Counting Storytime 12/27

Children's Librarian Ingvild chose counting as this week's theme for the children. One of the books she read was the ever popular Five Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. The children really like the sing song phrase nanabooboo to tease the crocodile. Our craft was dot-to-dot pictures.

Additional pictures of story hours may be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassonlibrary/

January New Books

The Book of Tommorrow by Cecilia Ahern 1/25

Born into the lap of luxury and comfortable in the here and now, spoiled, tempestuous Tamara Goodwin has never had to look to the future—until the abrupt death of her father leaves her and her mother a mountain of debt and forces them to move in with Tamara's peculiar aunt and uncle in a tiny countryside village.

Tamara is lonely and bored, with a traveling library as her only diversion. There she finds a large leather-bound book with a gold clasp and padlock, but no author name or title. Intrigued, she pries open the lock, and what she finds inside takes her breath away.

Tamara sees entries written in her own handwriting, and dated for the following day. When the next day unfolds exactly as recorded, Tamara realizes she may have found a solution to her problems. But in her quest to find answers, Tamara soon learns that some pages are better left unturned and that, try as she may, she mustn't interfere with fate.



Tick Tock by James Patterson 1/24
Tick--a killer's countdown begins

A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that they are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind.


Tick--Michael Bennett is on the chase

The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, his grandfather, and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine. Not only does it tear apart their vacation, it leaves the entire family open to attack.


Tock--your time is up


Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. As his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.




Strategic Moves by Stuart Woods 1/18
Stone Barrington is enjoying his usual dinner at Elaine's when his boss at Woodman & Weld, the law firm where Stone is "of counsel," walks in, sits down, and hands Stone a check for one million dollars. It seems Stone's undercover dealings with MI6 have brought in a big new client for the firm, and they're willing to pay Stone a huge bonus and make him a partner.


But almost as soon as he's taken the deal, Stone gets wind of an impending scandal that might torpedo his big promotion: It may be that the lucrative new client whom he's introduced to the firm might be a Bernie Madoff in disguise...




The Judas Gate by Jack Higgins 1/4
A disturbing tape has made its way to British intelligence, and from them to the new President of the United States: battlefield chatter from an ambush in Afghanistan, in which twelve U.S. Army Rangers and a British medical team died. Most of the Taliban voices are Afghan, but not all of them-the voice of the commander bears an Irish accent. The idea that one of their own could be responsible for such a massacre is appalling, and Sean Dillon is put in charge of hunting down the traitor. But Dillon has his own way of doing things and, he will eventually discover, so does his quarry. Dillon will not only be going to war-the war will be coming to him.


Family Affair by Debbie Macomber 1/4
Lacey Lancaster has always longed to be a wife and mother. However, after a painful divorce, she decides it's time to lay low for a while in her charming San Francisco apartment with her beautiful Abyssinian cat, Cleo.

Everything would be wonderful, except for her utterly impossible neighbor Jack Walker. When he's not arguing day and night with his girlfriend, begging her to move in with him, he's chasing down his cat named Dog, who seems determined to get Cleo to succumb to his feline advances.

Then Lacey discovers the awful truth—Cleo is in the family way and Dog's to blame.

She's furious that neither Jack nor his amorous animal seem too upset about the situation.

But Lacey learns that things are not quite as they seem. Jack's "girlfriend" is really his sister—and his intentions toward Lacey are very honorable. And though she's not quite sure about Dog, Lacey begins to discover the tender joy of falling in love all over again.


The Damascus Way by Janette Oke 1/4
Julia has everything money can buy...except for acceptance by either the Gentiles or the Jews. Her Greek father already has a wife and family, leaving Julia and her Hebrew mother second-class citizens. But when they are introduced to followers of the Way, they become part of that community of believers. Abigail's brother, Jacob, now a young man, is attempting to discover his own place as a Christian. He is concerned that being more serious about his faith means trading away the exhilaration of his current profession as a caravan guard. Hired by Julia's father to protect the wealthy merchant's caravans on the secretive "Frankincense Trail"--undercover transport of this highly valuable commodity--Jacob also passes letters and messages between various communities of believers. He is alarmed to find out that Julia, hardly more than a girl, is also a messenger. Can their immediate mistrust be put aside to finally bring their hearts together?

