Thanks to Marjorie Swain, our newest volunteer. She spent several hours watching the desk while I attended a library workshop. She has been a lover of the library for many years, beginning in the 1930s when she would sometimes cut the grass. One of those years netted her $2.20 for her efforts. A special thank you to Jr. Sanderson, who has several times cut the grass this spring. Thanks, too, to Laura Griggs, who has shared with me much of the library's, and the town's, history. It has been a joy to get to know many of the older townspeople, who have seen the town through its thin and its thick.

I want to thank Mike Barr, who did a terrific job keeping the library lot plowed all winter. There were occasions when the book-discussion group or the pre-school group was meeting at an odd hour or on a snowy day, a Monday or a Wednesday, say, when the library is usually closed. The sidewalk, steps, and lot were always clear.

All in town have been generous. We have had a couple of magazine subscriptions given to the library. In May, there were two pots of pansies arranged on the steps by the third and fourth grade class. And many books have been donated in recent months. Some will be circulated; others were sold at the book sale. Book donations are always welcome. We do request that books be in reasonably good shape. If a book smells, or is torn, or is discolored, or has mold, it should be thrown out. A good barometer is that if you wouldn't read or buy a book because of its condition, odds are that no one else will.

The summer reading program is called Reading Is the Next Best Thing to Being There. We will be meeting at the library on Thursdays from 4 P.M. to 5 P.M. beginning July 11. The program will continue through August 15. There will be food, crafts, readings, music, and guest speakers. All school-aged children are welcome. Preschoolers may also participate along with their caregivers.

There are some birds nesting behind the awning on the library portico. They look a bit like robins, but smaller. Swallows, perhaps. They are chatty and territorial but have not yet assaulted me. The same sort of bird was nesting there last year. Incidentally, my wife and I have a metal ashcan that we keep in the yard during the months we burn wood. For a couple of weeks, before the cold gave out, a red-faced woodpecker frantically drummed on it twice a day.

Library hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 12 P.M.-7 P.M. (closed 3:30-4) and Saturdays 10 A.M.-12 P.M. The phone number is 5588.

Cordially,
Tony

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