Weekly activities for the Fort Myers Beach Library
Weekly activities
n Preschool Story Hour on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 10:30 a.m.
n Knitting class on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m.
n Vietnam on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 10:30 a.m.
n Healthy Feet on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 1:30 p.m.
n Art Appreciation on Friday, Feb. 6, at 10:30 a.m.
n Poetry Forge meets Friday, Feb. 6, at 1:30 p.m.
n Jewelry Making class on Monday, Feb. 9, at 2:00 p.m.
n Scrapbooking Crop on Monday, Feb. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
n England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 10:30 a.m.
n Writer’s Sharing Session on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 1:30 p.m.
Activity details
Knitters, take note: Group meets to enjoy knitting, share ideas and for beginners to acquire tips from the experienced instructor, all on Feb. 4. Pre-register if you’re coming.
Part of our Getting to Know Our World series, Bert Kurland will share a view on the peoples and customs of Vietnam.
How one can have more healthy feet is the focus as Dr. Nicole Bennett seeks to help you learn how to find out if your feet are in good shape.
A visual program by Dr. Jaffin will highlight the contributions of artists in terms of lending understanding of the Passion, Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Poetry Forge group meets with consideration of the work of Pablo Neruda.
Jewelry Making class meets on Feb. 9. Pre-registration and $10 materials fee are due. There are a few openings yet as I write this.
Scrapbookers will meet Feb. 9. Take advantage of this session to get working on your project, enjoy some shared moments with others and compare pages to get further ideas. Pre-register.
Also part of our “Getting to Know Our World” series, Brian and Sandra Walsh, residents of England, will offer a personal glimpse into the country of England and its people.
Memoir writers gather on Feb. 10 to share ideas and possibilities. There’s both stimulation and opportunity available in improving and clarifying your own writing as well as get reactions/ideas from others.
Upcoming activities
Dr. David Jaffin will read and discuss insights into poetry on Feb. 11 until1:30 p.m. and Feb. 13 10:30 a.m. Check display for the variety of titles available that he’s written.
Wilda Gastelu will offer a personal view and glimpses into the people and customs of Chile on Feb. 12, at 10:30 a.m.
Also on Feb. 12, but at 1:30 p.m., Corinne Thwing will share highlights from last summer’s Port Townsend Writers’ Conference in Washington state, and from the 27th annual Key West Literary Seminar. It’s a privilege to be able to soak in so much of the best via these gatherings, so make it a point to be present to digest the marvels created via writing.
Snowbirds
Our language has the ability to create new vocabularies in the blink of a nanosecond. The ability of English to adapt and change makes it a dynamic language. In our southern Florida climate, we of course refer to snowbirds, often holding it as a person who comes south for the winter.
My attention was drawn to our use of snowbird for two reasons. One was the pleasure and challenge of meeting the expectations of the diverse snowbirds who use the library. While almost all are most welcome, it really does require staff to be working overtime to keep up with all the requests and expectations of our winter residents. My second reason for thinking about the word was a gentlemen who brought in a James Audubon excerpt that discussed the common snowbird, which is a bird that visits from the North. The bird, to use proper Audubon terminology, is the dark-eyed junco (aka slate-colored junco). The gentleman ranted a bit that it was not kosher to be using snowbird in the first sense but we finally agreed to appreciate the gifts each of the snowbirds-human and fowl-bring to Florida.
All island yard sale
The display case in the senior zone area near the DVDs and new titles has been changed. It includes items donated recently for the yard sale on Saturday, Feb. 21. Thank you for donations you’ve already brought in, and for prospective ones you’re planning to bring.
Simply drop off your items at the library any Tuesday or Thursday during February 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Or rent a space and sell your own items. Yard sale, crafts and arts spaces are still available. Pick up a rental form at the library front desk or call 765-8162 for the cost. Since spaces are limited, reserve this week if at all possible.
The Yard Sale will take place on library grounds and all proceeds go to the library construction fund.
Favorite titles
Do you have favorite books, new or old, that were so enjoyable they are a must for others to enjoy? If so, feel free to leave a note at the front desk with the title, author, and whatever related info you wish. I’ll review to see about adding the treasure to our collection. If you’re email inclined, then send the same title, author, and related info to www.beachfriends@comcast.net. One of the friends will get the suggestion to me. Thank you.
Marine band
If you enjoy the United States Marine Band, orchestral transcriptions, or music played from original works for band, enjoy the Marine Band’s CD recordings added to the collection each year. In the catalog, type in “united states marine band” or go to 784.2 UNI in the CD music collection.
Library hours
Don’t remember library hours? Call for information. When we are closed, a recorder gives the hours of operation, either on 765-8162, or on 765-8163. Except for holidays, which would be mentioned on the recorder, we are open Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We look forward to seeing you.