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Cullimore is Beach Library artist of the month

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Weekly Activities

Preschool Story Hour at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Getting Started with Your IPod on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 a.m. Pre-register.

Literacy Today-sessions with 6th graders from Cypress Middle between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Regular Board Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m.

Activity Details

If you’ve gotten an IPod and would like assistance in getting more comfortable with it, consider signing up for the class on October 18.

Artist of the Month

On display in the Library Commons are the paintings of Tracy Owen Cullimore. Her watercolor creations cover a wide array from beach buddies, boondocks, island hopping, moor time and not so happy hour. She loves to paint portraits and a separate painting covers this aspect.

You may appreciate that the shape of the canvas she uses suits the subject matter. Her choice of shapes adds to the drama of the Beach setting or personage. What was inviting in this selection is that the eye flows across the whole painting and one sees a different perspective when soaking in the entire landscape versus a close-up look at an individual scene or painting.

Funny and Not So Funny

Wednesday evening shortly before closing, an uncaring person abandoned four kittens, leaving them in a plastic crate in the elevator. The kittens were about 6 to 8 weeks old and appeared to be healthy. In no time the kittens were active in the elevator. By the time the first patron discovered them and tried to keep them together, one of the kittens squeezed through an open space near the door and landed in the pit under the elevator. Fortunately the elevator was on the bottom floor and the kitten landed safely. What does one do with kittens at this point? We gave the kittens a temporary home in the enclosed parking garage.

I called the contractor to discuss how the kitten in the pit could be rescued. It is at times like this that one sees the good in people. A patron guarded and cared for the kittens, wanting to adopt one but somewhat convinced her spouse would not be happy with that retrieval. She returned about a half hour later with a can of cat food. Meanwhile, it was determined that the elevator company would come and enter into the pit to rescue the fourth kitten. In the interim, a neighbor brought over a carry case so that the kittens would be safe and sound. I had by this time reached a member of the Find A Home Give A Home organization, an all-volunteer, not for profit cat and dog rescue organization for the Beach, who indicated she or a member of Find A Home would come with a carry case and care for the kittens until a home was found. In as short as 15 minutes, she arrived. In that interval, the neighbor who brought over the carry case decided to adopt one of the kittens. About five minutes later a second kitten was adopted by another neighbor. By the time the Find A Home rep arrived, the third kitten was adopted so there were no kittens immediately available.

The elevator company was not quickly available, as it was afterhours, there was a wait until the technician arrived and the kitten rescued. At that time, the kitten was placed in the carry case and Find A Home returned to the library to care for and see that the kitten received a home. I left the library hours later than usual but affirmed that while the kittens were given less than proper care by the uncaring person who abandoned them, they did touch the hearts of others in short order and were cared for in the end.

I wish I could tell the person who abandoned the cat the hassle the entire incident provided and the extra costs involved for something that could have been handled with commonsense and care. A call placed to Find A Home Give A Home (281-0739) would have initiated possibilities. While there was inconvenience involved, one can also recognize the nobility it brought out in a number of people. Robert Fulghum once remarked that one of life’s best coping mechanisms is to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, you’ve got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. I guess we can certainly say the kittens in the elevator were an inconvenience. hanks to Find A Home Give A Home, the neighbors who adopted the three kittens, and those who assisted in-between to assure care. It is a good world!

Volunteers

Seeking two volunteers to each spend one hour a week in helping our landscape stay in pristine condition. Misc tasks include pulling weeds and periodic pruning. Please see me if you are available for one hour each week.

Photos

If you have photos from earlier decades that deserve a wider audience, consider donating them to the Library Archives. We are working on plans to display a variety of photos as the Beach went through various stages of development from the 1920s to the present. A plan is underway and additional photos are a plus and add to the depth and variety of the overall exhibit to be displayed in the library.

Classics

It’s a treat that more readers and browsers are noticing and making discoveries among the titles in the Classics Collection. These titles have not only stood the test of time but often highlight the better features of description and beauty/power of language. We will be adding around 150 titles to this collection from now to Christmas.

Hours

When we are closed a recorder gives the hours we are open. When open, we answer the phone in person. Hours for both the Annex and Expansion are Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday 9 to 5, and Saturday 9 to 2. Further hours will be added when construction is 100 percent complete.