberly Roberts before, during, and after the storm. Kim and her husband Scott, along with many of their neighbors in the lower ninth ward, stayed through Katrina, not because they wanted to, but because they had no other options. Without cars, access to rental cars, no alternate place to stay, and NO public transportation out of the city. Kim and her neighbors end up holed up in an attic for days after the storm. They band together and make their way by boat to a local navel base that has hundreds of empty rooms. When they arrive and ask for help they are turned away at gunpoint. The film goes on to show Kim and Scott leave the city and then return to see the devastation. However, instead of tears and anger at what they’ve been though, Kim and Scott are happy – happy to see their two dogs made it through the storm, especially as they pass the bodies of other pets that lay rotting in the road. Happy because the photograph of Kim’s mother – her only one- wasn’t ruined in the floods. Their story is a powerful one and I would definitely recommend seeing it.

Here Kim and Scott are reunited with their dogs more than two weeks after the storm:

      
 
Zeitoun and Trouble the Water really show how disaster can bring out best and the worst in people. Both show ordinary people acting like heroes, and those who were supposed to be the heroes acting like, well like they aren’t even human. Both are available here at the library.
 

 A few weeks ago I blogged about my favorite love stories. Today, Valentine's Day, I woke up with this song singing in my brain: 

I gave my love a cherry without a stone... 

don't ask me why that particular song is on my mind today but I do like it. Also called The Riddle Song it was written by Eddy Arnold, one of my all-time favorite crooners and covered by other artists such as the great Sam Cooke. and Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Yesterday, the love song running through my head was In My Life, lyrics by Lennon/McCartney. My brother and sister-in-law chose this for their wedding 30 years ago and my nephew and his bride included it in their wedding ceremony last year. It's a beautiful song and it often creeps into my subconscious.

How about you? What's the love song that crops up today as you think of your love, or other days, just for the beauty of the lyrics or the tune?

 BTW, I did give my love a cherry, a chocolate covered one; his favorite!

Here's 3 cd's to get you in the mood from our collection:

Slow Dancing through the Years 3 cd's
CD SLOW POP & ROCK OLDIES 1950-1960

When Eyes Meet: Love Around the World
CD WHEN WORLD VARIOUS

Se tu m'ami: arie antiche Cecilia Bartoli
CD BARTOLI

The obvious thing to blog about today is Valentine’s Day. On my drive to work I was trying to decide what I wanted to say about the upcoming ‘holiday.’ I know some people like it and some hate it, but all in all I’m pretty indifferent. Last week Carol asked me to add my favorite love stories (books or movies) to her Valentine’s Day display, and I couldn’t think of any! I don’t read romance novels or watch ‘chick flicks,’ so in trying to think of favorite love stories, I drew a blank.

Anyways, now that I’ve had a week to think about it, I’ve been able to come up with a few books and movies. The picture books are easy to come up with. Todd Parr is one of my favorite children authors, so his book, The I LOVE YOU Book, is a perfect pick for Valentines Day. We also recently got A Friend Like You, by Tanja Askani, which features photographs of cute baby animal friends. This one made it  into my story time this week and the kids loved it – sweet words and adorable animals, a winning combo. Another favorite of mine is Hug Time, by Patrick McDonnell, about little cat who tries to hug everything in the world.
            
 
 
Alright onto stuff for the older crowd… does The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins count as a love story? I think so. Even though there is a lot of um, murder, a HUGE component of the series is the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. For adult books I came up with The Temple of my Familiar, by Alice Walker. I loved this book when I read it – the story follows the relationships of different couples and how they all connect to each other. Also, I just read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See which I could not put down. This one is not about romantic love, but about a life long friendship between two women in 19^th century China.

                
 
Ok, movies… I could only come up with two! One of my favorite movies of all time is Amelie, which is definitely a love story. More recently I saw (and loved) Slumdog Millionaire.
 
          
 
So, what would you add to Carol’s display? Maybe your answers will open my eyes to what I’m missing!
 

 Three things have come together for me in the past week that has prompted these ramblings:
 

1.  My last weeks post about libraries, library usage and those that like to say the library and all that is in is going away.
 
2. I’m reading / listening to a wonderful book, Girls Like Us by Shelia Weller.  The story of Carol King,  Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and their generation.
 
3.  One of our regular patrons shared with me the news that 35 mm film would not be made after this year (or sooner) in light of digital photography.

