Month: June 2019

As in caterpillar. And a very hungry one at that.

In case you missed the Water Tower Festival parade last week, The Very Hungry Caterpillar float created by Hocking won first place. Almost immediately after the parade, I received a text from Jack Beery wondering if we wanted to adopt the caterpillar and the beautiful butterfly he turns into.

Uhm, yes! He’s gorgeous. Someone put a ton of work into him, and it would be a tragedy to tear such an iconic character apart. Also, is anything more awesome than community looking out for community? I love partnering with area businesses, organizations, and individuals for any reason. Bringing a hungry critter to the library to delight patrons of all ages seems like one of the best reasons.

Even before he was unloaded, wide-eyed little ones were giddy with excitement.

Of course, we are too.

This blog post, and the joy you will find visiting our new friend, was made possible by Eric Carle and the wonderfully talented staff at Hocking. No caterpillars were harmed in the making of this post.

As I prepare for a final push through driver’s training with my youngest, I find myself reflecting on what it means to successfully raise a child. This introspection has taken me down many a memory lane–some good, some not great, most incredibly amazing. It has also taken me to parenting blogs and a whole host of poems and quotations.

Probably, the most well-known parenting quote goes something like this: children need both wings and roots. One to stay grounded, the other to explore their independence. That said, this baby bird didn’t look too happy when momma and poppa shoved him out of the nest. While his much bigger brother seemingly got the hang of his new wings quite quickly, I’m not sure if this little one ever did. He wasn’t around the next day.

Over the past 26 years as a parent, I have learned only two things:

• I make mistakes every single day. Each decision I make and each interaction I have with my children impacts how they will act and react with the world around them.
• There is not, and should never be, a parenting book meant for all parents and all children. Raising kids requires flexibility for the time and space you are in, which is as fluid as the water in my mug. Because of this, the world is full of conflicting advice. In fact, I couldn’t even find a cohesive quote on parenting that wasn’t almost immediately contradicted by another.

Oh yeah, and a third thing–letting go never gets easier despite the fact that releasing our children into the world as healthy, happy adults is the end goal.

My hope for you and the youth in your life is that you understand and embrace the uniqueness of yourself and your children. No two parents and no two children are the same. While using a good parenting book can help get your own feet rooted in the right place, just know that you may have to find the one that works for the time and space you are in right now. The more children you have, the more books you may need.

If you have used a great parenting book, please let us know so we can consider it for our shelves. If you are in need of a parenting book, we can help you find one.

I have one more day before my youngest will be driving me around. I can only hope I’ve given him a solid road map to get us safely to our destinations.

Wonder where the books are on time travel? I might need to get that figured out before my nest is completely empty!

happy reading~ jody

Because I’m me, and curiosity doesn’t just belong to cats, I couldn’t let James Wedgwood show up today without knowing a bit more about ventriloquism. A quick search on the almighty google provided me with a plethora of websites outlining the history of this fascinating art.

It, quite literally, is ancient.

While I had known about the priestess Pythia, the Greeks, and the Delphi, I never actually said, “Self, Pythia is a ventriloquist. The earliest of ventriloquists, used as a vessel for Apollo’s voice.” While this revelation takes some of the magic away from Pythia and her ilk, it actually makes me respect the culture in which ventriloquism arose.

Think of the power and energy that went into this deception. Think of the vulnerability and need of the people to hear directly from a god. Was it manipulation or compassion that allowed ventriloquism to arise?

And who was the first puppet master of inanimate objects? Was some Greek boy schlepping along in his sandals thinking, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if I could talk without moving my mouth?” Or did he do it to get the bullies off his back, turning the objects around him into living testaments of his power?

Or was it a mom who needed to keep her little tykes in line who first threw her voice across the room, making a stick talk to keep her kids occupied while she washed laundry? This is what I want to know. Alas, I never found out.

Regardless, gastromancy, as ventriloquy was called, was as fascinating then as it is today. The ability to speak without moving your mouth is a talent that has charmed some and scared others. It’s powerful because it’s uncommon. It’s something few of us will ever be able to take on the road–or to the Delphi.

Join us tonight to learn more about this magical art.