an update with some drool thrown in

December has gone by so fast! I am still working mostly from home. My library system is still open with reduced hours. I've been going in for one or two desk shifts a month. At home I have been doing mostly virtual programs and telephone reference. After months of low attendance, I finally made the decision to merge my monthly teen program with another teen program. It was tough to go from a successful in-person teen program to lots of awkward virtual teen programs where 1-3 teens showed up. It was even tougher to cancel the program.

I co-facilitated my first book club discussion ever - a tween book club discussion, and it was interesting. I'm not sure it's my cup of tea. We have lots of virtual book clubs for both adults and kids and they are hugely successful. I've also started helping out with adult writing programs this past season, which has been a lot of fun, and I just wrapped up my first season of virtual storytimes. This spring I'll take a break from storytimes. Oh how I miss in-person storytimes! If I think about it too long I get a little weepy.

As you can see Josie is a little jealous of Wilbur. But Josie loved doing storytimes. Just like with in-person storytimes, I practiced almost every day. And Josie would practice with me. My storytime area was in Rachel's room, which is upstairs. My office is also upstairs. When I would "go" to work every morning Josie would make a beeline for her storytime bed in Rachel's room. She was always ready to do storytime!

In January I'll be helping give my first ever virtual booktalks for a local high school. I've done in-person booktalks for both high schools and middle schools and they were tough but rewarding. I'm always reading a variety of materials but I've been reading mostly teen books this past month so I'm caught up on the new stuff.

I have lots of art projects going. I'm simultaneously trying out new things while working on my existing skills. I've been able to squeeze in a little more time thanks to Robert working extra long hours, having no kids in the house, and not going anywhere. It's been a good time explore, and during the long hours when I'm alone with the dogs it's nice to have something to keep my mind busy.

Here is my newest collage:

I painted the papers first, chopped everything up, and then spent a lot of happy time moving pieces around until they felt right.

Robert is working more than ever. He officially has his first employee for his computer business and the transition has been been smooth but a lot of work. He's also still managing the athletic timing systems for the school districts around us and has been super duper busy. Hopefully soon he has only the equivalent of a job and a half and we can also start traveling again ; ).

Rachel is still in school. She's going through a tough phase and has distanced herself from us. We've made it clear we're here any time she's ready. And so we wait.

Izzy is doing good. She is still in a residential facility and continues to have behavioral issues relating to the trauma she endured. Due to the continued violent outbursts she still cannot come home and we are working through accepting that she may not ever be able to come back home. Her therapist says consistency and repetition are vital so Robert and I have been talking to her almost every day and doing therapy with her once a week. We practice the same ways to express emotions and deal with behavior over and over again, and I think it's starting to stick just a little. She has a lot of work ahead of her but she is tenacious, hopeful, smart, and has enough enthusiasm for at least five people. She is also passing her classes and learning to take the lead on her IEP  (though still including us every step of the way).

Due to COVID-19 we are still unable to have in-person visits but we were able to visit her outside last week during a warm and sunny day. And Margo and Josie joined us!

When I'm not working I've been enjoying taking the girls out for hikes and walks. They bring the sunshine even on the cloudiest days.

Josie is still a little crazy. She has a lot of energy, but she can also be really mellow.

Josie also smiles! She adores Robert, who has a smidgen more patience for her excessive energy.

Margo is my girl. And I am hers. We have a few rituals. One revolves around tea. After I eat I almost always have a cup of tea. Margo patiently waits until I'm finished eating. When I pick up my tea she creeps over and lays her head in my lap for love. She almost always starts drooling and is very particular about how she gets love. Face then neck then butt. Lots of drool. Repeat repeat repeat. I now keep a little box of tissues nearby for the drool. Sometimes I confuse her and drink tea while I'm still eating or I do something terrible and start reading. When this happens she waits patiently until I figure out whatever terrible mistake I've made and I put the food or book down. She has waited as long as five pages for me to come to my senses. I won't break your heart and tell you how she sometimes waits a long time before throwing herself to the floor in total despair.

birthday happiness

I had one of the best birthdays yesterday. I spent the day texting and chatting with people I love including Rachel singing the happy birthday song. Really! I was napping when she called so I have a voicemail as proof and I'm keeping it forever. Robert's grandma emailed me a happy birthday, I heard from all my writing pals, family, and friends, and spent some time talking to my dad. Scott and Autumn also facetimed me and sang happy birthday!