 
At this point, you may be wondering what these three things have in common, but at least to me, they all speak of change and continuity.  In all things, in every generation there is change.  My mother lamented the clothing I wore when I left the house, the music I listened to, and my completely unintelligible speech and slang.  Now I see today’s youth and wonder how they can wear such articles, listen to that noise, and worry that they will not be able to write a full sentence.  Reading Girls, in its own way these sentiments were expressed just as strongly in the past.  Likewise, when 110 film and then the instamatic became obsolete, I was pretty sure this would be the end of photo memories… it wasn’t.  And today, across the country Library usage is higher then ever.
 
There have been many for thousands of years who have noted that the only constant is change.  I’m not saying I particularly like change, nor some of the specific changes that I see in the world around me.  But there is a sort of comfort in knowing that the angst I feel is not new. 
 
I am fairly certain that my embarrassing my mother by wearing jeans to school was little different than the distaste I feel now seeing students wearing what I consider pajama bottoms.  And yet… we’re still here.
 
I’ve no doubt things in the future will seem different.  I’ve no doubt from my own perspective when today’s youth are lamenting what they see in their children, I will be completely at a loss. However, there is also something reassuring in this.  Libraries will not become obsolete, keeping images as memory and to share moments will not disappear and youth will continue to reinvent their world.
 
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
 

Don't forget to check out Girls Like Us at the Library!
 
 

Change, change is good, right? Not in my opinion. The last three weeks or so I've been looking for my favorite yogurt in Stop & Shop. Now, I'm a pain in the neck when it comes to shopping, and the dairy guy, Jim, cringes when he sees me coming. He knows I'm going to ask him for some product or other and this will mean he has to drop what he's doing and go take a look in the back to see if he has any stock or whatever it is I'm looking for. The "back" is like is a bit like a black hole to me as I've never seen it but it seems to have most things I'm seeking. Well, Jim hasn't been around the past few weeks, this having to do with cut hours and impending strikes at S&S. No one else truly has a clue but this week I had no choice but to ask the freezer guy if they (S&S) would be getting any of my favorite yogurt, Colomob, 32 oz, low fat Vanilla. Freezer guy comes and takes a good look. No, he doesn't see any and hey, there's no space for it either. A woman whom I've never seen but who is wearing a name tag tries to come to my rescue but then bursts my bubble when she tells me she heard Colombo will no longer be produced. Explains why I can't find it but boy, am I ticked. It's my favorite yogurt. She kindly offers me a 32 oz. S&S brand, non-fat yogurt, Vanilla, free of charge to try. Nice of her and of course I took her up on the offer. Not bad, but not my Colombo.

I decided to check out the story online. You can never just take grocery employees word for it that a product has been discontinued. In this case, lady with the badge was right. In a story in the Eagle Tribune, I read that the parent company, General Mills, has decided to drop the brand.

quoted from the Eagle Tribune:

Robert Colombosian , 84, has been a part of the company, now in Methuen, since he was 12. Yesterday, Colombosian said he was disappointed with the decision by General Mills.

"It is a big part of my life," he said. "It is all of it really."

"The worst thing (General Mills) can do is drop the brand," he said. "It is the oldest yogurt brand in the United States."

And I for one, agree. How do parents just discontinue kids. Easy, I guess, if you're a major company trying to market to the younger crowd. General Mills is pushing Yoplait, a much more flashy yogurt with more, well, all I can think of, is dazzle and is more expensive to boot.

To be fair...also quoted from The Eagle Tribune

"Howard Cannon, a spokesman for Stop & Shop, said General Mills had said it tracks all the numbers of sales of all its products and saw a reduction in sales of the Colombo brand and "General Mills opted to shut the product line down."

Still, Colombo has been in business since 1929 and like Frances Found, an 88 year old woman who enjoys Colombo Vanilla Yogurt each day, I'm going to miss my yogurt. A few stores are still carrying it, but for how long, who knows? Yep, maybe I should just get over it and find a new brand but I'm going to go out kicking!

Read the Colombo Yogurt Story at http://www.colomboyogurt.com/OurStory.aspx

200 recipes from 55 countries that feature the versatile cultured dairy product

Yogurt, yoghurt, youghourt : an international cookbook / Linda K. Fuller.

                         


The 2011 Nutmeg Nominees have been announced! I’ve been waiting FOREVER to be able to talk freely about the latest crop of teen nominees. I was lucky enough to be on last years Teen Committee, so I’ve had the inside scoop for a while, but I’ve had to keep my mouth shut!
 
The Teen Committee consisted of fourteen librarians and two teen readers. Throughout last year (about Oct. 08-Sept. 09) we were in charge of reading somewhere around 100 books of all genres in order to come up with a list of 10 nominees. We’d get a list of about 20 books or so, and then the committee would meet up to discuss which ones we should consider for the final ten and which ones we should dump. The meetings were always interesting, filled with debate on why we should (or shouldn’t) keep certain titles for consideration.
 
