By Pamela West-Finkle
As I write this, I sit snowed in under three feet of snow, with more on the way, but I know spring is just around the corner and I am looking forward to getting my garden seedlings started. For seed swappers out there (especially seeds of the heirloom, non-GMO, and organic varieties), the Andes Library is once again taking part in Transition Catskills’ Seed Swap program. We have small bags with labels if you have extra seeds you would like to bring in to swap.
If you have come into the library for a movie lately, you may have noticed our audio books and front reference sections have been moved around to make room for our ever-growing movie collection. Our excellent PBS, BBC, A&E, HBO, mini-series, and television season collections have been pooled together, and all of our music-related videos are located just above the new CD section. I have also started gathering all of our local authors and local history in the front display case (for now), and will soon be adding the audio CDs of numerous Catskill Mountain regional musicians, and a number of children’s artists.
Looking ahead, Writers in the Mountains will be presenting a six-week workshop at the Andes Library on Mondays from 6-8pm entitled The Journey From Theme To Images To Poem with Sharon Ruetenik, running May 8 – June 19 (skipping Memorial Day). Emphasis will be on the use of imagery and narrative to express an emotional landscape. Both beginning and advanced writers are encouraged to attend. Registration is $70/$85 and is available online at www.writersinthemountains.org or by calling Jean Stone at 607-326-4802 or emailing her at jtstone@catskill.net.
I am also putting our summer programs together, so if you have any ideas or want to volunteer your help, please let me know. This year’s summer reading program is called Build a Better World. We are looking for Lego donations of any kind for a new Lego STEM club, hope to have some fun workshops for both kids and adults, a musical performance or two, and a big community Solar Eclipse party on Monday, August 21st (complete with free NASA approved viewing glasses for everyone!). Children can set reading goals for themselves and earn prizes, incentives, and certificates to be on display at the library. We will also be having a writing and art contest revolving around the Build a Better World theme. A newsletter will be sent home through Andes Central School and the summer schedule will be posted publicly and on our new website at www.andeslibrary.org.
I will leave you with a quote from Robert Louis Stevenson: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”~