Robert surprised me with a popcorn maker. I eat what could be considered an ungodly amount of popcorn (if eating it every day counts, that is). I usually eat it alone so I waste a lot. Plus it's made with oil and I've been trying to eat even healthier than I already do. So now I am the proud owner of an air popper. I will still put too much salt on my popcorn, but baby steps, right? Robert also got me a super fun watercolor paint palette. It's going to bring some fun to my sketches (aka blobs of color happiness).

Because I haven't taken any vacation time since November 2019, I'm at the limit, plus I have floating holidays. So I have a ridiculous amount of time off and I'm going to lose it if I don't use it. So I took a few days off, including my birthday. Robert, however, had to work. So off he went to work, and just like any other day, I worked in my office for a bit (but no library work). I had important things to make with my new watercolor set!

After I worked in my office for a bit I took the dogs for a peaceful and joyful hike. Robert met us afterwards for Panera in the car. I'm pretty sure a nap is the only thing that can result from eating bread and mac n cheese, which is exactly what I did after I got home and brushed the dogs.

Robert surprised me with sushi and frozen custard with more gummy worms than custard for dinner. There were so many gummy worms I never made it to the custard!

It was such a great day. Thanks to the 40 million gummy worms I ate, I didn't get much sleep last night, and I'm back to eating super healthy today. I briefly had a touch of the post-birthday grumps, but there were cards from family in the mailbox so the smile is back! I feel so loved and blessed.

And they're off!

 Josie, Margo, and I took a sleety, snowy hike today and it was pretty great.a

The sound you are hearing is sleet! Josie and Margo loved it!

Geese!

Favorite November Reads Part 2

Can an Aardvark Bark? Written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Nonfiction Picture Book)

Another beautifully illustrated Steve Jenkins book about animals (with help from Melissa Stewart). This one is all about how animals communicate and why. It is just enough information to get excited about exploring animal communication and can be in read in different ways. If you only have a little time or attention, you can read just the larger text. If you have a nice chunk of time, you can read both the large and small texts. And if you have tons and tons of time and/or you're super intrigued by animal communication, you can explore the selected sources and further reading. No matter how much time you have, I'm sure you'll love pausing on the page that encourages you to make the same sounds as the animals. What does a growl sound like? How about a bellow?

The Switch by Beth O'Leary (Adult Fiction)

 

What a funny and bittersweet journey into the lives of Eileen and her granddaughter, Leena, who switch lives, homes, even cell phones with each other for two months! I laughed so many times and enjoyed the connections between the characters. I loved the characters and their development best, especially Arnold, Eileen, Bee, and Fitz. There are a ton of characters in The Switch, but they've all got unique personalities and are easy to keep up with. There's no wondering who is who or jotting down notes to remind yourself. There are also lots of different relationships going on between the characters. Arnold and Eileen's relationship was my favorite. I enjoyed going back to the beginning of the story and reading Eileen's list of the few available men in her small community and the pros and cons of dating them. 

I also enjoyed the two radically different settings - London and rural Hamleigh-in-Harksdale - and thought O'Leary did a nice job differentiating between them. Though both places sounded exciting, I had a slight preference for Hamleigh, so it was interesting to see just where Eileen and Leena ended up at the end of the story. 

I also thought the dialogue was excellent, so much so that I actually noticed a few times just how easily it flowed. Dialogue isn't something I usually think about too much. 

The story itself was a little crazy and all over the place, which I think worked well because that's life sometimes, right? I appreciated how the characters all experienced grief differently. Carla's death is tricky to write about because I don't have just one person in mind when I think about the role it played in the story. Her death was a thread running through the book, tying two different communities together while simultaneously unraveling individual characters. She was not just Eileen's granddaughter. She was also Leena's sister, Marian's daughter, and part of the Hamleigh community. O'Leary does a wonderful job illustrating not only how grief is experienced differently, but also how it is shared and how it has the power to connect those who are experiencing it. 