At the final meeting, after reading ALL those books, we had to make the official list, keeping in mind that the books had to be less than 5 years old AND all out in paperback by Feb. 1^st 2010. Here’s what we came up with:

1. All of the Above, by Shelley Pearsall
2. Alphabet of Dreams, by Susan Fletcher
3. Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
5. Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate
6. The Last Dragon, by Silvana de Mari
7. The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd
8. Unwind, by Neal Shusterman
9. Waiting for Normal, by Leslie Connors
10. The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt

There is not a single book on this list that I didn’t like – honest! Some I even loved (Waiting for Normal, Wednesday Wars, Frankie…just to name a few).  Now it’s your turn to read and choose! You have all year to read this list and vote next January for your favorite, and I have a feeling its not going to be an easy choice!


FYI – Here are the Intermediate Nutmeg Nominees for grades 3-4:

Elephant Run, by Roland Smith
Eleven, by Patricia Reilly Giff
First Light, by Rebecca Stead
Iron Thunder, by Avi
The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies
Night of the Howling Dogs, by Graham Salisbury
No Talking, by Andrew Clements
One-Handed Catch, by M.J. Auch
Swindle, by Gordon Korman
The Thing About Georgie, by Lisa Graff
 
We own them all so stop by for a good read today!

Here in Libraryland we hear a lot of silly things:  Libraries are dying or dead.  All libraries have are books, and no one wants books.  No one will read any more.  Soon everything will be electronic.  Any one can be a librarian.
 
Such ridiculous statements are used to cut funding, keep librarians from being thought of as having professional status and those of us in Libraryland viewed as annoying as we argue these points.
 
In reality?  Library use is increasing.  Libraries offer a lot more than books, but even books are still in demand and technology will continue, but that doesn’t mean everything else will go away. (We have perfectly good stoves and microwaves, but I bet most of you still have grills!)
 
OCLC, the Online Computer Library Center dedicated to furthering access to the world’s information, has just released an interesting study titled:  Libraries: How They Stack Up.
 
Drawn from this report,  consider this…
 

U.S. libraries circulate 1,947,600,000 items a year.

U.S. public library cardholders outnumber Amazon customers by almost 5 to 1.
 Each day, U.S. libraries circulate nearly 4 times more items than Amazon
handles.  This is about the same number of items as FedEx ships per day.
 
FedEx ships more than 5.3 million items per day. 
 
Five times more people visit U.S. public libraries each year than attend U.S. professional and college football, basketball, baseball and hockey games combined.
 
There are more librarians world wide than the populations of Austin, Tx, Baltimore, MD and North Dakota
 

To see this report or learn other interesting fact, come visit us at the library!

Phil Says Six More Weeks!

Phil's official forecast as read February 2nd, 2009 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Hear Ye Hear Ye Hear Ye

On Gobbler's Knob on this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2010, Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators awoke to the call of President Bill Deeley and greeted his handlers, John Griffiths and Ben Hughes.

After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers, Phil proclaimed, "If you want to know next, you must read my text. As the sky shines bright above me, my shadow I see beside me. So six more weeks of winter it will be."

And so I thought ok, maybe it's 6 more weeks of winter in Punxsutawney, PA but what about good ol' Connecticut. The Lutz Childrens Museum, Manchester, has their own spokesman

	Connecticut's Own Groundhog has Spoken They came from far and wide this morning to see the official state groundhog. Mayor Lou Spadaccini, who speaks fluent groundhog, acted as an interpreter as she delivered the news. It seems that the groundhog saw her shadow. That means six more weeks of winter here in Connecticut, folks. That's okay Molly. We love you anyway. Visit The Lutz Museum

Say it ain't so!

Seeing Valentine’s Day is almost here I decided to do a library display on our favorite love stories of all time. The chosen titles could be in any format and would include selections by staff and any of our patrons who care to contribute. Some of the choices so far are no brainers...
 
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (both book & dvd)
Love Story by Erich Segal (both book & dvd) 
   sad to report that Mr. Segal passed away last week
 
but others may be new to you...
 
A Green Darkness by Anya Seton (one of my favorites)
Katherine, also by Anya Seton (a choice of another staff member)
 
Some movies that made the grade
 
Out of Africa
The Way we Were
Only You
 
The public has been a bit slow to add their heart’s delight to the display. So I’m asking YOU, our faithful readers to let me know what we should put out there. What’s your favorite love story? We’d really like to know!