Growing up in USSR, our kitchen was wallpapered with newspaper – a sign of poverty. Cocking my six-year-old head, I would pick out the prettiest shapes, asking, "What is this letter?" I learned how to read from the writing on the wall. Picture books were a luxury, so when I finally went to school, I "swallowed" my school books. Then, I discovered a town library – a musty dark room, crowded with old books, which could be checked for a week – a far cry from the library today.
For Mother's Day this year, I made my mom a "Mother Tree" in cross-stitch. It traces the maternal line of the family back to 1754, through each marriage and birth of a daughter. And, I could never have done it without the genealogy resources at the Library.
It’s not too late to put some plants in the ground that would appeal to butterflies this year. Not only are butterflies beautiful to observe, but they are some of our best plant pollinators. If you were considering planting some perennials anyway, you are in luck because butterflies love many of the perennial blooms. Among my favorites, and theirs, are: coneflowers, rudbeckia, lantana, and asters.
Almost every day customers come into the Library and ask about a series they’re reading or want to start. Most have a book in their hand and want to know if it’s the first in the series and what comes next. When an author writes multiple series, it can be challenging to keep up with which book goes in which set and in what order they need to be read. I feel you, I’ve been there myself. It seems like every book written these days comes in a trilogy.
About 6 weeks ago, my husband and I decided we wanted to screen in our porch. It seemed like a relatively simple home renovation since the porch already had a roof, railings, and window-size dividers. I bet we could do this in a few weekends! Hmmmm, it’s thoughts like those that are the down fall of many a do-it-yourselfer!
Knowing that the 1940 census was being released without indexing, I despaired that there was no way I was going to be able to find my mother’s family on the census until later this year when it gets indexed. My grandparents lost their farm during the depression and moved frequently after that. One of the ways to find your 1940 ancestors is to locate them on the 1930 census. At http://stevemorse.org/census/unified.html, you can find the 1940 enumeration district (ED) number if you know the 1930 ED num
On August 16, 1862, the Battle of Lone Jack was fought. For years, the Lone Jack Branch has fielded questions about this battle. That posed a problem for the library staff. In spite of the fact that it was a somewhat significant battle, and Harry Truman was instrumental in the creation of the Lone Jack Battlefield Museum, not much had been written about the battle.
Now that the weather is getting really nice, it’s time to tackle some outdoor projects. Let the Riverside Branch help you! We've got a display for the month of June with lots of projects to tackle. We’ve got books with lots of how-to’s on building decks, creating a new patio, building a tree house for the kids or grandkids, making your own patio furniture and outdoor structures, and much, much more.
One of the best things you can do for your garden is to add compost. Compost adds vital nutrients to the soil and encourages beneficial bacteria and fungi. All of these help plants grow and produce. Compost also introduces organic matter to the soil. Adding organic matter helps improve drainage and texture, too. Composting is also a great way to recycle kitchen scraps and yard waste.
We all have some home improvements around the house that we could be doing but have just put off! Maybe, we just aren’t sure how to start them. MCPL's Research Databases, under DIY and Hobbies, has ideas for home improvement. These databases provide step-by-step project help right at your fingertips.