Though I didn't really care for Leena's character, I hold no grudges against the author or even Leena's character. There are characters in books I don't click with, and that's ok. What is truly amazing is the fact that I loved this book despite not really clicking with one of the main characters. The other characters and their humorous and touching interactions with each other outweighed my inability to connect with Leena. I recommend this to anyone looking for a story bursting with humor, charm, connections, and a strong sense of community, family, and friendship.

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey (Teen Fiction)

This was my first Mulan experience and I loved it! I read Dokey's Beauty and the Beast retelling and enjoyed it enough to pick up another book in the Once Upon a Time series, and I am so glad I did. Mulan is fierce, loyal, wise, and caring. With the help of her best friend, Li Po, she tackles archery, horseback riding, and learning to read and write. These were not things girls explored or learned about in ancient China. She also tackles traditional female roles and learns how to sew well enough to stitch up her father's war wound. Her mother died while giving birth to Mulan and Mulan didn't know her father, who is away her entire childhood, fighting the Huns. When her father finally comes home when Mulan is thirteen or fourteen, they start building a relationship, which expands to include a stepmother. Meanwhile, Li Po becomes an aide to a general and another attack by the Huns is imminent. Mulan pretends to be a man and goes to fight in her father's place. While she's fighting she falls in love with Prince Jian. Though the story is predictable and a rather light, easy read, I enjoyed every minute of it. I appreciated the strength in the relationships and the surprising bond between Mulan and her stepmother. The story is excellent with a strong female lead who eschews traditional folklore female stereotypes and never requires a man to rescue or complete her. I can't wait to explore the legend of Mulan more and read/watch interpretations and retellings. I also can't wait to read another book in the Once Upon a Time series! 

Play, Make, Create, A Process-Art Handbook by Meri Cherry (Adult Nonfiction)

Lots of great ideas, easy-to-understand instructions, and giant, exciting pictures. I can't wait to jump in and start making things! Though the unicorn horns are at the top of my list, the artist trading cards idea is my favorite craft idea. I especially love the story about what the author's family did with the cards. You will have to read the book to find out!

Favorite November Reads Part 1

I read some great books in November and have a few I'm not quite done with yet (Vesper Flights, Kooser's latest book of wonder and magic, and Eat Joy) that will probably be on my December list. This will be a double post!

The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy edited by John Brehm (Adult Nonfiction)

This is an excellent collection of poems. My favorite was an A.R. Ammons poem I hadn't seen before: 

Reflective

"I found a
weed
that had a

 mirror in it
and that
mirror 

looked in at
a mirror
in me that had a weed in it"

Textiles Transformed by Mandy Pattullo (Adult Nonfiction)

I love the idea of taking old quilts and half-finished pieces of textile art, often found at flea markets and thrift stores, and reviving them. I've got a stack of old textiles to play with and Textiles Transformed is full of ideas and techniques. I love how she shows the process of making the wren seen on the cover. It just goes to show I don't use nearly enough pins or have quite the level of patience needed for itty bitty patchwork. If you need a gentle nudge of textile art inspiration or are looking for ways to save those lovely textile pieces lying at the bottom of a neglected cedar chest, this is the perfect read for you!

How to Solve a Problem written by Ashima Shiraishi and illustrated by Yao Xiao (Nonfiction Picture Book)

When I saw this book in the catalog I had a 'what the what' moment. A picture book not only about a rock-climbing champion, but also written by that same person? What a fantastic way to inspire kids to try new things. I have climbed exactly one rock wall, and it wasn't a noteworthy experience. I am so jazzed up after reading this, I've put going to a rock wall gym at the top of my list of things to do once we're free to roam again in a post-Covid-19 world. Shiraishi's approach to climbing is also surprisingly poetic: "One part was arched like a question mark, another part stuck out like my father's elbow in a photo I have seen of him dancing, and another was shaped like the bolts of fabric stacked in my mother's sewing room." Shiraishi's problem-solving method is a great way for readers to evaluate their own personal problems - breaking up the problem into smaller sections and then thinking about how to tackle each section. I am so deeply impressed with this book and plan on recommending it to everyone I talk to. 

