The library can make your life easier. That’s the whole point of libraries, really, to serve the needs of our communities. Here are a few life hacks — or, if you don’t know about life hacks, think of them as helpful resources to make your life easier — found at the library.
Are you thinking of making a big purchase — car, washing machine, electric toothbrush — and you want to spend your money wisely? Consumer Reports has reviews of more then 8,500 products. It is funded through subscriptions, not advertising, and is known for providing accurate and objective reviews and analysis. Because it’s funded through subscriptions, it can be expensive — but not for patrons of Daniel Boone Regional library! With a library card you can access it for free through our website without even leaving home. Continue reading “Life Hacks…From the Library”
Dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease, is a big topic right now. Because my mom has Alzheimer’s and many of my friends have relatives with dementia, I have been reading books and articles and attending programs about the subject. I have learned that conversations had to change. When I visit, I can’t ask her “How are you doing?” “Did you enjoy your breakfast?” “What have you done today?” She can’t answer these questions and it frustrates her. I have to find other things to talk about with her. One of the books I read, “I’m Still Here” by John Zeisel says “ask the person with Alzheimer’s for expressions of emotions rather than cognitive data. Ask how they feel about a topic” not information about something they did. And it is important for you to be the conversation generator. They are often no longer capable of coming up with things to talk about. Continue reading “Social Conversations With a Loved One With Dementia”
Fall is here and so begins a few months of holidays that many people celebrate: Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Winter’s Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa to name a few. Besides the busyness of this period, memories of the year also come to mind. Some are happy, some are difficult and others are thought-provoking. This year, I decided to make a memory jar to hold my thoughts and feelings. Our Crafternoon-To-Go kit this month is designed just for that. The kit will provide the supplies needed to create a beautiful, colorful jar to hold your memories. Important: Do not use these jars for edibles or for burning a real candle. Continue reading “Crafternoon-To-Go: Memory Jars”
Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 by Jason Delpire
Bolognese
Fresh pasta with the classic Bolognese sauce, topped with freshly grated Parmesan.
I started this blog post with the intention of focusing on pasta dishes. I have a small amount of experience making fresh pasta and wanted to expand on that for this post. While deciding between “Mastering Pasta” by Marc Vetri or “Flour + Water” by Thomas McNoughton, my interest was piqued by a Bolognese recipe in “Mastering Pasta.” I fell into a rabbit hole, researching the thousands (okay, maybe it was dozens) of variations on this one idea. For example, just in my personal cookbook collection I found no fewer than six different recipes.
I know, you’re thinking, “But, Jason, it’s just a meat sauce, like you’d put on spaghetti. You know, spaghetti sauce. A company was even named after the Italian term for meat sauce. Of course there are many varieties, this is not worthy of a blog post.” I am taking the stance that Bolognese is so much more than, and so much better than, what we think of as spaghetti sauce. Continue reading “Read The Recipe! Vol. 2”
Posted on Sunday, October 10, 2021 by The Biblio-Buckaroo
The field of urban, or city planning covers all aspects of a city, including housing, economic development, infrastructure, land use, environmental policy and transportation. And a lot goes into planning a well-functioning city. For example, a simple decision to plant trees along streets can increase property value, decrease air pollution, cool streets and sidewalks and decrease rainwater run-off. Many cities now are finding innovative ways to improve the lives of their citizens. Continue reading “Literary Links: Urban Planning”
Posted on Monday, September 27, 2021 by Reading Addict
“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.” ~Mary Jo Godwin, Librarian
It’s fall again and another Banned Books Week is here, September 26 to October 2. This year’s theme is Books Unite Us: Censorship Divides Us. I have written several posts about banned books in the past detailing why various books are banned or challenged. This year, I would like to take a different approach and talk more generally about censorship, how libraries build collections to serve communities, and how our library system approaches challenges. Continue reading “Books Unite Us: Censorship Divides Us”
Posted on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 by Jason Delpire
This is the first of a new blog series, Read the Recipe! Each month, I will review a cookbook that interests me. Sometimes, these will be new titles in our collection, others will be classics that may deserve another look. Each review will be from the view of a competent cook, but I hope to show the achievability of each chosen recipe. Full disclosure: in my former life, I spent some time in professional kitchens, but I am by no means a chef. I plan to make a few dishes from each book, preferably an entire meal, share photos of my process or finished products.
My first title is “The Family Meal” by Ferran Adria & Eugeni de Diego. Ferran Adria ran arguably the best restaurant in the world, El Bulli, from the mid-1980s to 2011. Eugeni de Diego was a chef at El Bulli, and after the restaurant’s closing, he moved on to his own restaurant chain, A Pluma in Barcelona. Continue reading “Read The Recipe!”
The mornings last week had the feeling of fall with cooler air and a sprinkling of early leaves floating down. All summer long, I’ve been thinking about what changes and additions I want to make to our gardens for next year. I’ve been waiting for the cooler weather to get to work on a vegetable garden, so I’m excited to move forward in sub 90 degree temperatures. Continue reading “Garden Dreams”
Finally! We can welcome the first day of fall next week. I am hoping for many clear, crisp days with chilly nights, a fire in my chimenea and a candle to complete the scene. While there are no promises on the weather, we can help your fall ambiance with our next crafternoon kit for adults: beeswax candles. It is super easy, as we have beeswax sheets that can be rolled around the wick. These kits will be available while they last in all of our branches on Friday, September 17. You may pick them up at the second floor reference desk at the Columbia library and near the service desks at our other branches.
There are instructions and supplies in your kit to make two small candles or one larger one. If you find the written instructions difficult, check out this video for more assistance. This is an inexpensive craft that can be done with friends and family and we have many more library resources if you want to expand your candle-making skills.
I started working at the Columbia branch of the Daniel Boone Regional library earlier this year. During the whirlwind of training I’ve learned about a variety of helpful, charming, surprising and useful resources of which I was previously unaware.Continue reading “A Few of My Favorite Things”
Fall is here and so begins a few months of holidays that many people celebrate: Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Winter’s Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa to name a few. Besides the busyness of this period, memories of the year also come to mind. Some are happy, some are difficult and others are thought-provoking. This year, I decided to make a memory jar to hold my thoughts and feelings. Our Crafternoon-To-Go kit this month is designed just for that. The kit will provide the supplies needed to create a beautiful, colorful jar to hold your memories. Important: Do not use these jars for edibles or for burning a real candle. 
The mornings last week had the feeling of fall with cooler air and a sprinkling of early leaves floating down. All summer long, I’ve been thinking about what changes and additions I want to make to our gardens for next year. I’ve been waiting for the cooler weather to get to work on a vegetable garden, so I’m excited to move forward in sub 90 degree temperatures. 
the scene. While there are no promises on the weather, we can help your fall ambiance with our next crafternoon kit for adults: beeswax candles. It is super easy, as we have beeswax sheets that can be rolled around the wick. These kits will be available while they last in all of our branches on Friday, September 17. You may pick them up at the second floor reference desk at the Columbia library and near the service desks at our other branches.