Night Before Christmas Storytime Week of Dec 21

This week's theme is The Night Before Christmas. Children's Librarian Ingvild found a great pop-up book the was wonderfully crafted. The children loved the stories and each child made a reindeer that flies.

For all of the pictures that were taken during this week's storytime can be found at :http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassonlibrary/

Merry Christmas To All from the Kasson Public Library Staff.

Stacks of Pancakes Storytime 12/14

This week's theme is pancakes. Children's Librarian Ingvild stated, "I did not know there were so many books written about pancakes". The children are loving the stories about pancakes especially how to make them. Ingvild talks about what ingredients are needed to make pancakes and the children enjoyed sampling her silver dollar sized pancakes.

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

Well all of you know how much I dislike the snow, the cold and this weekend proved my resolve to retire and move where it has mild winters.

On Saturday morning during the storm I had to walk down to our small barn and feed our two horses and four cats. Snow was all over the hay, water, and the cat's food dish. It took awhile to shovel and make thing right. I thought that was bad. How wrong I was.

At 5 pm Saturday night with the snow and wind howling and blowing my two bichons and collie went out with me to feed the horses and cats their nightly rations. I stepped around the side of the house and got blasted by the wind. I took a few steps and then the small dogs and I could not move because of the huge 3.5 ft drifts across the side yard. I took the animals back inside and struggled to the barn. What a cold, freezing adventure. I got my feet stuck each time I moved them as the snow was up past my waist. So I thought I could push the feed buckets ahead of me and crawl over the drifet. WRONG! I finally got to the barn after 15 minutes and then had to shovel it out again and make the barn right. Then I had to pysch myself up for my return trip another fun filled adventure.

Did I say I wanted to be in a warner climate? Well this weekend proved to me that when I retire it will not be in Minnesota but a place I can walk the beach and sip umbrella drinks and call all my friends in Minnesota and tell them what a great time I am having.

Kasson Library Closed on Saturdays for 2011

KAAL televison came to the library last night (http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S1873989.shtml?cat=10219) to talk to us about our Saturday closing. They had numerous phone calls about the closing and wanted to know what can be done. We told KAAL last night as a budget saving measure the Library Board of Trustees and Library Director are committed to closing the library on Saturdays and cutting staff hours to save money and balance our 2011 budget.

Like all other small businesses the library has been hit financially by the State of Minnesota 's financial woes. The library depends on the money from the city and county to run the library each year. Both entities have experienced reduced funding from the State of Minnesota and it trickles down to all of the city and county offices.

The Library Board and the Library Director looked at many different options to cut the budget with the least impact to patrons. Saturday's were chosen as we are open only two hours and the fewest number of patrons use the library on that day. We as a library staff have realized for the past few years, for many patrons we are part of their weekly destination for all of their errands.

We have further noticed over the past 3-4 years an upswing in people using the library for WiFi access, job searches, unemployment benefits (all on-line), borrowing books, DVD, CD's, audio books. Families are once again realizing the local library is a good way to cut cost and still have entertainment all for free.

The Kasson Public Library Staff wants to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause in 2011.

White Christmas and Minnesota Legacy Grant

The Kasson Public Library and Prairie Meadows Senior Living partnered with the Rochester Civic Theater (RCT) and received a Minnesota Legacy Grant to have seniors attend two performances (White Christmas and Beauty and the Beast) during the 2010-2011 theater season. Library Director Bonnie Adams and Vicky Heitman from Prairie Meadows worked with RCT Gregory Spavrow and his staff to coordinate the date, number of tickets and the logistics of getting the seniors to the performances.

Thirty-six people attended the Rochester Civic Theater performance of Irving Berlin's White Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful songs created especially for the 1954 musical (i.e.White Christmas, Sisters, Sisters, and Blue Skies). The performers and set made you feel like you were at a Ski Resort in Vermont and the New York 's Ritz-Carlton during the 50's. The seniors who attended are still smiling and humming tunes a week after the performance.

RCT mission of educating and enriching adults and young people through the production and performance of live theater and to help libraries integrate arts into their programming. Last Fall as part of their mission, Southeastern Minnesota Public Libraries were approached by Rochester Civic Theater to see if a partnership could be formed. Kasson Public was one of the libraries selected to partner with RCT and chose seniors as their focus group to take advantage of free performances.

