Pumpkin Patch at the Library

Library Assistant Donna Kirchgatter has decorated the library and the window for October. Donna is always willingly to share items throughout the library and the year that she has made.

Plan your trips at TripCart

As the weather slowly shifts from summer to fall, many of us are left thinking about traveling south for some sun. With plenty of trip planning websites out there, TripCart focuses on combining all attractions into a single convenient location.

When the time to getaway rolls around, check in with TripCart. This travel website focuses on attractions that would be interesting to hit up when traveling in the U.S. Select a destination and TripCart pulls up Google Map with pinpoints of places to check out, including hotels, places of interest, theme parks, shopping, golf, sporting events, nature/parks, zoos and aquariums. It certainly takes the hassle out of visiting multiple locations for vacation planning.

Even more useful are the in depth descriptions of cities and the locations around where you are searching. Great if you have never been to the area before.

Friends of the Library Meeting

Thursday, October 27th 10am at the library, the Friends will hold their third meeting of the year. All are welcome to attend and help out with Friends projects.

Membership cost is $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for seniors. The officers are: Clint Patterson-President, Mona Draheim-VP, Fran Johnson-Secretary, Lois Gardner-Treasurer, Nancy Bauman-Bookkeeper, and Sybil Haugen-Historian. If you have any questions, please call the library 507-634-7615.

Johnny Appleseed's Birthday

Johnny Appleseed was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, on September 26, 1774. His real name was John Chapman, but he was called Johnny Appleseed because of his love for growing apple trees.

Johnny Appleseed was a legendary American who planted and supplied apple trees to much of the United States of America. Many people think that Johnny Appleseed was fictional character, but he was a real person.

Johnny was a skilled nurseryman who grew trees and supplied apple seeds to the pioneers in the mid-western USA. Appleseed gave away and sold many trees. He owned many nurseries in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana, where he grew his beloved apple trees. Although he was a very successful man, Appleseed lived a simple life. It is said that as Johnny traveled, he wore his cooking pot on his head as a hat!

Johnny died at the age of 70; he is buried in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He had spent 50 years growing apple trees and traveling to spread his precious trees around his country.

Mary Poppins Debut

Mary Poppins debut on this day in 1964. It is a well loved musical for all ages with a magical nanny that takes the two young children, of a wealthy London banker, on a journey into playful worlds and eccentric characters.

Though already an acclaimed Broadway actress, Julie Andrews had never made a movie before Walt Disney chose her to play Mary Poppins in his adaptation of P.L. Travers famous children's books. Andrews captured both the character's stern authority and maternal warmth and won a Best Actress Oscar for this, her screen debut performance.

Two of MARY POPPINS' six Academy Awards went to the film's technical crew for its outstanding work bringing the story's magic to the screen. The movie won Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.

Newsletters in a Pop!

To create great looking newsletters you no longer need a graphic artist's degree (or even access to MS Publisher templates). Thanks to LetterPop.com, newsletters are now a "pop"!

LetterPop is a nifty free online website that lets you create great looking newsletters and announcements with a few clicks and drags of your mouse. The site lets you freely drop and drag elements on the screen wherever you want and with over 90 templates (be sure to check out the multiple page layouts available with each template) there’s so much you can do.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Play around with LetterPop.com and mock up a newsletter or announcement of your own
   
2. Post a link to it from your blog and share your creation and discoveries with others.
   

Try it yourself and see if you don't agree that creating great looking newsletters with this tool is a ... POP!

H.G. Wells Birthday

Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Island of Doctor Moreau. He was a prolific writer and his early science fiction novels are widely read today. Wells and Jules Verne are sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".

I visited HyperIGo on the recommendation from Tasha at greenlakelibrary . She has become my guru on the internet and I have learned to trust her instincts on interesting things to checkout.

I, like Tasha, ended spending lots of time and like the bookmark icon concept. I see this as being very helpful for people of all ages and internet skills. Try looking at this site and I will bet you will be like Tasha and I and use this site for your bookmarks.

Here is Tasha's my HyperIGo site with very little changed from the original. This way you can take a look, though you won't be able to edit it. You can add bookmarks and they appear as images of the actual site. Much friendlier than all words for newbies. Also, you can make things easier larger or smaller, sort in different ways, and create your own categories. Very friendly and easy to use.

ENJOY!!

Television Tunes

Remember those TV tunes that once played never left your head? Well here is a site that has about 2500 songs from yesterday and today.

