As I was completing my opening routine at the Library the other morning, I walked into the Children’s Room. In the late morning, the sun shines in through the windows at the perfect angle, and I will often enjoy a couple of minutes to stand quietly in the warm rays. Just outside of those windows is a lovely little garden bed, and I noticed that the crocuses had begun pushing themselves out of the sun-warmed dirt to say hello, a sure sign that winter has lost its cold, dead grip, and we have turned the corner into spring!
April, here in Old Orchard Beach, is the getting-ready-for-summer month, and the anticipation of what’s to come is nearly palpable this time of year. The snow is mostly melted, the trees are starting to bud, and many of us are heading outside to sweep the salt and sand off the sidewalks, or to take a look at our gardens and see what has survived the long, cold winter. A favorite past-time of many folks here in our community is gardening, and truthfully, there’s nothing quite like getting down and dirty for reminding us of how precious our short growing season is.
We aren’t the only ones who benefit greatly from a well-planted garden. In fact, our six-legged, winged neighbors very much appreciate all of the flowers planted around town. In the “Did You Know” category, did you know that there are several public pollinator gardens here in town? Two great ones to check out are at the Community Garden at the ballpark and the Milliken Mills Woods Trail Head on Portland Avenue. The Community Garden pollinator plot, sponsored by the CFC, is always looking for volunteers to help out. Please email: director@ooblibrary.org if interested.
And because pollinators are such an important part of a healthy eco-system, they will be the theme for our Story Time/Take and Makes the week of Earth Day (4/19-4/22). Be sure to stop in and pick up a Take and Make project baggie, complete with seed balls to plant pollinator-attractive greenery in your very own garden, planter, and/or yard!
Also in the “Did You Know” category is April’s full moon this year will be a Pink Moon. While it might seem that the moniker has to do with the color of the moon, the real reason it is so dubbed has to do with a particular flower, creeping phlox, whose lovely pink blossoms are a common sight in the early spring here in the Northeast.
Speaking of moons, don’t miss “The Mysterious Moon and Me” set to air on April 30 at 10 a.m. It is the last of our Virtual Astronomy series presented by Shawn Laatsch, director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center.
We would like to extend a heart-felt thank you for all of the people who contributed to our Tiny Art Show. We have some very talented artists in our community. For those who painted one of the tiny canvases, please don’t forget to stop by and pick up your masterpiece.
In March, our very own Miss Kim expanded her reach beyond our local community to other libraries across the country. She has put up a display of library cards from all 50 states. Be sure to stop in and check out some library cards from across the continent.
If you have been enjoying a little peek into what our staff reads, you won’t be disappointed. New Staff picks will be available on April 19, and I have it on good authority that one of the staffers has chosen gardening as the theme of her picks. The patron who can guess, correctly, who that staff member is will be the recipient of a very cool Sprout pencil, the end of which can be planted after the pencil is too short to write with.
We are so excited to welcome a new season here at Libby Library! And as our favorite Aardvark, Arthur Read, reminds us, “having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card.”
Wendy Brown has been growing roots, both figuratively and literally, here in Old Orchard Beach for 2 1/2 decades. When she’s not reshelving books in the children’s room (and basking in the warm sun rays streaming through the windows), she enjoys hanging out with her “Maine” man, their tribe of adult children and spouses, quartet of grandchildren, menagerie of pets, and flock of suburban chickens.
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