Thoughts From Emily Post

Her 1922 edition that is:

When staying at a country house visiting maids stay on the third floor.
People not only had a maid they had more than one.

...etiquette is no flummery of poseurs aping the manners of their betters...
Well, duh.

Guests, ... do not take off their hats at a lunch party even in the country...
What if you're wearing your cap backwards? It's like you're not even really wearing it.

One should never call out a name in public, unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
As in case of train? Runaway bus?

Ah, Emily. We kid because we love. Times have changed, Emily has responded, and her current books are quite useful. Especially when the mother of, well, anyone, wants to argue about seating at a wedding. Or the father. Emily Post's Etiquette. Sometimes you just have to know how it's done.

Source: Bartleby.com

Home... Fixing One

Now you've got your house and, well, yippee! But of course it's not perfect, there are little things here and there that need tweaking and painting and ripping out and stop! This is plenty of work. Here we have the little helpers that are such a boon to people like myself who are a danger to themselves and others when attempting household repairs.

Books at the Des Moines Public Library

Do It Yourself
Instructions for a multitude of home projects from painting, to plumbing, to HVAC, and tons of other projects.

Be Jane
Home improvement projects written by women for women.

Information for this week's Home series was provided by Marci Behm, Information Services, Central Library

Home... I Want One

Tired of pouring your money into a rental that will never give you any sweet, sweet equity? Or are you getting ready to move to your next home but want to be better-armed this time out? Our books and guides below will help you evaluate a house, understand the buying process, and get moved in. Help is good.

Books at the Des Moines Public Library

Freddie Mac Guide to Buying and Owning a Home
Freddie Mac, “a stockholder-owned corporation chartered by Congress in 1970 to keep money flowing to mortgage lenders in support of homeownership and rental housing.”

Buying a Home
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Neighborhood Finance Corporation
NFC has special lending products for homebuyers purchasing in targeted revitalization areas of Des Moines. Some lending products include forgiveable loans, no money down, and/or no private mortgage insurance requirements. Contact NFC for more information.

Home... Hanging On

We'll be doing a few posts on the current housing situation and homes in general this week. Let's get the tough one out of the way first. Ah, foreclosure. A scary scary word. But if you have to deal with one - or want to avoid one - there are resources for you. Here are some good starters:

Iowa Foreclosure Hotline
Office of the Attorney General, Iowa Department of Justice

Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Freddie Mac Guide to Avoiding ForeclosureFreddie Mac, “a stockholder-owned corporation chartered by Congress in 1970 to keep money flowing to mortgage lenders in support of homeownership and rental housing".

Library Card Sign-Up Month

Oh, that first library card. My siblings and I couldn't wait until we were old enough to get our own cards and check out our very own books. In the old Carnegie, children's books were in a semi-circle area of the basement and I would just go there and wallow. Unfortunately, I was limited to the number of books I could carry and my arms were short. Crushing. If you've never had a card, get one. Your first card is free and you acquire access to an unbelievable stash. You know the drill - books, CD's, Internet access, and did I mention books? Still my favorite. Make sure you check out a shiny new book when you get your shiny new card. There is nothing like it.
Photo courtesy: redjar Flickr

Local History - Glamourpusses of the Prairie

So many fabulous, fabulous, Hollywood Stars come from Iowa. We all know about John Wayne and Fred Grandy, Donna Reed. Then there's Michelle Monaghan who was so good in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and seriously underused in Gone Baby Gone and is from Winthrop, Iowa. Michael Emerson, king of the enigmatic goggle eyes (What is he thinking? No one knows.) was born in Cedar Rapids. Fictional Captain Kirk was born in Riverside Iowa, but non-fictional Terry Farrell from Cedar Rapids played Jadzia Dax on Deep Space Nine for 6 years. She quit to be on Becker. Go figure. Are you intrigued? You know where to go. Click here for the Iowa-Hollywood Connection page on the Local History Wiki. See if you can find one more star from Cedar Rapids. It's some kind of talent hothouse up there!

Local History - Buses & Trolleys &...Oh My!

And Streetcars and Curbliners, for pity's sake! Could there have been any more modes of public transportation in Des Moines? Not enough rivers for gondolas, I suppose. What the heck is a 'curbliner' anyway? I've never heard of these, did downtown Des Moines have special curbs that the 'liners' grabbed on to? So many questions. Fortunately the Local History Wiki is there for you. Nice timeline and informational bits, click here to go directly to Curbliner Central.


Photo courtesy: Thomas Hawk, Flickr

Local History Combustion

As in cars. Yes, Des Moines, Iowa had an Automobile Industry. We produced beauties like the Hawkeye and the Monarch, of which there are no known survivors. (Foul play? Evidence is thin. OK, non-existent. But it's fun to think about.) A few hardier models were the Mason - designed by Fred Duesenberger, no less - and the cars that rolled off the Ford Assembly Plant on Grand Avenue. You had no idea, did you? Me either. And I know you want more, so click right here and read all about it in our Local History Wiki.

Local History Lucky

How lucky you ask? Way lucky! Librarians at the Des Moines Public Library have been working day and night to make local history information available to you. We currently call it the Local History Wiki ,cause, you know, we're hip to this Internet stuff. The coolest information is here, and let me tell you, this stuff is not easy to find on your general web. For the most part, the information is from paper sources. Or even microfilm. One foot in the future, one in the past, that's us. We're all about balance. Here's a baseball tidbit to get you started. Did you know that in one year the Des Moines baseball team had 3, count'em, 3 different names? Click here and slide down to the bottom of the page to get the names. And when you're not using my oh-so-handy blog links to get to the Local History, here's how you access it.
1. From our home page, http://www.desmoineslibrary.com/, click on Blogs/Wikis
2. In the green column to the left, click on Local History Wiki
3. Click on the link http://desmoinespubliclibrary.pbwiki.com/

4. Noodle around to your heart's content.
We'll have more on the Local History Wiki this week - Stay tuned!