They even have Name That TV Theme game. I played it a couple of times and did very well with yesterday and some today. I guess I had time to watch more TV when I was younger. Enjoy the site! http://www.televisiontunes.com/

WOW! What a great site. I saw the fun & tricks math video: learn how to multiply big numbers . Very Helpful! Lots of categories with many videos. Check it out!


SuTree is a site that offers free video tutorials, lessons and lectures. You can learn about a wide variety of subjects from art to computers to food to finance. The site currently has over 10,000 lessons available. If you register for the site, you are able to rate the videos. You can browse the content by subject, recently added, most viewed, top rated, or alphabetically.

Top 100 Sci-Fi Books

If you are interested in Science Fiction this is a great site as it has books, short stories, Tv Shows and movies. Check it out! I have the top ten books, authors, and dates they were printed. There is also a link to at the title that will tell you more about the book. http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/lists_books_rank1.html

1. Frank Herbert Dune [S1] 1965
2. Orson Scott Card Ender's Game [S1] 1985
3. Isaac Asimov Foundation [S1-3] 1951
4. Douglas Adams Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy [S1] 1979
5. George Orwell 1984 1949
6. Robert A Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land 1961
7. Isaac Asimov [C] I, Robot 1950
8. William Gibson Neuromancer 1984
9. Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451 1954
10. Robert A Heinlein Starship Troopers 1959

Books to Read Before the Movies Hit Theaters

After ‘Nanny Diaries,’ more books to read before the movies hit theaters

Fall book list: What to read now before the movie versions hit theaters Like “The Nanny Diaries,” plenty of upcoming movies are based on best-sellers. To prepare yourself, here are five of the best reads:

•Into the Wild (Oct. 5): Jon Krakauer’s account of a young loner who tries to live off the land in middle-of-nowhere Alaska.

•The Kite Runner (Nov. 2): Khaled Hosseini’s troubling tale of two boys growing up under Afghanistan’s Taliban rule.

•Love in the Time of Cholera (Nov. 16): Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s romantic saga in South America.

•Atonement (Dec. 7, limited): Ian McEwan’s story of an imaginative 13-year-old whose lies ruin the lives around her.

•The Golden Compass (Dec. 7): The first in Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy about a girl who may save the world, or destroy it. For young adults (and grown-ups, too).

•Extra credit: Beowulf, I Am Legend, No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, P.S. I Love You and, for kids and young adults, The Dark Is Rising and The Water Horse.

20 Simple Ways to Become a Bookworm

Here is a nice response to the recent survey (posted on my August 27th blog) that says adults aren't reading much anymore. I wish libraries were higher on this list but at least we are on the list.

20 Simple Ways to Become a Bookworm Written by Leo of Zen Habits.

A top goal for many people is reading more books. And while it seems like an easy enough goal, it seems that it can be difficult with all of life's distractions.

Reading can be a pleasure like no other, especially when you discover a fantastic author or an imaginative new world. You can cuddle up with a good book on a weekend or rainy day, become life-long friends with a great character, lose yourself in the worlds created by books.

If reading more books is a goal of yours, there are some easy and simple things you can do to encourage a life-long reading habit. Follow these tips, and you'll soon have a list of books you've read that goes on forever.

1. Make it a habit. If you can install a new habit to read at certain times of the day, no matter what, even if it's just for 10 minutes at a time, you'll end up reading a ton of books over the course of a year. For example, make it a habit to read with breakfast and lunch, when you use the bathroom, and when you go to bed. If you do 10 minutes at a time, you'll have 40 minutes a day, or nearly 5 hours a week. If you ride public transit, read while you're waiting and while you're on the bus or train. Make it a daily habit, and it will add up. This is the surest way to read more books.
   


2. Keep a reading list. Either in a notebook, on a wiki, or some other document on your computer, keep a simple list of books you want to read. Add to it every time you hear of a good book, or read a good review. This running list will keep you motivated keep reading more.



3. Keep a book log. Along those lines, also keep a log of all the books you read. If you want to be detailed, write the book title, author, the date you started and the date you completed it. Even more, you can write a short note about how you liked the book. If all of that's too much trouble, just keep a list of the books you read and maybe the date you finished them



4. Set a challenge. Make a challenge for yourself -- say one book a week, or 40 books in a year. Something achievable, but a challenge. Make it a public challenge, announcing it on your blog or to friends and family, and give everyone your weekly progress report. You'll push yourself to meet the challenge, and find ways to do it.
   


5. Cut back on online reading. If you're reading a lot of stuff online, you probably don't have enough time to read books. If you cut your online reading by just 30 minutes (I'm not saying to ditch it completely), you'll have time to read for half an hour a day. That adds up.




