A decades-old quest, rivaling that of King Arthur's knights, may be coming to a close. A late-model revision of a newfledged plan (Plan L) for a bathroom with running water and septic has been approved by state and local officials. The board and I would like to publicly thank the historical society for providing us with an easement to tap into their well. Without their generosity, the project could not have gone forward. We hope to begin construction in the spring. Stay tuned.

On Halloween night, 77 children stopped by the library for treats. The portico was decked out with jack-o'-lanterns courtesy of Reading Elementary's K-1 kids. Later in the week the librarian, after glutting himself with leftover chocolates for 3 days, finally got around to acknowledging the kindness of the K-1 class by turning over to them what was left of his candy cache.

The board and I would like to thank Karen Appleton and Colleen O'Connell for their efforts on the library's behalf the past several years. Sarwar Kashmeri and Kevin Forrest have stepped in to replace them. (It is especially gratifying to have landed Mr. Forrest, who a few weeks back tried to strong-arm the librarian into writing the Reading column for the Standard. The library board decided that the best course of action would be to put Kevin to work for us instead. And he has graciously played right into our hands.)

A local playgroup, led by Marion Brody (484-5302) and Amy Harkins (484-8970), has been meeting at the library on Thursdays from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. Children 0-5 and their caregivers are welcome. Play time, snacks, crafts, and stories are offered. Call Marion, Amy, or the library (484-5588) for additional information.

Lisa Kaija will lead a calligraphy workshop at the library in late January. All are welcome. Details will be available in next month's article.

New additions to library shelves include The Year of Magical Thinking, a memoir by Joan Didion; The Lincoln Lawyer, a legal thriller by Michael Connelly; Healthy Aging, by Andrew Weil; Eldest, the sequel to Eragon, by Christopher Paolini; and The Silver Spoon, the most influential cookbook in Italy, originally published in 1950, and translated into English for the first time. We've also added 45 board books to our collection, along with dozens of early chapter books for beginning readers.

I'd like to thank Stephen Ells for the photograph of Inez Burnham, which has been framed and now sits on the mantel in the library. Beginning about 1916, Mrs. Burnham was assistant librarian to Minnie Fay. After Minnie's death in 1940, Inez became library director and held that post until 1954. A couple of years ago, while rummaging in the library attic, I found a small journal that belonged to her. Most of the entries are notes on library-related themes. "Librarians should be entirely neutral on religious matters, cordial and helpful to all" is one example. The last several pages of the journal, however, are notes she kept on her radio-listening. Dates, times, channels, stations, programs, and signal locations are reported. Those were the days when, if the night was clear, a Vermonter could catch a stray radio wave from Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Montreal, or Nova Scotia.

On September 25, 1927, Inez writes that at midnight she listened to Melody Hour, broadcast out of Buffalo, channel 15 on her radio dial. On October 4 of that same year, she heard "Twilight" sung by Miss Eva, contralto, at 10:30 P.M. on W.P.G. out of Atlantic City, channel 54. Later that month on the same station, she heard an address by Admiral Byrd, the polar explorer. She writes that it was "most interesting." November's highlights included speeches by Clarence Darrow and Calvin Coolidge ("very faint"), and an Armistice Day service from Chelmsford, England, relayed by W.G.Y. in Schenectady, with musical selections "God Save the King" and "Tipperary." In December, on W.L.W. out of Cincinnati, she listened in as the American Society of Arts and Letters awarded a medal to Otis Skinner ("not present") for excellence of diction on the stage.

Then this journal entry for January 2, 1928:

"The surprise for today came over the radio. I put on the headset after dark, just to see if there might be some news, and I heard the announcer saying, 'The sky is so blue and the air so balmy in Southern California this afternoon,' and lo! I was listening to the Rose Carnival at Pasadena, Cal. Think of it, transported in a moment from a below zero world to a land of roses and sunshine, each place lovely in its way. Milton Sills was introduced, and told of his beautiful rose garden. The game was a good one, Pittsburgh vs. Stanford at the Rose Bowl: '. . . Murphy, shaped like a garden gate, coming down the line.' "

Inez was 51 years old that year.

Cordially,
Tony

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