Pay Fines Online! Yippee!

I know, you didn’t mean to keep The Eternal Beauty of Grout an extra 3 days, it just happened. It happens to all of us. What if you won’t have a chance to stop at one of our libraries for weeks, and the mail takes too long? How to clean up your library account so it sparkles again? Well, if you have a MasterCard or Visa credit card you can pay online. Here’s how: from our home page click on My Stuff in the gray bar towards the top. The My Stuff page has an option to the left that says PAY FEES. Click on that , then click on Pay fines and fees online now.   Sign in with your library card number and PIN. You are good to go! Pay away!

The Gargoyle. One of the Best Books I Read in 2009.

I read some astounding books in 2009.  Over the next few weeks I think I'll review a few for you. Sharing time!   First up:

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Start with a gorgeous but morally bankrupt man who gets roasted in a car accident.  Follow with a graphic account of the  horrific burn treatment he has to undergo in order to heal.  And of course after all this he ain't pretty. Or happy. Now you get a crazy but-of-course gorgeous sculptress who makes weird art in a very weird way.  Then what's all this about a medieval nun and love gone wrong? Not to mention the Viking and, well, the other Viking. They're victims of cruel cruel love. It all hangs together beautifully and the historical bits are juicy in their detail. Lousy cover, but we mustn't judge, must we?
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Floppy!

I went in for a massage and Kelly, the wonderful masseuse, was wearing a Floppy T-shirt.  She said she had worked on the Floppy show.  I said no way. She said way, she worked at WHO-TV as a floor director.  Sometimes she'd be behind the camera, sometimes out giving cues to the talent.  Kelly's a native Des Moinesian and grew up with Floppy. She was even one of the kids on the show!  So Floppy is a person to her.  Just like Miss Piggy is a person to me.  Which explains why she occasionally gave the cues to Floppy.  The show was live so cues had to be given by hand signals and Duane would be talking to the kids so he wasn't paying attention.  But the puppet was looking right at her, so Floppy got the alert.  Until she remembered to catch Duane's eye. Just one of the pitfalls of puppet shows. If you'd like to read more about the Floppy Show and Duane Ellet, here is a list of newspaper articles.  You can just pop in to the Central Library and read these on our microfilm!
The Floppy Papers

The Death of a Flower. Not a Poem

Our peonies took a beating from the storms Tuesday night.  They were a sorry sight, and as I always say in such situations, "That is an Ex-Peony!"  Because it's all I can remember from Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch. But I know there are many many colorful ways to relate the demise of a mashed flower.  Let's share! To describe the condition of the peony:

1. Passed on!

2. Is no more!
3. Has ceased to be!
4. Expired and gone to meet 'is maker!
5. Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace!
6. Pushing up the daisies! (Oh the irony)
7. 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory!
8. E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisibile!
THIS IS AN EX-PEONY!
Ah, they save the best for last.  Are you missing Monty Python yet?  Re-aquaint yourself using our collection.

Monty Python Videos and DVDs

Another Beautiful Iowa Bird

The great blue heron.  Is this not a lovely bird?  My husband took the photo while on a kayak on the Des Moines River.  He was waiting for the heron to take flight, but it ignored him completely and instead he got a nice close-up photo.  Before the river took him out of range.  My husband, not the heron.  If the bird had taken off, following would not have been an option as they can do 30 miles per hour.  According to the Iowa DNR, "An adult great blue heron is 42 to 52 inches long. ... It has a low call of “frahnk,frawnk, frawnk"."  I'm guessing that is not a thing of beauty.  For more on Iowa birds, take a look at our books!
Iowa Bird Books
Some of these books will have the word 'Iowa' under 'Collection'. These cannot be checked out but you can use them in-house. There are still lots of books that check out!

Photo Courtesy Gerry Rowland

We're Back! Plus New Hours Reminder

All six locations of the Des Moines Public Library are open today.  Yay!

Today is the first day for the new hours at two of our locations.

North Side Library:

Mon-Fri: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Forest Avenue Library:

Mon -Thu: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

These hours will continue until September 7th.

 Summer Reading starts June 14!

Remembering Day

All locations of the Des Moines Public Library are closed today, Monday May 31, for Memorial Day. We will open tomorrow.

A Memorial Day Memory.

When I was a child, my family would visit our Irish relatives buried in the cemetery at St Patrick's on the Lizard. There was never anyone else around and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. (The nearest town was Clare, 4 miles away.)  The cemetery boasted a tiny church on a hill and a little bit of a creek called the Lizard. We never saw any lizards though, which was puzzling.  But it was beautiful and quiet, and while I may not have appreciated it as a child, the memories are nice now.

Have a lovely Memorial Day.

The following site includes a reprint of an article from the The Fort Dodge Messenger & Chronicle, August 23, 1928 that discusses St Patrick's on the Lizard

Memorial Day Closings

All locations of the Des Moines Public Library will be closed for Memorial Day on Saturday May 29th, Sunday May 20th and  Monday May 31th.  No items will be due on these days. We look forward to seeing you Tuesday June 1!   Also, we are closed Sundays from now until September.

Graphic Source: Clker.com

Sticky Songs' Grandchild

Oompa Loompa. Oh I know it's too late.  Two little words and your  inner platter is spinning already.  Let's throw a little fat on that fire.

Willy Wonka:  Oompa Loompa doompety doo, I've got a perfect puzzle for you. Oompa Loompa doompety dee, if you are wise you'll listen to me.

South Pacific:  Some Enchanted Evening: You may see a stranger.  You may see a stranger, across a crowded room... 

Big Rock Candy Mountain:  Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow, in the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

Glow Worm:  Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer - Did this become a Dr. Pepper jingle? "It's Dr. Pepper time!"

A little gentler sticky song:  Guantanamera, Guajira Guantanamera. Yo soy un hombre sincero.  De donde crecen las palmas...

One of the all-time champion sticky songs!  Beyonce: Single Ladies!  Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it, if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it, wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh.

Uh oh.  Feel free to defend yourself by telling us your sticky songs.