6. Join a book club. Most areas have some sort of book club -- look online, in your local newspaper, or at your local library for a book club near you. If you can't find one, organize one with friends, family and neighbors who are interested in books. A book club will get you motivated to read, and help you find recommendations for great books, and perhaps an easy way to swap good books with people in your area.




7. Join an online forum. Along those lines, there are many online forums for book lovers -- just do a Google search. Join one, participate, list your favorite books and authors, read those of others, talk books. It's a lot of fun, and you'll get support to form your reading habit.




8. Limit TV watching. If you watch hours of television every day, you won't be able to read many books. Cut your TV time in half (for example), to free up time for reading.




9. Join Bookmooch. Try Bookmooch for a great way to swap books. List the books you're willing to mail to people, and then list the books you want. If someone requests a book, you mail it at your cost. If someone has a book you want, you get it mailed to you for free.




10. Carry your book always. This is one of the most important tips if you want to read more books: anywhere you go, bring your book with you. If you leave the house, put your book in the car. That way, if you have any waiting time, you've got your book to keep you company.




11. Find inspiration. Read blogs by book lovers. There are many. These book lovers will describe books in such as way as to make you want to read them. They'll talk about their favorite authors. It's inspiring, and it'll motivate you to read.




12. Get great recommendations. Find others who love the books you love, and see what else they recommend. A great way to do that is through Library Thing, a service where you list the books you own, give them ratings and reviews, and get recommendations for other books.




13. Read books you can't put down. While you may be ambitious and want to tackle all of the classics, if those go a little too slowly for you, put them down and come back to them later. Instead, find a real page-turner. It doesn't matter what kind of book it is, as long as it's a book you love to read and can't put down. For me, that's writers like Stephen King and John Grisham and Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum or Sue Grafton. I'll stay up all night reading one of their books.
    



14. Always have books to read. You should never finish a book and not have another book lined up. I like to have at least 5 lined up, so I don't have to worry about it. Have your lineup of books stacked to one side of your bookshelf, so you always know what's on deck.




15. Read books that make you laugh. Humorous books are good books, in my opinion. They're fun, and they can poke fun at some of the things we normally take seriously. And they make you want to read them. Find a funny author and go with him. My favorites are Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett and Mark Twain and David Sedaris.




16. Connect with your passions. What do you love, and what do you love to do? If you read about it online, it's probably something you love to read about. Think about what those topics are, and find a good fiction novel about it. You're more likely to keep reading if you love the topic.
    



17. Get into a series. Once I hit on a book I love, if it's part of a series, I try to read the whole series (if I can find all the books). Start to finish is best, but sometimes it doesn't matter. Series are a great way to keep reading.




18. Finish your book before starting another. One bad habit I broke a few years ago was starting one book, putting it down, and then starting another, thinking I'll read them both at the same time. It doesn't usually work. I often don't come back to the first book, and usually don't finish it. If you start a book and it's a dud, go ahead and abandon it. But if it's a keeper, try to finish it before moving on.




19. Become a library lover. There's no better resource for book lovers than the local public library. It's full of great books, new and old, and it's free. It's free! Go there, and enjoy the time you spend there.




20. Get to love used book stores. Second best, next to the library, are your local used bookstores. There aren't a lot of them in my area (just one, actually, not counting a thrift shop), so it is one of my favorite places to go. I usually take a stack (or a box) of my old books, sell them, and use the credit to get a bunch of new ones.

Cowboy Camp-Round Up A Good Book

Once again Aunt Violet chose to visit the library this time dressed as a cowgirl and is part of the cowboy themed window that staff member Paula Talbert created.

Every month we have a new window display that promotes reading and we get many compliments on the window displays.

Most of the item displayed in the window belong to me as I am a horse enthusiast. I use to show my paso fino horses http://www.blogger.com/www.pasofinos.com/pasofino.html at area horse show and parades. I have two horses now that I go trail riding with friends every weekend spring through fall.

9-11 Service Appreciation” program

There will be a “9-11 Service Appreciation” program, at the Rochester Veterans Memorial, Tuesday, Sept 11 from 5:00 to 8:00, followed by a candle light ceremony.

We will serve MRE’s (Meals Ready To Eat) for $15.00 to civilians. The MRE’s are what are troops eat while in the field and are great for emergencies or for camping, boating or traveling.

All Sheriff’s personnel, Police personnel, Firefighters, First Responders, and Military who have served since 9-11-01 within a fifty mile radius of Rochester will be served FREE pork sandwiches, potato salad etc. There will also be Hot Dogs for the kids, Pepsi, Water, coffee and cookies for sale.

