Arnold, Neither Pig nor Governor

Today is the birthday of Iowa's own Tom Arnold. Born in Ottumwa in 1959, he nevertheless eventually became an actor. No disrespect to Ottumwa, but it's just like the rest of Iowa - not exactly the Hollywood of the Midwest. Among his better work are the films True Lies and Happy Endings. If you're interested in his point of view vis-a-vis all the shenanigans that put him in the spotlight, especially during his Roseanne years, you might try his autobiography, How I lost 5 pounds in 6 years. Ha! He's still got it. Of course, maybe "it" is the truth about dieting.

Spring will come eventually. I'm pretty sure anyway. So here are some premature tips for you gardeners. According to the The Old Farmer's Almanac 2008, page 272, traditional planting times go like this:

Corn "when elm leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear"

Perennials "when maple leaves begin to unfurl"

Pansies "after the aspen and chokecherry trees leaf out"

There it is, old-fashioned, vague folk knowledge to help you garden.

So good luck with that!

It's Raining Beatles

Whether or not you can get to tonight's RAIN show at the Civic Center, if you are a Beatles fan you may enjoy some CD's with a slightly differently take on their songs. "I am Sam" is all cover songs. Aimee Mann's and Michael Penn's take on Two of Us is especially engaging. Love by the Beatles is from the Cirque du Soleil's re-imagining of the Beatles' works, often mixing very different songs together. Lastly, Across the Universe presents the songs in the raw, simply sung with great emotion by actors from the movie of the same name.

Six Years after you swallowed the gum

We all know gum doesn't stay in your stomach 7 years. Nobody believes that anymore. But how long does it take for gum to digest? Turns out it doesn't digest at all. You might as well swallow a marble. In a manner of speaking. Plus, it's not true that humans only use 10 percent of their brains. It's just that so much of the gray matter is occupied with stuff like this.


Our online database the eLibrary (Electric Library) provided this information.

Whatever Happened to the Old Library

We get questions fairly regularly about the Old Central Library. What will happen to it? Well, according to the Des Moines Register, the building will become the "Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates." TheWorld Food Prize organization has money coming in for restoration - a $5 million grant from Monsanto. So to those of you who worried that the Old Library would be torn down, never fear. The beautiful Minnesota-limestone building will once more be inhabited and put to good use.

Small Book Sales

The scope of our sales may be small, but the books can be huge! Were you aware that the Des Moines Public Library buildings have ongoing booksales? They don't have tons of offerings, but the items change all the time. So next time you stop in at your library look it over. All six buildings sell a variety of books, audio, video. Maybe you'll find your favorite magazine. Okay, it's 3 months old, but hey, it's a quarter!

Didn't know we had six buildings? Here they are:

Central Library 1000 Grand Avenue
East Side Library 2559 Hubbell Avenue
Forest Avenue Library 1326 Forest Avenue
Franklin Avenue Library 5000 Franklin Avenue
North Side Library 3516-5th Avenue
South Side Library 1111 Porter Avenue

So you thought the 50's were all about the Rock and Roll. Sure, in 1955 you had your "Rock Around the Clock". But these songs were also in the Top 25 that year:

Ballad of Davy Crockett by Bill Hayes
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Perez Prado
Dance with me Henry (!) by Georgia Gibbs
The Crazy Otto Rag (!!) by Johnny Maddox
Sincerely by The McGuire Sisters

Maybe they had Easy Listening radio stations in the 50's, too.
The Great Song Thesaurus provided these nuggets.

Adventurous Adult Reading

Right Now! The Des Moines Public Library is running our annual Adult Reading Program. Stop in at any of our six locations and you'll get a fun string backpack just for signing up! Okay, while supplies last. Read whatever you like, fill out a form for each book. These forms put you in a drawing for prizes - $50 or $25 gift certificates! The program runs through March 29 so you have time to catch up on those books you've been dying to read. Or listen to. Love the audio books. Sign up, read, get prizes. Easy safe and fun.
For more information click here.

Is it Still Cold Out Here, or is it Just Me?

I know! Let's make ourselves feel better by going to one of the coldest places in America. Some of them are pretty close - Duluth MN, Grand Forks ND, Williston ND, and Fargo ND are among the Top Ten Coldest Places in the US, according to the book The Top Ten of Everything. The book skipped Alaska, but that's too far to go anyway. So saddle up, head to apparently anywhere in North Dakota, and discover how good we've got it.