The Handmade Charlotte Playbook (Adult Nonfiction)

The Handmade Charlotte Playbook is a smorgasbord of ideas and fun. It's arranged alphabetically for easy access. So if you're ready to make a banana puppet made out of aluminum foil, you'll find it in seconds. In addition to banana puppets, you will find everything from papier-mâché potatoes to a unicorn puppet to an occasional recipe such as zucchini cupcakes with lemon and blueberries. I will probably start by making a banana puppet or two for storytimes and then see what my existing supplies can make. I plan on using this book for storytimes, STEAM ideas, gifts, and interactive displays/crafts once we are able to interact again.

Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago (Picture Book)

I have never loved a ghost as much as I love Gustavo. And just so you know how serious my Favorite Ghosts list is, Snicket's Goldfish Ghost and Sir Simon and his adorable ghost tushy are right at the top. Gustavo wants what we all want - friends and a feeling of connection and belonging. And because he's such a sweetheart and has all the makings to be a good friend - kindness, sincerity, courtesy etc. there's definitely a happy conclusion to this story. When Gustavo tries to get close to the monsters he wishes so badly to be friends with I laughed so hard I nearly cried. It is one of the best picture book spreads I've seen this year. The illustrations are hilarious, richly detailed, charming, and full of emotion. The illustrations do get a little busy at times but will provide hours of entertainment because there is so much to see. The font is also large, simple, and easy-to-see. If I ever get the chance to meet Gustavo I will give him an invisible hug and ask him to play the violin for me. I hope he glows with happiness and wants to be my friend.

Soaking up the sun

Robert and I had a relaxing Thanksgiving yesterday - probably the most relaxing one we've had yet. We talked to family, spent a little time hiking and a lot of time bathing the dogs, and ended the day with cabbage, stuffing, and a smoked turkey we secured through our milk delivery service.  It was nice to have a whole day off with the lover and spend some time in the woods.

snow & trees & spiders

We had our first snow a week ago! The dogs loved it even though it was the sloppy kind of snow that's tough to play in. This week our weather is going to be about as perfect as weather can get. I plan on hanging out at the backboards with my furry homies every chance I get. 

Upon close inspection, this beautiful plant was completely covered in spiders.

We're back to taking walks in different neighborhoods and parks. We saw these abandoned tennis courts (six total) in a fairly nice neighborhood. I have no idea what the story is but half of one court disappeared into the creek. The creek probably flooded at some point and just gobbled up the court.

One of my poems, Undressing the Trees, was published in the latest I-70 Review (one of my favorite journals). The artwork in this issue is particularly intriguing and vivid.

Favorite October Reads

My favorite October books are all about family, tenacity, and gratitude.

Thank You, Miyuki written by Roxane Marie Galliez and illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh (Picture Book)

 

A wonderful way to describe meditation for both children and adults. The illustrations are stunning. As Grandpa and Miyuki meditate, they blend in with their surroundings. I can only hope this is what my spirit looks like when I meditate.

The Scourge by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Teen Fiction)

I was on the edge of my seat for most of The Scourge. It's filled with plenty of plot twists and spunky characters as they battle evil wardens, hunger, injustices, and the scourge all while being trapped on an island for scourge patients. It's a must-read for anyone who likes dystopian reads filled with heart-pounding adventure. I particularly enjoyed Ani and Weevil's relationship and their commitment to each other. Though I didn't initially like Ani, there is a tremendous amount of character growth throughout the story. Because Weevil liked her I knew I just needed time to get to know her. I started this book as an audiobook but quickly switched to an ebook because I did not care for the narrator.

