Sunday, January 24, 2010

Wet weekend update

The library open house was fun yesterday, despite the weather. It was cold, sometimes a bit windy, and misting the whole time. We had about 2/3 the turnout we did last year. I was out in the bookmobile with the side door open for about three hours, but the heat was running inside and I stayed relatively warm (except for my feet) and mostly dry. Met some nice people and heard some great compliments about the library. Always happy to get that positive feedback.

One of the events at the open house was a local authors showcase. It featured three women from the area. I didn't get to attend it, but afterward I saw a friend who had brought his family to the library because his adolescent son wants to be a writer. He was too shy to talk to any of the ladies, but I volunteered to chat with him sometime if he is interested. His mother says he writes every day, and I guess that's the way to do it. I had met him before, but he is very shy (English is his second or third language) and I don't know if he will follow up. If I don't hear from him, I will make the offer again next time I see his dad. I don't want to pester him, though.

This morning (Sunday) was 35 (1.6 C) and showery. We went over to check out the arts and crafts booths at the Flake Out Festival, but it was a disappointment. This year it was inside a series of large tents, and it was wet and rather dark in there. Some folks had put lanterns on their tables to try to brighten things up, but that just made it more obvious that it was dark. There seemed to be only about half as many (?) exhibitors, and none of our favorites were there. If I tell you that the only conversation I had was with a woman who makes homemade soap on her farm using goat's milk, you will realize why nothing really caught my attention. Not sure what the full story is about the festival this year, but the weather and a change of venue seem to have combined to make it less successful than in the past. Maybe next year ...

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