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November 26th, 2013

11/26/2013

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I wrote a tribute earlier to one of the libraries of my childhood-the Hampton Public Library, a beautiful old Carnegie that has been well restored. Now it's time to pay homage to the reopened West Liberty Free Public Library, the library of my adulthood. After almost two years being crammed in a storefront due to repairs too complicated to go into here, books, computers, movies, games, and staff have returned to this wonderful building.

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Saturday night the restored building hosted a reception for city officials, the library board, and people who had been helpful in getting the whole thing accomplished. Sunday, doors were open to the public during the citywide Holiday Open House. Teens have made great use of the new young adult area and the kids are awed by the new game room in the basement, designed and executed by a local young man.

I guess libraries are in my blood. My grandmother worked to get a public library in her small Minnesota town. I served on the local library board here for several years, only resigning when we moved to the country and I was no longer eligible. I can't speak for other states but they are certainly a wonderful resource in Iowa. Many people are not aware that libraries in Iowa are independent city entities. They do have to depend on their city councils for much of their funding but the city cannot direct how the funds can be used in order to keep the libraries free to select books and disseminate information.

According to the University of Iowa's Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project: 
In 1873, Iowa had become the 10th state to enact legislation that allowed towns to establish and maintain public libraries through taxation. In 1894, the state had granted partial suffrage to women allowing them to vote on "yes" and "no" issues such as the establishment of a public library.

So our libraries are closely tied to freedom of speech and the expansion of women's rights. Many Iowa libraries were started through the efforts of women's groups, especially temperance organizations. If you love libraries, pass it on to your children. If you're not so crazy about them because you think they are dusty, dreary places, check out your local library. I'll bet you are in for a surprise.

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The Writing Life (and Frannie's Next Adventure)

11/15/2013

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First, as I've already posted on FB, I was gratified to see a photo from IndieBRAG of their booth at the Self-Published Book Expo a week or so ago. Gratified because Bats and Bones is displayed right at the front of the table. Thank you, IndieBRAG!

And sales have been going nicely. Right now, I have The Blue Coyote available for only .99 through the new Kindle Select Countdown program. As of this writing, it will be at that price for another 52 hours or so and then go to 1.99 for a little over three days.

Meanwhile, I have finally started on Frannie's next escapade, Grilling the Suspect. For a long time, I've had nothing but a title and an inkling that this would involve a barbecue contest. If you have read the earlier books, you may remember that Mickey and Jane Ann are certified barbecue judges. The Shoemakers and the Ferraros camp at a park where the Ferraros will be judging a contest. Frannie and Larry's daughter Sally will also be a part of this one. What possible motive for murder could there be at a food fest, you ask? Prize money at these contests can run into the thousands. So can a contestant's investment in equipment. Both amateur teams and commercial restaurants can enter, and the restaurants have a reputation to uphold. Lots of possibilities to 'chew on' here.

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What Camping Can Lead To

11/10/2013

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So, when we were camping in Missouri, one of the hazards at Table Rock Lake was a hedge apple tree, or Osage Orange, right above our camper. Not many fell while we were there but there were some nice ones on the ground. The morning of our departure, I was cruising the social media and came across a posting on Pinterest of a lovely and unique table centerpiece made from white pumpkins, hedge apples, and some ivy--all green and white yet kind of harvesty looking anyway.

As it happens, I love table arrangements. I come by it genetically from my mother and both grandmothers. Years ago, in flower shows put on by the local garden club, table settings was my favorite category. I can't explain it.  So I hustled out and gathered up three nice looking specimens of the weird green fruit and put them in a bag under the sink.

Of course, I had been seeing white pumpkins of all shapes and sizes all fall. So for the next two weeks I kept an eye out for some small ones. Either real or artificial. Nada. Yesterday after hitting several craft stores, I decided if I found orange ones, I could paint them. So that's what I did.

Simple, right? Well, not difficult, but requiring three coats to cover and you can only do half of each pumpkin at one time. Meanwhile, I also found three very small real ones in a basket of gourds at the grocery store, picked up a small whitish Hubbard squash, and added some green apples. I was, as we used to say, cookin' with gas.
The result is pleasing enough, although the green hydrangeas that I decided to include are a little large.

And the hedge apples that started it all? They are in there but mostly hidden because they kind of turned brown under the sink.


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Back to School

11/6/2013

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I had a wonderful experience Monday. I was asked to shadow a high school student as preparation for a liason committee on which I have agreed to serve. So I spent the afternoon with Raudel, a very personable and articulate young man who is a junior at West Liberty High with aspirations of studying industrial engineering and playing soccer in college. He already plays on a state high school soccer team and will travel to Kansas City next month and Dallas in February in that capacity.

The day was broken up a little because students were involved in the blood drive going on in the gym and that affected the Honors English class we went to first. The lesson plan called for the students to read the second act of The Crucible but too many of the 'actors' were "out for blood," as one of the kids said.

Lunch hasn't changed much since my teaching days, except for the addition of a salad bar and the loss of desserts, all in the name of better nutrition. I had a private moment of silence for the wonderful chocolate cake with white frosting that the cooks used to make.

Next was chorus. This was a small group of students who have a schedule conflict with the regular varsity chorus period because they are all part of West Liberty's wonderful dual language program. So the director, Mr. Shivers, works with them separately, combining them with the rest of the chorus right before a concert. The seven or eight kids stood around the piano, clapping out rhythms and practicing parts for a song for the holiday concert. At the end of the class, Mr. Shivers, Raudel and I visited a little about the program and the upcoming high school production of Shrek. Raudel pressured the director to arrange a field trip to a touring musical.

After chorus, we trekked to the office to buy tickets for Shrek, and while Raudel was getting tickets for his family, he was asked to translate for a parent's call that the secretary had taken.

Then we went to AP Biology. Unfortunately, I did not take biology in high school, but it wouldn't have mattered much because most of the things Mr. Gunn talked about were discovered since then. All I can say is, I'm certainly glad I don't have to take the test next Monday.

Raudel had already had honors math and physics in the morning before I arrived so he has a pretty tough schedule. He was an excellent guide and volunteered much information and several explanations of the way things work in the school; never once was I tempted to say "Well, back in MY day..." I was very gratified to hear that he and the rest of the juniors will be taking three of ACT's WorkKeys tests later this week to qualify for National Career Readiness Certificates. Because I worked in WorKeys test development for 17 years, I of course feel it is an excellent program and will add another layer of qualification for these kids as they go out in the world in a couple of years.

It was also great to spend some time in this new, bright, technologically-equipped building after teaching five years in the old building when it was badly overcrowded and bereft of that technology. In MY day, when the Berlin wall fell, for example, I had to record the news reports at home, check out one of the two or three TVs in the building, and roll it to my room on a cart in order to watch it. Things have certainly improved.

Thank you to the school for arranging this experience; I wish it was on that every member of the community could have.

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Let's Make a Deal

11/5/2013

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Not often you can escape for several hours for $0.99. Certainly not the movies, or a ball game--even high school--, or a concert, or most museums. That's why Bats and Bones is such a good deal today for the Kindle. And recipes and camping hints to boot. But only for about 14 more hours!

Bats  and Bones
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And while you're having fun with that (I hope), I will be finishing emptying Terry (the camper) for winter. She's looking pretty sad; her pipes are filled with antifreeze, and after a couple more loads and cleaning her insides, we'll pull in the slide and unplug her. She will sit for the next several months, cold and dejected, sometimes covered with snow, waiting for next year's fun. Of course, I just followed a truckload of live turkeys through town headed for West Liberty Foods so Terry could have a worse future.

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    Some random thoughts about writing, camping, and eating.

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