Kasson Public Library monthly intergenerational storytime hosted by Paul, Tara, Mary and Library Director Bonnie was held on Thursday, December 2 at 10 am in Prairie Meadows library.







Story reader Paul Curtis chose Christmas as December's theme and fifteen seniors and three families with young children attended and heard The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Pirates Night Before Christmas. Paul Curtiss kept eveyone laughing with his voice imitatiions of the different characters in the stories. Tara and Mary with their small children were a big hit with the seniors as well as the special treats and Christmas cards provided for the seniors by the families.



Also as part of the monthly visits the group helps celebrate senior birthdays and this month their were two birthdays with both ladies were named Dorothy. They were surprised with the signed card and delighted.

Thankgiving Holiday Library Closings

Hope all of you will have a great Turkey Day. Don't eat too much!!

The Library will close on Thursday, November 25th, Friday,
November 26th and Saturday, November 27th.

ABC Storytime Week of November 15th

Children's Librarian Ingvild chose the ABC's as her theme this week. The children enjoyed reading books about the ABC's. Ingvild also arranged the craft of stamping the abc's on paper.

Additional picture of all the storytimes this week can be found at :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassonlibrary/?saved=1

Wednesday's Guest Reader Melisa Ferris did an outstanding job with the stories and had the children excited shouting out words to the abc's.

Chrsitine Rosholt Quintet

Christine Rosholt Quintet performed for 59 people at Prairie Meadows Senior Living on Sunday,November 14th. The performance was thoroughly enjoyed by all and a walk down memory lane of great songs of the 40's and 50's. Kasson Library Director Bonnie Adams and Prairie Meadows' Vicki Heitman worked together to bring this great performance to the residents of the KM area.

Christine and her group performed flawlessly
(Don-Saxophone, Graydon-bass, Chris-piano and
Jay-drums). Christine has a very distinctive voice and puts her own personality into every song she sings. During her 90 minute performance she asked for requests from the group and sang Tangerine, When Sunny Get Blue, Stormy Weather just to mention a few. Christine's quintet developed an avid fan from the audience in resident Dorothy S. who enjoyed the music so much she asked if Christine and her group could stay longer and sing them to sleep.

This performance was made possible through a Minnesota Legacy Grant Clean Water Act of 2008 that provide cultural experiences through local partnerships. This is the third partnership (Rose Ensemble in June and Patrick Dewane-Accidental Hero in October) between the Kasson Library, Prairie Meadows Senior Living and Minnesota Historical Society Greatest Generation. The Kasson Library hopes to form other partnerships to provide cultural experiences for KM and surrounding areas.

Kasson Public Library next Minnesota Legacy Grant partnership involves the Rochester Civic Theater. Prairie Meadows and Salem Meadow residents will be bussed to Rochester to enjoy the play White Christmas on Sunday, December 5 at 2pm.

Saving Animals at Local Pet Shelters

Pet adoption = an instant friend for life: Ask anybody who has adopted a pet, and they'll swear their bond with their rescued pal is as deep as they come. CUTE!! Pepsi 2 Paws and Claws adoption dog. http://www.pawsandclaws.org/pets/available-dogs.php

When you open your heart and your home to a pet who needs help, they really do show their appreciation for the rest of their life! Dogs or cats who have been uprooted from their homes, or have had difficult beginnings are likely to bond completely and deeply with their new human caretakers, whom they regard as heroes. Pups and kitties who find themselves in the shelter or at a rescue because of a death or other tragedy in their former human family usually go through a mourning period. Once they are adopted, however, they usually want nothing more than to please their new hero---YOU! No matter what circumstances brought them to the rescue, most cats and dogs for adoption are exceptionally affectionate and attentive, and make extremely loyal companions.


Got an email from my sister entitled A Sad Day. Gosh I hate to read those type of emails as they usually make me cry. Yesterday my sister had to put her dog of 10 years down due to aggressive cancer. She adopted BJ a lab mix from a local animal shelter about 10 years ago. BJ had some issues (barking and chewing on things )when she first arrived and through the years worked through most of them. She was a loving companion and loved to sleep on the bed, run around their yard and go for rides. I told my sister she gave her a better life than she had at first and made sure she had shots, food and a warm place to sleep and lots of love. Remember the good times she is better off now than in pain with cancer.


