Being Productive

We have a homeless man "living" at the library these days. He occupies a chair in the reading room for the most part of the day. He doesn't read either. He just sits there. Someone offered him some money when they gleefully discovered he was homeless. The guy didn't take it. He comes in at opening bell and stays til we close. He carries sleeping gear around with him and one meal. I wonder how long he'll stay.
There was someone on my listserv complaining about 2 kids who had dropped out of school staying ALL DAY at the library. They just sat in chairs taking up space that someone else could use more productively. How to get rid of them? Isn't there some rule about taking up space unproductively?

Family In-

I made a trip to Omaha last night to pick up sweet sweet Melissa! It will be such fun to have her at our house. She will help balance us all out, and increase the ratio of girls to boys. (7:10) Melissa serves with Agape Europe (Campus Crusade) and so we are really looking forward to hearing her stories. She gets to move to Rome in January. Imagine! Living and working in Rome. (Imagine! Living and working in Le Mars. Sometimes I think I have "the-grass-is-greener" syndrome)
I have an awful lot of baking to get done, so unfortunately I have to give up a trip to Minneapolis to see the Pioneer Woman. Seriously, What am I thinking?
Amy arrives at the beginning of next week. The grandsons(and their parents) will be at our house by Tuesday. I have to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.Invited guests are here by Thursday...I have a menu to plan...
Fruit.Cereal.Oatmeal.Pancakes.Baked Oatmeal.Yogurts.
Chili. Pizza.Turkey.Pork Loin.Sloppy Joes.
Leftovers.Chinese Carry out.Tacos.Tortellini Soup.
Take home movies.
Put up clues for family game. Have other non competitive games ready.
Get discussion questions and a 'next book' list put together for the girls discussion group
plan ahead for family pictures.(do it on the first day not the last)

Wow. I'm exhausted already.

Preparations

Company is coming and I am in a flurry. I am so excited about having everyone here! Our first 'guest' actually arrives this Tuesday! We get to have Melissa with us for Thanksgiving. I spent time with her and Amy in May when I was in Europe. It was the best time ever! So getting to share our home with her is extra special. She works with Agape Europe (Campus Crusade here) so we will be delving deep into what she's been up to, and how God is at work in Western Europe. I can't think of anything better for Thanksgiving than that.
We will have 17 people here for actual Thanksgiving, but less for spending the nights-Ron's brother will be up. Ivan gets to come. Then all those grandsons! Can I say, that will be soooo fun. I love spoiling them.
But of course, I can't just let them walk into the house looking the way we live in it. We are slobs. We are getting our carpet cleaned this week. I have to cook up a storm. (What do you think? Should I make cheesecake for the visitors?) Our bathroom is almost usable. (this is the one we remodeled last winter. The only problem was, that while it was beautiful, you couldn't use the tub in there for any reason, so Ron is fixing that. It's been more involved than I thought it should be, but the results will be nice)
Ron is planning to get the back garage done, the bathroom finished and ... well, I'm sure there will be a thousand other things that need doing if 17 people are descending on the house in a week or so.
I will keep you posted!

Observations from the road

Rain and dreariness do not slow people down.
Friday afternoons are crowded days for shopping
turning left without a light can be a pain.
Christmas shoppers are out in force
being in the same city with grandkids isn't quite the same as seeing them..

A Walmart Philosophy

I took an outing to Walmart this morning. I had to buy a printer for 3 un-printer machines here. The machine was $32.00 and the printer cartridges were $31.97. Now, I have a philosophy about Walmart in the first place and this type of thing only emphazies it. Here's the philosophy: Walmart robs us blind, even when we think we're getting stuff "cheap". It is not worth it to shop in Walmart. Walmart is a steamroller offering us the worst of everything and using its employees in the worst possible ways. Can I say that I HATE shopping in Walmart. I hate being forced to get cheap things cheaply/that cost me in other ways. I feel like I'm being tricked, and manipulated. What makes me think that because I buy X at a lower price I am doing myself or anyone any favors? I know, this doesn't make a lot of sense but there it is.
Here is a blog that just emphasizes EVERYTHING that I feel and think about Walmart. I won't totally boycott the store, but for the most part I stay as far away from the store as I would from H1N1.

Work in the morning, work in the evening, work in the afternoon ...

I've been stuck these last few months. I have been obsessed, compulsed (is that a word?)and totally preoccupied by work. From the time I open my eyes, til I close them in the evening I do nothing but think about work. How to get funds from unpaying towns. How to have a conversation with other P county librarians. What cooperative ventures might might be possible? (none, so forget it.) I am silently at it when carrying on a conversation. It is running through my mind when I am walking, or listening to a book (like chewing gum and walking at the same time). I am calculating it as I eat and trying desperatly to shut it off so I can sleep. So I have had nothing to write about here because there is too much complication and explanation that I really can't give anymore. This morning I complained to Ron about all this work obsession. This spending of 9 or more hours at work, never getting out of the building even at lunch time (what lunch time? The most I do is use the bathroom) So what does he do? He drives all the way to Le Mars and takes me out to lunch. Cool, blessed surprise. And in honor of the occasion, I even wore some of my lunch back to work again. A reminder that there are other things going on in the world that are worthwhile, too.

Home Again

I just got back from a great library conference in Des Moines. Time away from the office but yet still doing stuff that I love! You know: "computer tech on the fly" by a nationally known tech person, "County Cooperation" (oh yeah, that one's right up my alley) a technology petting zoo (isn't that a cool name? it's just playing with all the latest techie gadgets. fun) Talking to your city,county, etc. officials (Now they tell me)..... Fun stuff, right? Not to mention chances to buy books, eat eat eat, and re-engage with other librarians. AND Ron let me use his GPS thingy to drive down. That worked pretty slick, especially in the confines of the one way streets of downtown Des Moines.
BUT I am home sick now. I am only planning on doing this sick thing today, because I really have a lot going on at work tomorrow. I can only imagine what waits for me there. The sick does not appear to be H1N1, only a nasty cold with all the coughing, nose blowing, achy body feelings that go along with it. UGH.