The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser (Juvenile Fiction)

I devoured the first four books in this series with little regard to anything else going on in my life. Any spare minute I had, I raced to my front porch and plunked myself down in my rocking chair to read another page or five pages or one hundred. I couldn't read the books fast enough but at the same time I never wanted them to end. 

The Vanderbeeker family is so much more than five kids, their pets, and their mom and dad. They are a family that sticks together, a family that embraces new members with every book (book four actually includes a map of the evolved family and those they love). The Vanderbeekers tackle heavy topics like grief, death, and homelessness in addition to the everyday ups and downs of growing up (at the beginning of the series the kids ages ranged from 4 to 12). The characters all have well-thought-out and consistent personalities that evolve during the first four books - silly and gregarious Laney, empathetic and shy Hyacinth, protective and lovable Oliver, brainy and impulsive Jessie, and artistic and wise Isa. And these are just the kids! Even the grown-ups and pets have their own distinct personalities. 

Because the kids spend so much time not only hanging out with each other, but also just enjoying each other's company while doing their own thing, the emphasis is mostly on family relationships. Any outside person that the family takes a liking to simply becomes part of the family. This is a series to be read in order because each book grows from the last book. I am in my thirties and can still feel the loneliness I felt as a child, as someone who didn't feel comfortable in their family and who did not have strong friendships or relationships. The Vanderbeeker series made me feel like I was a part of their family for the week or two I spent reading the books. More importantly, I think the strength of the Vanderbeeker family's bond with each other has the ability to give its readers the courage and drive to make connections with others. I think of Hyacinth in the fourth book, when she was dropped off early at school a couple times, how she couldn't bring herself to talk with the other kids waiting for school to begin, and I just know a kid is going to read that and get the confidence to make the leap to start a conversation. I have only praise for this series, but books two and four were my favorites. Karina Yan Glaser recently mentioned on her instagram that there will be a total of seven books in the series!! 

Autumn

We're sopping up every last bit of autumn - taking long walks, doing some front-porch sitting, and lots of my favorite kind of interval training, which involves playing tennis on the backboard for a little while, then pausing for a bit of reading. Repeat until it grows dark.

Here is Josie's approach to zen:

For awhile Josie just sat in the water. Who knows how long she would have kept doing this if we hadn't grown tired and urged her to hop out?

Both dogs enjoy going to the backboards with me, but it's one of Margo's life joys. When we get close to the park she starts to "dance," racing from one side of the car to the other. While I play on the backboard she sits quietly, taking everything in. When I pause to read she army crawls her way over to me for snuggles. It's definitely our zen.

Margo is still in the lead for Best Face. There is no language barrier. We always know what she's thinking.

Tomorrow we're expecting our first snow of the season. Time for winter boots and crunching through the white and that exquisite silence of being inside a snow globe. 

exciting updates

Robert converted my grandpa's desk into an adjustable desk! I now spend most of my days standing, which my back appreciates. I'm also antsy in general so it allows me to bebop around while working and as an added bonus, it's much easier to get closer to projects and art with my face if I'm doing detail work. I have been talking nonstop about it with everyone and can't believe I didn't think of doing it sooner.

We've started cavorting through the woods again. There are still lots of people out but we were able to social distance just fine. Josie was super clingy and I spent a lot of time tripping over her. She hadn't been to the woods in so long I think she was completely overwhelmed.

I've been doing a weekly online storytime, which has been an interesting and unique experience. I haven't blogged about it because I have no idea what the patrons think! Doing a storytime with no feedback from patrons is about as bizarre as programming gets. Josie has been joining me for all the storytimes and has been such a well-behaved and comforting presence for me. I've also started playing the ukulele even though I'm still learning and very much a beginner.

Robert snapped this shot of us waiting for storytime to begin. Josie is always camera ready!

early morning surprise

Robert and I have seen and heard some bizarre things on walks recently, but this takes the cake. 

The squirrel appeared to be alive during the whole process, and the fox didn't care that we were nearby.

 

one of the few acceptable kinds of creeping

Picture book happiness: 

From After Squidnight

Favorite September Reads

I read a fair amount of good books in September. It was a good month for finding books I will recommend to patrons, but not necessarily books I personally love.

