Library Woes

Hey, Y'all,
Well, the governor has cut funds to the library, and the library board has made their decisions...and did a masterful job, I think. No Sunday hours except at the Main Library, Closing early every night, Full time is down from 40 hrs to 36 hrs and part timers from 20 to 18 hrs, Less money spent for new material, no new hires, even if people quit. Nothing there is great, but at least no branch has to close and no employee has lost their job. Better yet, our benefits have stayed the same. I can live with that. I will have to adjust my budget, and tighten my belt, but I am not so bad off. No credit-card debt, no mortgage, and I have some savings. Yep, all-in-all, not so very bad. I just hope that the governor realizes what great libraries Ohio has. So many may just have to close their doors...

JB

facebook

Hey Y'all,
I have found a friend that I haven't seen or heard from in about 33 years! Teresa and I were best of friends for years, until her family moved away. We did still keep in touch for a while, but then just fell out of touch. It is wonderful, how Facebook has brought people together again. I have several "friends" that were friends many years ago. I just love it. If only my son wouldn't keep telling me that "Facebook is the Devil!" He keeps telling me not to mention addresses, phone numbers, or when I am going on vacation, etc. Granted, he is a policeman, but does he really think that I am that stupid? I am the one who doesn't even put a picture of myself on any computer website! I have never trusted the ether out there. Anyway, I love facebook, despite all that.
JB

Hey, y'all,
I have really come into my own on the computer! I am now on facebook! Although I haven't found a good enough picture, yet. I have "found" a couple of old friends, a couple of cousins, and several people from work, so far. It is kind of fun, although I can't get on as often as I would like. Just on a break or lunch hour. (I am still not on line at home.)
JB
-

Spring Break

Hey Y'all,
My grandson has been on spring break this week. He is spending it @ Grandpa's in Washington DC. How many 5 year olds get to go so far away on spring break? (Well, it's not Cancun, but he IS only 5). I am taking my spring break next week. Not in the same way as Alex, though. I have a couple of Dr. appointments, a fridge to clean before something grows legs in back, and an apartment that is in dire need of a dust cloth and a vaccuum. Ah, the joys of spring cleaning! My cat will love me for staying at home, but when she sees that vaccuum come out, I may not see her for hours. She cannot stand that vaccuum!
JB

Sometimes you marvel at the stupidity of people. The ones who run a red light, then flip YOU the bird because you almost hit them. The ones who cannot understand why they have to at least get a GED before they homeschool their children. And the ones who think that what they were taught in history class in school is the truth! Doesn't anyone read real history books anymore? Does no one even think about the fact that history is written by the "winner" of any conflict? I love the fact that I when I was talking about the "Puritans" hanging Quakers, I was informed of the fact that "That didn't happen." Seemingly, the colonial court records are all wrong, because the schoolbooks state that the puritans came over so America could have religious freedom for all. Hello...they came so that THEY could have that freedom, not so anyone else could! I just want to say...go read a book!
JB

Week off

Hey Y'all
I have next week off!!!!! I am very happy about that, although I haven't any real plans. I may spend the last part of the week in WV, visiting family. I haven't been down for a while. I would like to do some research (genealogy) down there, but will probably need more than a couple of days for that. I may just stay at home and do as little as possible. I only hope that the week goes very slowly.
JB

Keeping up or at least not so far behind

Hey y'all, I have surely started to keep up with the times...I am now on facebook. My son-in-law talked me into it, and truth is, I am having a good time with it. I have re-connected with a couple of ex-school mates, a couple of cousins, etc. Not too bad for someone who is usually pretty old fashioned! (I don't even have cable TV! I use rabbit ears!)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php? is my page at facebook.

Julia

Good reading

Hey, y'all
I've been reading a lot lately. Re-reading, actually. Years ago I read all of M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth mysteries. When I realized how many more there are now, I decided to re-read all of the old ones again, before I take on the new. I had forgotten how much fun they were! Not something very deep, understand, but very entertaining. Perfect for a winter evening! Listening to Saffire and reading a good mystery. All anyone needs.
JB

Almost Spring...I thought

Hey Y'all,
We have had several days of fairly mild weather this passed week. It has been very nice. However, today we woke up to 20 degree weather with snow flurries and lots of wind. Horrid! All my hopes were dashed! Oh, well. We have had several "strange" and "odd" people frequenting the library lately. I cannot and will not go into detail, of course, but I think that cabin fever and the winter blues have been making the rounds. WE NEED SPRING!
JB

Being grown-up

Hey, y'all,
This weekend was an exciting one for my grandson. He lost his first tooth Friday evening! He very seriously asked me if I knew what that meant. When I asked what, he replied "I am almost grown up!" And he meant it. He thinks that now that he has lost a baby tooth, and has "grown-up tools", and is in kindergarten, too, he must be almost grown up. I just told him not to hurry, because he will be a grown-up for a lot longer than he will be a boy. He wasn't impressed. Why do you spend 20 years wishing to be a grown-up, just to spend at least part of the next 60 wishing you were young again?
JB

