I have never been to the Casa Larga Vineyards Restaurant, but that is where the Rochester Regional Library Council holds its annual meeting, and the entire staff of our library has been invited to celebrate our award of academic library of the year. We drive together to the east side of the city and are pleasantly surprised to discover a beautiful building over looking a small field of grape vines.
Inside is elegant and spacious with lots of windows. You would think yourself in sunny France. I am surprised to learn that our party is small. Somehow I thought the Board and staff would have "shareholders" in attendance, or supporters - a crowd of interested attendees. No, there is the Board of a half dozen, the staff about the same size, our group and a similar sized group from the winners of the public library and school library categories.
We chat as we look out over the beautiful fields, then are seated as the event begins. The wonderful aromas of food greet us and we are invited to the smorgasbord table to indulge in a filling repast. A delightful assortment of dishes greet us and we all load our plates to the groaning point. Conversation and palate experience are engaging.
Once we complete our meal with hot tea or coffee and brownies, we settle down while the Board holds it few items of business, then moves on to the recognition of award winners. I have the good fortune of sitting next to one of the more active Board members, and enjoy hearing about his ventures and experiences. He is a professor at Nazareth College and a wonderful conversationalist.
Sigh. Such a great afternoon, I hate to wind down and head back to work. But all good things eventually come to a close, and we drive off feeling totally blessed and uplifted. Not to mention I made some new friends and connections to projects I think would be helpful for us. Time though to come down from the mountaintop and reconnoiter in the trenches.
Thursdays can be so fulfilling.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Surprise!
"Better sit down, Mom," Kiel warned me last night when I finally got home. Uh-oh. Now what? In the past, that has preceded some statement like, "I just got married." I am relieved to learn it's not that. Actually, Mark has asked Kiel to come and get Ramseyes and baby sit for a couple of weeks. He and Faith have to get some things back under control, and they just need to be free of baby care for a bit.
O, boy. My mind immediately runs the gamut of ramifications of such an act. Of course, there is no question about whether or not we will help. But there are so many things to consider. Not the least of which is the impact on this poor little fellow who does not know any of us very well. Never mind. We will deal.
Being something of a mini crisis, Kiel heads out as soon as he lowers the boom and gets my OK. I go to bed praying and praying and praying. Lord, have mercy. I do not have the energy to deal with baby proofing my place at the end of a very long day, not to mention we are still in somewhat of a mess from our recent foray to NC.
Thank God I have more energy this morning. Still, it will take something of a miracle for me to be able to do all that needs to be done before I head off to work, not to mention staying upright until my shift ends at 9 pm. Kiel has to be back before 3:30 so he can get to work and how will this young man settle in with all the stuff happening?
God is gracious. I manage to set the house to rights and baby proof just in time to head out to work. Sometime around 4 Kiel's girlfriend appears in the library with a baby stroller and an very wiggly little boy. He is happy to be picked up and greeted and introduced around, but has no patience to be still for long. Andrea heads out to campus to let him run off the long drive.
Am I up to this? Lord only knows. Good thing Mark asked Kiel and not me even though I will definitely be impacted. I am pretty sure I can't keep up with this little bundle of energy! I think of the people I know who as grandparents ended up raising a child or two in their twilight years. I give them great respect. This is not an easy task, even for a few weeks.
Nevertheless, I will do what I can and enjoy him while he is here. Perhaps we will both grow a bit.
O, boy. My mind immediately runs the gamut of ramifications of such an act. Of course, there is no question about whether or not we will help. But there are so many things to consider. Not the least of which is the impact on this poor little fellow who does not know any of us very well. Never mind. We will deal.
Being something of a mini crisis, Kiel heads out as soon as he lowers the boom and gets my OK. I go to bed praying and praying and praying. Lord, have mercy. I do not have the energy to deal with baby proofing my place at the end of a very long day, not to mention we are still in somewhat of a mess from our recent foray to NC.
Thank God I have more energy this morning. Still, it will take something of a miracle for me to be able to do all that needs to be done before I head off to work, not to mention staying upright until my shift ends at 9 pm. Kiel has to be back before 3:30 so he can get to work and how will this young man settle in with all the stuff happening?
God is gracious. I manage to set the house to rights and baby proof just in time to head out to work. Sometime around 4 Kiel's girlfriend appears in the library with a baby stroller and an very wiggly little boy. He is happy to be picked up and greeted and introduced around, but has no patience to be still for long. Andrea heads out to campus to let him run off the long drive.
Am I up to this? Lord only knows. Good thing Mark asked Kiel and not me even though I will definitely be impacted. I am pretty sure I can't keep up with this little bundle of energy! I think of the people I know who as grandparents ended up raising a child or two in their twilight years. I give them great respect. This is not an easy task, even for a few weeks.
Nevertheless, I will do what I can and enjoy him while he is here. Perhaps we will both grow a bit.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Not Monday
All day I keep thinking it is Monday, but it's Tuesday! I have lost a day, taking Friday off and thinking it was a Saturday and getting Monday off and thinking it was Sunday. I keep looking at my calendar and behaving as if my schedule requires reference desk duty or meetings that normally happen on Mondays. Oh, well. I'll catch up.
I sip a bit of hot tea and try to convince myself to do some significant work, but I am in recovery mode. So are half my staff. These holiday weekends are lots of fun, but it takes some time to regain strength and be willing to settle down into normal routines. Maybe that's a good thing. If we get too settled in our ruts, we become unproductive, uninspired, dull, boring.
Of course, if there is never any routine, we become dysfunctional, unfocused, unproductive. Somewhere in there is a nice balance that energizes us without stressing us beyond endurance. Shannon so thoughtfully did all our laundry before we left so we wouldn't have to take care of that before jumping back into our ruts. What a sweetheart.
I am too tired to think about cooking anything. The boys are off doing their stuff, and I decide to settle for a baby sized soft chocolate ice cream cone for dinner. No cooking there! Besides, I realize that I have a class tonight because its NOT Monday, and I will not have time to recuperate slowly. I check my papers, edit a bit, print and head for Roberts Hall, hoping I can stay focused for an hour and a half discussion of literature.
Not Monday. But its OK. I will get through, then go home and head straight for bed, unencumbered by dirty laundry, dirty dishes, or assignments. Perhaps its a good thing that tomorrow I don't have to be to work until noon! Sleeping in sounds about right.
I sip a bit of hot tea and try to convince myself to do some significant work, but I am in recovery mode. So are half my staff. These holiday weekends are lots of fun, but it takes some time to regain strength and be willing to settle down into normal routines. Maybe that's a good thing. If we get too settled in our ruts, we become unproductive, uninspired, dull, boring.
Of course, if there is never any routine, we become dysfunctional, unfocused, unproductive. Somewhere in there is a nice balance that energizes us without stressing us beyond endurance. Shannon so thoughtfully did all our laundry before we left so we wouldn't have to take care of that before jumping back into our ruts. What a sweetheart.
I am too tired to think about cooking anything. The boys are off doing their stuff, and I decide to settle for a baby sized soft chocolate ice cream cone for dinner. No cooking there! Besides, I realize that I have a class tonight because its NOT Monday, and I will not have time to recuperate slowly. I check my papers, edit a bit, print and head for Roberts Hall, hoping I can stay focused for an hour and a half discussion of literature.
Not Monday. But its OK. I will get through, then go home and head straight for bed, unencumbered by dirty laundry, dirty dishes, or assignments. Perhaps its a good thing that tomorrow I don't have to be to work until noon! Sleeping in sounds about right.
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