I did love these three books though!

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! by Ree Drummond (Adult Nonfiction)

 

 

Easy-to-make comfort food with delightful pictures and stories to accompany the recipes. Her recipes were little a-ha moments for me. They weren't too crazy, but they offered different ways of making the foods my family already enjoys. The best example of this is making hash browns in a waffle iron. They're not the best hash browns my family has ever had, but they are so much fun to make and allow us to use the oven and stove for other things we like to make for a big weekend breakfast.

 

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (Teen Graphic Memoir)

 

 

Robin's surprise move from South Korea to Alabama is jolting, frustrating, and completely life-changing. I cannot imagine how awful it must feel to be completely uprooted from your home and moved to a new country where you don't speak the language and are thrown in with a new family that doesn't embrace you. Robin does a beautiful job illustrating and writing about this journey. Each illustration of her face bursting into tears is so beautifully portrayed, it feels like you're being repeatedly punched in the gut. I was ready to kick some stepsister butt several times and was outraged by how her classmates treated her. Despite the awful surprise move and the bullies, Robin flourishes and finds friends she clicks with. I love how text-heavy Almost American Girl is. I also appreciate the piece about her mom that's tucked into the acknowledgements. I only wish I had thought to check for a glossary! I was so engrossed in the story I didn't flip to the back until the very end. Because I enjoyed this book so much I read every single word in it, including the copyright page. That is where I discovered that the really cool chapter openers came from comics Robin created as a teen. Amazing!

 

Saving Jemima by Julie Zickefoose (Adult Nonfiction)

Zickefoose's journey of raising a sickly baby blue jay and slowly reintegrating it back into the wild will warm a lot of hearts. I enjoyed the variety of pictures, artwork, and adorable stories of Jemima bonding with the family, especially Zickefoose's two teens and their dog, Chet. This was my first book by the author, but it's definitely not my last!

buttons, beetles, and rust-colored fabric

I am officially between art projects at the moment. But it definitely feels like the universe is urging me to get a move on with the next pieces.

A friend dropped these off at the library for me the other day:

Buttons! I really need to develop an art piece using buttons.

An artist I admire greatly also recently got rid of some of her fabric and thread, including some fabric she dyed using rusty metal.

I just wrapped up two collages and two embroidery pieces so I've been in that weird in-between projects phase. I usually don't wrap up things all at once. I've started cutting papers for an abstract landscape based on three quilting patterns, and I'll begin painting papers for another collage project that's so new I don't know how to describe it yet. As for embroidery, one new piece is a flop and has gone into the timeout pile. It features three different beetles, each with its own pattern, and it needs something else, another layer. Another embroidery piece is emerging into something a little different than I thought it would be, but I'm tentatively loving it. 

I'm trying to give myself a little room to play when making things so I've allowed myself to wander off the path with the current embroidery piece I'm working on. I'm definitely trying to be a little more spontaneous overall, and it's so difficult. If I see something in my office that strikes me, I add it to a pile I started, no matter what it is - paper, beads, thread etc. The pile currently makes no sense, but it's a step in the right direction.

Here are a few tubs of my tea papers. Organizing them by color is a great way for me to brainstorm and let my mind wander. The collage in the picture is one I made for my home (it has also been finished since I took this picture). It's a beautiful piece but doesn't photograph well, which is why I haven't shared it. I used a lanyard hole puncher to cut out hundreds of paper pieces for the quote and black paper of different weights and textures for the background. I'm done with lettering and hole punchers for awhile, that's for sure!

I'm also still checking out a lot books! Thanks goodness for the library! I get a lot of inspiration from both words and illustrations. This was my haul from the library last Saturday when I worked in the branch. I'm still working mostly from home so my weekly library hauls are roughly three bags of goodies, including storytime books. I've been doing a weekly virtual storytime since early September. That's a different story, and one I'm not sure about yet.

I'm open to any ideas if you've got them! Especially if anyone knows what to pair with lonely beetles.