Hey y'all,
Yesterday was something else, wasn't it? Bush is (finally) out! The library had a tv set up so we and the patrons could watch the whole ceremony, and when it was done, the library patrons broke out in applause! We did NOT try to shush them. Everyone was very excited and smiling at everyone else, and there was an atmosphere of hope and happiness coming from almost everyone in the building. Nice.
I hope my grandson got to see it. He was so excited when Obama won. He DID tell me that he was for Obama because he liked to say his name, but then he is 5 years old. His big deal this weekend was to teach Grandma wii games. Well, here is to the next 4 years!
JB

EEEEEK!!!

Hey, y'all,
Well, the week progressed, and the temp today when I left for work was -10 degrees. Wind chill was -25. F not C. COLD!!! All those complaints about hot weather, cost of living, bugs and hurricanes from my last blog are beginning to seem minor. Very minor. The high today is supposed to climb all the way to 5 degrees! At least I don't live in Fargo, ND. I think that I heard that it was -35 there. Before the wind chill was factored in! Baby, it's cold outside!
JB

Winter

Hey Y'all,
I HATE WINTER!!! It is altogether too cold, and is to get colder as this week progresses. Days like these I just want to move to a tropical island somewhere. Of course, I would probably just complain about the heat, then. Maybe somewhere like northern California...but then I would complain about the cost of living. How about Texas? Nah...bugs there are huge. Florida? Hurricanes. Oh, well. Maybe I should just put on an extra layer and tough it out. After all, my grandson lives here. How on earth could I leave him? Cold or not, I seem to be in Ohio to stay. But why does cold weather seem so much colder at 56 than at 10?:)
JB

Hey y'all,
Just a few days after I posted the video of Earth Kitt, she died. On Christmas Day, as a matter of fact. At the age of 81. I think she would have probably planned it that way, had she the chance to. Anyone who could sing that song so well, and then break up laughing at the end had to have a good sense of humor.

Santa Baby

This video is one of my favorites...Eartha Kitt is 79 years old here! Would that I had legs like that! At ANY age! She was born January, 1927. This was at the 2006 DC Christmas concert. So she was really closer to 80 than not!
JB

Great Read!!!

Hey y'all,
I just read a wonderful children's book, and was very impressed. This is the author's first book, and she did a marvelous job. Part adventure, part fantasy, the children in the story were believable. Bad moods, arguing with siblings, wishing they were part of a different family, etc. The author made the story real, even as she incorporated giants, mermaids and flesh eating plants. I cannot wait for part two. The book is "The Lost Island of Tamarind" by Nadia Aguiar. I recommend it to all!
JB

Snowy Weekend

Hey Y'all,
Saturday mid-morning, I looked at the snow coming down and decided that I was not going to do anything. And so I went nowhere, and did almost nothing. Alex came over Saturday evening, and spent the night, and we read, watched a movie (cartoon) and did a jigsaw puzzle. Sunday I did laundry, dishes (yes, I left the dished in the sink Saturday night GASP...HORROR!!!) and straightened up after Alex went home. This is the sum total of my boring weekend. I loved it.
JB

Hey y'all,
Last night I babysat for a couple of hours for my grandson. When it was time for bed, I asked if he wanted me to read to him, or him read to me. HE read ME a bedtime story. And very well, I might add. No, I am not stretching things a bit because I am Grandma. The child is 5 and reads at about a 2nd-3rd grade level. Told you guys he was perfect! And he went straight to bed when reading time was over! Sometimes I really marvel at how great my daughter and son-in-law are at parenting.
JB

Thanksgiving

Hey y'all,
We had a good old fashioned family Thanksgiving on Thursday. We had my Mother, 2 out of three of my brothers, my daughter and one of my sons, as well as my son-in-law, a couple of single guys who are friends of my kids and, of course, the main person at all of our get-togethers...my grandson. The food was great, the conversation was great, and the company was great. My daughter, who is a fantastic cook, did most of the dinner. I contributed some, and my son (who bakes like a dream) brought pies and cheesecake. Yumm! Hope everyone else out there has had a wonderful holiday!
JB

10 random things about me

1. I was once friends with the daughter of a circus promoter...I hung out with acrobats, clowns, etc.
2. I was great in English and History...not so much in Math and Chemistry.
3. I have the genealogy tree for my father's branch back to the middle ages.
4. I used to play piano, flute, and piccolo.
5. I was the ultimate tom-boy as a kid.
6. I can tat. (Don't say "What??" You work in a library! Look it up!)
7. I hate to fly.
8. I WILL fly...to England someday!! My lifelong dream.
9. My great-great grandfather was a moonshiner.
10. I was the #1 premier hide and seek player of my neighborhood when I was a kid.

JB