It got me thinking about my past and current pets and how they came to live with my family. We live in the country for the past 23 years and most of our pets have been pets thrown out to fend for themselves. We have taken most of them in or found homes for others. It would be much better as Betty White has said, Please spayed or neutered your animals." Wise Words!!

Library Closed for Veteran's Day

Library will be closed for Veteran's Day.
I have a daughter serving in the U.S. Army as a nurse and her husband just retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service. I would like all you to do me a favor-say "Thank You for Your Service" when you see anyone in uniform because they are all that stand on front lines defending our country and its ways of life.

It's Veteran's Day, the day we reflect on the sacrifice and service of our men and women in uniform.

We are now 90 years plus one since the guns stopped firing on the morning that ended World War I, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It was dubbed by many as the war to end all wars. Of course, it wasn't.Veterans Day celebrates survivors of all the nation's 20th and 21st century wars --all veterans of all wars and their families.

Veteran's Day Storytime

Regular Storytime 11/9/10
This week's theme is Salute to all of the Veterans. Stories about flags and veterans were read to the children. The children colored poppies from a poem called Flanders Field. Additional photos can be found at;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassonlibrary/

KM Nursery Group 11/9/10

Library Happenings

3 Things To Help You Make The Most Of Every Day

Sherri Kruger wrote this blog the other day and it resonated with me especially the MIT's. Hopefully this blog will make your day as it did mine.

Most days I'm a machine. I can get through a rather large number of tasks, vacuuming, laundry, playing with the kids, baking, prepping dinner, and a number of other business related things. Then there are other days when after the kids are in bed and the house is relatively quiet I look around and ask myself "what the heck did I do today?

"I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. I also understand that there's a natural ebb and flow of productivity and we can't expect to be on top of things all the time. That said, there are a few things I notice, that when missing, I'm not nearly as productive as I could be.

Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your day.

Have a plan, even if it's vague. I find jotting down a few things I want to do, should do, or could do, works best for me. Second to that is just giving the day some thought. Mentally preparing yourself can make a huge difference. What are you going to do as soon as you wake up? Make the bed, pour a cup of coffee, exercise, meditate, read or write? In general how is your day going to play out? Will you putter around the house or spend the day on the go running errands or grocery shopping. When you plan your day you have a road map, something to fall back on, to keep you going and to prevent you from getting stuck thinking "well now what?"

Choose your 3 MITs. I first heard of this concept quite some time ago from Leo of Zen Habits. Your most important tasks (MITs) are what you need to get done or want to get done today, above everything else. Your MITs don't have to be huge or earth shattering but they should be things you really want to get done. You should focus on getting your three MITs done first, before you do anything else that might pop up. By doing these things first you get them out of the way while you're fresh, you get a sense of accomplishment early in the day which can further motivate you to get even more done. When it comes to choosing your MITs think about tying one or more of them each day to your short or long term goals. This way you're productive and you're making progress towards realizing much larger goals.

Use momentum. Set the tone for your day by starting early and get moving. Imagine waking up, lounging around, moving slowly and dreading the day. It doesn't paint a picture of energy and getting things done, does it? As soon as you start to procrastinate there's little chance of turning that around. On the other hand if you woke up, immediately got out of bed and were eager to start your day, well that enthusiasm snowballs. Feel that momentum and keep it going. Work on things that excite you and avoid distractions. Using that momentum can really help carry you through the day and allow you to accomplish a lot more than you may initially had set out to do.

These ideas may seem simple and indeed they are. The trick is to take a bit of time to focus on each one and see how you can introduce them into your daily routine.

What do you do to make the most of your day?

Written on 10/18/2010 by Sherri Kruger. Sherri writes at Zen Family Habits, a blog celebrating all things family. Sherri also writes on personal development at Serene Journey, a blog dedicated to sharing simple tips to enjoy life

Cookie Storytime 11/2-11/4

Children's Librarian Ingvild chose cookies as her theme for this week. The children enjoyed the stories but the highlight was helping make, stir, and cut out a shape from the no bake cookie dough. The consensus from the children-the cookies were YUMMY!
Additional pictures:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassonlibrary/

Just Like Home 11/4/10

Wednesday, November 3

KM Nursery Group


11/2/10

Tuesday, November 2 Regular Storytime

Bedtime Storytime 11/1