Come down and meet the people who are on the front lines protecting us and eat what the troops are eating.

Food, music and companionship from 5:00 to 8:00.

Fox 102.5 will furnish the music and selected interviews.

This is a program to show our appreciation for everyone who has served since 9-11-01 and also a fund raiser for Veterans Hospice Care for room and board at Seasons Hospice. Room and board are not covered by VA benefits, Medicare or most insurance so this is a way of thanking our Veterans, whom we owe so much. A presentation of a $10,000.00 check for V4V will be presented by DAV representatives.

All first responders, troops, etc from a fifty mile radius of Rochester will also be eligible for attendance prizes.

Grandparents Day Sept. 9th

Since I am a grandmother with two adorable grandchildren Regan (4) and Gage(2) I couldn't let this day go by without showing pictures of the kids. It's great to be a grandparent-you get to do fun things, give them sweets and send them home.

A couple of weeks ago my granddaughter told me I was her hero. There were kittens separated from their mother in the front seat of an old car in their shed and there was a HUGE garden spider that had spun a web in the window and her mother was afraid of the spider so Regan called her grandmother. It was hard to understand what she said and all I could understand was kittens, car and big spider. Needless to say I drove the five miles to their house and got rid of the spider and reunited mother cat and kittens. Regan turned and hugged me and said, "Grandma Bonnie you are my HERO!!" Little did she know I was also afraid of spiders but you can do a lot with a big stick and a shoe.

PBS Kids Super Readers and K-M Daycares

PBS sent Kasson Library their Kids Super Readers materials to distribute to children. We chose our Books on Wheels (BOW) outreach daycare program to receive these materials.

Yesterday and today we delivered the materials to the 10 K-M area daycares and they were ecstatic about the reading charts and stickers. One daycare said "You're a lifesaver. I was wondering how I was going to implement our after school reading 20 minutes a day program. Now I have the materials." Another daycare stated she goes to PBS Kids for ideas and material to keep the kids reading.


We have extra Super Reader charts and stickers, if anyone else is interested in starting a reading program for their children. Stop in the library and select what will work for you.

PC Magazine Top 100 Websites

I have a couple of website I check daily, I highlighted Menasha Public Library in a previous past. I would like you to look at R.A. Meyers website called A series of Daily Assignments designed to teach the newbie all the wonderful things the Internet has to offer. ameyerguam.blogspot.com/ I have found his daily assignments helpful in learning what is out on the web. Today he has highlighted top classic website and "undiscovered" websites. Take time today to explore some of them, maybe they will become your new favorites.

I agree with Meyers "Every time I go through groups like these I marvel at what I don’t know. "

Here are their top classics websites:
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/0,1206,l=213025&s=25234&a=212961,00.asp

Here are their top “undiscovered” sites though I’d already discovered a few of them.
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/0,1206,l=213934&s=25234&a=213919,00.asp

Busy Library Storytime

Our storytime has been busy now that school has started. Twenty six children and their moms listened to Children's Librarian Mary Mataitis read stories, they watched a Little Bear video, and then color a school bus to take home.

Newspaper Carrier Day

We at the library would like to salute our two news carriers Riley Swartz & and Sam Eisenbeis for their daily delivery of our paper.

This day commemorates the hiring of the very first newspaper carrier. Newspaper carriers date back to the early 1800s. On September 10, 1833, 10 year old Barney Flaherty became the first newspaper carrier. Benjamin Day, publisher of The New York Sun, hired Barney Flaherty to sell papers for his penny press. The only job requirement, was that he had to show that he could throw a newspaper into the bushes.

Newspaper Carrier Day, September 4th, honors everyone who is now, or once was, a newspaper carrier. The list includes thousands, if not millions, of people. Years ago, this job was primarily populated by kids, from pre-teen through approximately sixteen.

Now, few kids deliver papers anymore except in small towns. But, but the "Carrier Day" tradition lives. This job is now largely held by adults, many of them delivering the paper from their cars.

Uncle Sam's Birthday

Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812 and the first illustration dating from 1852. He is often depicted as a serious elderly man with white hair and a goatee, dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States—for example, a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white trousers.

Common folklore holds origins trace back to soldiers stationed in upstate New York, who would receive barrels of meat stamped with the initials U.S. The soldiers jokingly referred to it as the initials of the troops' meat supplier,"Uncle Samuel" Wilson of Troy, New York.

The most famous picture of Uncle Sam appeared on an Army recruiting poster. The poster was designed in World War I, and was used again in World War II. The caption reads "I Want You for U.S. Army." James Montgomery Flagg drew this picture, and served as the model too!