What’s Next?

Welcome to DBRL Next, the library’s blog for adults! Here you’ll discover authors, programs, area events and learning resources. Visit often and find your next good book. Unravel the mysteries of new technologies or learn a language. Read about upcoming films, lectures and computer classes. Participate in Adult Summer Reading. Find a volunteering opportunity, a new hobby and more. What’s next? Scroll down to find out!

Molehills and Other Signs of Spring

DeerBefore I moved to the Midwest, I saw wildlife as something abstract: deer as harmless little Bambis and moles as relatives of the mole who wanted to marry Thumbelina in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale. This does not mean that I was indifferent to nature. On contrary, I always admired it — from afar, that is. Here in Columbia, I decided that it was about time to get closer to nature: plant trees and bushes, make flowerbeds and put up bird feeders.

After a careful research (based solely on beautifully illustrated library books), I finally sprang to action – I bought plants, dug holes and did a lot of mulching. I even succeeded in soliciting my husband’s help, and together we put up a nice bird feeder. The feeder quickly turned out to be a hit — especially with the squirrels. We moved it from the tree to a metal hook, which my husband greased with Vaseline, and installed a squirrel baffle underneath – all with no visible result. Next came a large squirrel–proof bird feeder with a spring–loaded platform that closed the feeding portals when squirrels sat on the perch. For a week, we enjoyed our victory, but soon birdseed started to disappear overnight. One morning I looked out the window and saw a large raccoon clinging to the bird feeder upside down, eating seeds without even touching the platform. Also, at about the same time, deer stripped bark from the bottoms of my newly planted apple trees, and they ruthlessly destroyed most of my flowers and bushes.
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Resources for New Graduates at Your Library

How Do You Work This Life Thing? by Lizzie PostMany people think of the library as the place to do research for school reports and projects. But we also offer many resources for life beyond school.

“Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?” addresses common concerns associated with “Finding, landing and keeping your first real job.”

In “How Do You Work This Life Thing?” Lizzie Post casts a wide etiquette net, offering advice on dealing with roommate problems, what to wear where, job issues, dating, cell phone protocol and more.

Anyone setting up housekeeping for the first time will benefit from “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook,” a practical and comprehensive guide to household organization and maintenance.

“Your Life, Your Money” is aimed at helping young adults start off on sound financial footing.
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For Mom, Who Did Not Question My Judgment When I Gave Her a Skunk for Her Birthday

Photograph of handsEditor’s note: For Mother’s Day, some of our library staff invited their moms to be guest writers for DBRL Next. This final article in our Mother’s Day series was written by Public Services librarian Lauren’s mom, who is struggling with her own mother’s failing health. 

Two months ago, my brother called to let me know that our mother was in the hospital because of a stroke. My mother is 92, but the fear of losing her brought instant tears and a feeling of panic. She is now residing at a skilled nursing facility, using a walker, unable to remember how to use a remote device or a call button, and her mind is living in the ’50s and ’60s. My mother wants to return to a home that is no longer there and questions why old friends and family don’t come to visit. When told that they are dead, tears come. But two hours later she does not remember these conversations. Her reality is very different from that of her children.

I, too, would like to live in my mother’s past, when her mind was sharp and her body was always on the move. She raised five children, became a widow at 40, ran several businesses and was always volunteering to help others out. She was my Brownie troop and Girl Scout troop leader, exposed me to classical music, introduced me to Gilbert and Sullivan and supported my love of reading and education. Mother put up with — and at times enjoyed — dogs, cats, gophers, chipmunks, snakes, squirrels, rabbits, fish, birds, horned toads and a prairie dog that I added to our home. She did not question my judgment in getting her a skunk for her birthday.
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Thoughts on Our Treescape

Rock Bridge State Park TrailEditor’s note: For Mother’s Day, some of our library staff invited their moms to be guest writers for DBRL Next. This article is from Pat McDonald, intrepid and inspiring mom of our staff editor, Jenny. Enjoy!

All my life, I have been drawn to and fascinated by the outdoors. Growing up in a big city, I would stare out at the trees from my upstairs window, and be first in line for car trips out of town where there were more trees, and maybe some woods! Over 50 years later, I continue to feed my “itch,” and to understand better why it is so important to my peace and sanity.

In my working and child-raising years, I would take hikes on weekends or after work.  Riding my bicycle to work a few days a week would give me my quiet, tree-filled “fix” for the day. Vacations nearly always included hiking or bike trails. Now in retirement, I am part of Missouri’s Master Naturalist program, and I also volunteer at Rock Bridge State Park, one of my local sacred places. I am thankful every single time I can go out there and fill my eyes, my lungs and my heart.

Many great authors have put words to what I feel, and I continue to seek them out and save their inspired thoughts.
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Mom Hikes the Franz Josef: Boots, Fanny Packs and Crampons, Oh My!

Franz Josef GlacierEditor’s note: For Mother’s Day, some of our library staff invited their moms to be guest writers for DBRL Next. This article is the first post from one of our intrepid mamas. Enjoy!

Not too long ago, I wrote a brief article on travel to New Zealand, inspired by my parents’ then-upcoming trip.  Nine weeks later, they are back in the states, and for Mother’s Day, I asked my mom to do a little work (typical kid, eh?) and tell us about one of her experiences. This is her description of the day she and my dad (both approaching 70) took their hike across the Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island.

What was he thinking??? My husband, that is, when he signed us up for a walk on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand.
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Vietnam Revisited in Fiction, Memoir and Photography

Book cover for The Things They Carried by Tim O'BrienThe things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two to three canteens of water.”  From “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien.

The legacy of Vietnam — the war, the social unrest at home, the 1960s, the political landscape — is still vivid today, 37 years after the war officially ended. My father was a Vietnam Veteran, having served “in country” from March of 1968-February 1969. He did not talk much about his military service, but he used Vietnam War fiction and memoirs to communicate the experiences that he and two million other American men and women faced while in Southeast Asia. The books he picked were powerful, well written and often very personal.

The list below is a small sampling of the Vietnam War literature available and includes several of my father’s must-reads. If, in the course of your reading, you need background information or want to find additional firsthand accounts, be sure to visit the library’s rich collection of nonfiction material on the Vietnam War (call number range 959.704 – 959.7043). And join us at the Columbia Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on May 15 for Vietnam Revisited, a presentation of photographs and video clips of war veteran David Buhr’s return trip to the country in 2008.
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