Auntie Librarian

 I believe that cooking is one of the true comforts of home; it's one of the best ways to show someone you love them. Cooking is also a fantastic way for me to be creative. That's why I relish crafting a good meal for friends and family, or putting out a spread for teachers at book fair time. Planning the menu is fun, and I love lingering around the table afterwards chatting or playing games. It's so satisfying when I see people go for seconds and there are no leftovers. 

Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite sources for recipes. Grabbing key ingredients and ideas from two of my favorite West Greenville shops, Revival Butchery and Naked Pasta, is always a treat. I often don't know what I'm preparing for dinner until I walk into either place and find inspiration. What's more inspiring than pasta that's just been made or freshly ground beef?  Mmmmm! So good! 

The last time we got a craving for chicken pot pie, I decided to make one from scratch, something I've never done.  I went with Ree's easy chicken pot pie, recipe, but made it double crusted with store bought pie crust from the refrigerator section for the bottom and a puff pastry top. I saved time by using a rotisserie chicken and frozen peas and carrots.  Oven roasted asparagus completed the meal. It was delicious and comforting. 

When I look back to my childhood, I remember how good it felt to come home, so hungry for dinner, smelling my mother's cooking as soon as I walked in the door. Spaghetti after softball practice, Chicken Cacciatore after band. I appreciate the memory of this now more than I did when I was a kid, and wish I had been more grateful.  

I'm adding chicken pot pie to my list of go to comfort meals to prepare, alongside hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie and good old fashioned chicken soup.  It feels good to make it, share it, and eat it!

 Abandoned 

We already had two dogs. “He has to stay outside.”

My first response to this little stinky dachshund’s arrival.

Within days

He was inside: house, heart.

His personality had taken hold of me. I could turn him out no longer.

Black wiry fur

He looked like one of those pot bellied pigs people keep for pets.

His love for food: comical.

His eyes and wobbly walk

Expressions and personality

Quirky, winning

Always wanting to be near you.

eyes begging

For love in any form

Food 

Touch

Toys

He loved toys

Especially the squeakers

Sniffing and snorting with excitement

Throw, chase, tug, growl, repeat

Those little nails clicking on the floor

He loved to dig outside in the yard

Nose fresh with brown dirt.

And bury himself 

in blankets

Stealing dirty socks and shirts to feather his nest.

Five years. 

Diabetes and divorce, Insulin and lawyers

A new normal, soon back to our old playful selves

Taking the shots well

Another year, out on our own

Ready partner in this new life

Steady

Holding

Hopeful

Another move

closer

New loves, New job, New town

Family

He was a bridge, a band aid. Ambassador healer

Slowing down, he grayed and limped.

How old is he?

We don’t know.

His adventures do not stop. 

Convertible rides

Nose out the window

He is the portable star 

Covered with kisses

It’s been a while since he chased a toy.

But his costume takes home first place anyway

Shaky

Seizures

He’s just old.

This is the sad part

Full of hot tears and burning regret

It is the end

Endings can be long or short

Which one is best?

Guilt and Pain a lesson to grow me.

Forgive me. Next time, I’ll do better.

Let me carry you in my heart. 

We were not

Ready 

To say goodbye.

Last year, story time was a big challenge for me. Coming from two decades in the middle school arena, it was new.   I stumbled through my own ideas of where the children should sit, wether I should sit or stand, which books were the best choices for story time, should I use a document camera, etc, etc.

 In this second year of story time I now understand: the purpose of the story time rug, the story time chair and having a special corner or area for story time. But the biggest revelation for me was just how important story time actually is. Don't get me wrong, I have always known that story time is a big deal and that reading aloud to children is hugely important, but the richness of it and the depth of what story time can be and do is much more than I originally gave it credit for. I underestimated it. Story time is an educational playground chock full of opportunities to teach vocabulary, literary elements and much more. It is also a time to personally connect with students.  It creates a shared, community experience that can be referenced and built upon. I bet whole college courses could be done on story time, maybe they are.

I now have a story time chair for the reader - that's usually me! And, I have moved the area where we do story time to the back of the library, away from the distracting flow of checkout, visitors and chatting teachers, closer to our beanbag reading area near the big windows. I remember first seeing the tiered area in our library with the bean bags and thinking that was the perfect place for story time. Now I know better. That area is too large and spread out for my version of story time.

I still don't have a story time rug, because I haven't found one that I like just yet. But, I do understand that the students need to sit on the floor to improve their ability to focus on the book and its' illustrations, and that being close to each other is important. The rug defines that area and makes it special. Children need to see the reader's facial expressions, and  the reader needs to see the children's facial expressions. The setting is intimate and special. This is one of the reasons I have chosen not to use technology during story time. I believe it would create a barrier between the reader and the student and that face to face experiences in our world are becoming a luxury.

I have always believed in doing the voices and making sounds when reading a story. Now I also find that putting my own reactions into the read aloud is often effective. The look of shock, surprise or anger on my face when a character does something unexpected is entertaining and often helpful to children in confirming their own reactions to the story. It is also fun.

I certainly have much to learn about the art of an effective story time, but I have come a long way. At the very least, I now have a more comprehensive understanding and a deeper appreciation for the goodness and importance of reading picture books to classes of students.