Hi! Hello! Hi!

As the warm, happy craziness of the holiday season morphs into the drowsy, cold month that is January in Ohio, I finally have a few moments to look back at 2015. What a year it was for us at the Payne Branch Library.

We ended 2015 with the most incredible change to our layout. I believe I’ve written before about the spacial challenges we face as a charming little storefront library: we have a very long and very narrow building. While that may insinuate the type of coziness I dream about in a library, both Laina and I felt we could never quite achieve what we wanted here. We’d try rearranging the collection, moving some furniture around, blah blah blah. We just couldn’t put a finger on what it was we needed.

Enter: our beautiful new circulation desk! We received a new desk and reconfigured some of our existing furniture (our patron computer table, book shelves) to create a totally new space. Let me tell ya, this is the stuff.

The center of our library, which used to be dominated by two long shelving units, is now open and used for both work and leisure! 

We are so thankful to have a supportive Director and Board of Trustees, without whom we could not have gone forward with these updates. Stop in sometime to see the rest of the changes!

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, read on. If not, 1) please read on anyway and 2) proceed to the nearest copy of the the series and read immediately. If you’re still not a fan at that point, well, repeat step 2. 🙂

In November, we had the best event: Back to Hogwarts. Our branch became Hogwarts Castle for the evening, and we had a whole gaggle of first-year students come through the event. They received their wands, pet owls, were sorted into their Hogwarts Houses, attended four classes each, and finished off the evening with a visit to Honeydukes to enjoy Harry Potter-themed treats. I would post all of our pictures here if I could, but please find us on Facebook to see some more!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Those Hogwarts staff members, right!?

Magic was apparently our theme for 2015, as we had an amazing magic show in December. I cannot remember the last time I  laughed so unabashedly hard. Children as young as two and adults (just a tad older than two 😉 ) thoroughly enjoyed this show. Gordon Russ the Magician came all the way to us from Michigan, and we are already talking about when we can have him back again.

 

Looking back at such a fabulous year only inspires more excitement for the upcoming year. 2016 marks the Payne Branch Library’s 20th anniversary, which coincides with our main library’s centennial celebration, and we have some great ideas in the works.

See you soon!

Suzi

Pinch: Chapter 12

“So,” my uncle began, leaning back and crossing his legs. “I guess you heard Cordelia’s story.”

“Yeah, just this afternoon,” I replied.  “But it can’t be true, can it?”

“Of course it’s true!” he bellowed, causing Cindy to pop out from behind one of the shelves with a baleful glare in our direction.  “If it wasn’t true, do you think we would have been keeping such a close eye on you all these years?  Do you think your mother, idiot that she is, would have kept you away from us if it wasn’t true?  Do you think I would be here, alone, every single blasted day if I wasn’t hell-bent on keeping you away from that cursed swindler?”

I shook my head, startled into muteness by his sudden outburst.

“It’s true, every single word Cordelia told you is true,” he said, settling back into the cushions. “Now I’m going to tell you my story, every word of which is also true.”

He glared at me as he took a sip of coffee.

“My story begins a few years after Cordelia’s,” he began.  “I was newly married to a beautiful girl, my high school sweetheart Alice.  I worked as a custodian at the elementary school and she stayed home.  We wanted children right away, and we decided that she should focus on raising them rather than working outside the home.  We were young and healthy and couldn’t understand why three years went by without Alice getting pregnant.”

He paused to take another sip of coffee.

“We went to a couple doctors and both of us were tested.  I was fine, but something was wrong inside of Alice and she would never be able to carry a child.  We were devastated.”

He swiped a trembling hand down his face.

“Alice got depressed and started sleeping all day, sometimes staying in our bedroom for several days at a time.  My vibrant, beautiful wife was wasting away before my very eyes.”

He looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“I was desperate,” he whispered, “so I did what I had been forbidden to do my entire life.  I called on that demon from hell, Felix P. Willowtree.   He came to us that very day and within a month Alice was pregnant.”

“Pregnant!” I exclaimed, “How in the world!”

“Don’t interrupt!” he snapped.  “Yes, pregnant.  We were deliriously happy.”

He chuckled mirthlessly.

“If only we had known,” he trailed off, shaking his head.  “Nine months later Alice gave birth to a baby boy.  We named him Henry, after Alice’s late father.  It was an excruciating delivery.  Alice bled and bled, they couldn’t stop the bleeding!  Twenty minutes after Henry was born, Alice died.  Mr. Willowtree could help Alice get pregnant but apparently even he couldn’t fix what was wrong inside.”

He stopped to wipe his streaming eyes, then took a shuddering breath.

“I was sick with grief, but there was no time to mourn.  Henry needed me.  For the next 8 years Henry was my entire life.  I never remarried or dated.  We took care of each other.”

He clasped his hands, which were now trembling so badly his arms were beginning to strain, in his lap.  A sense of foreboding washed over me, and I wrapped my arms around my middle, terrified to hear the rest of the story.

“On Henry’s eighth birthday I took him to the lake.  We went fishing and swimming and ate junk food until I thought we would both be sick.”  He smiled thinly.  “It was a wonderful day and we ended it with a fire on the beach at sunset.  I was tired, so I lay back on our blanket, just to rest my eyes, I assured myself.  I fell asleep.  I don’t know how long I was asleep but when I woke up Henry was floating face down in the lake.”

I clapped my hands to my mouth and fought back tears.

“I let my son drown, I let my only link to Alice die, I brought this curse down on my family and I will never forgive myself for that!” he raged, standing up and pacing a few feet away.  “Felix P. Willowtree gave me exactly what I wanted, Hannah!  He gave me exactly what I asked for!  Do you see the danger?  His promises and his magic are conditional.  Yes he grants your wishes, yes he gives you what you are seeking, but at what cost?  At what cost?”

Pinch: Chapter 11

“We entered into a contract, of sorts, Mr. Willowtree and I.” my aunt continued. “To save the Admiral, I had to give Felix something. I gave him the same gift he gave my precious cat: life. When Felix saved the Admiral, who will live on to see his 100th birthday, it gave him a guaranteed 100 more years as our “family ghost.” My dear, while he may certainly save you in a pinch, it will cost you far more in the long run. He feeds on our silly need for permanence. Our need for control. Our times of weakness.”

Mrs. Crumpet stopped momentarily, with an indecipherable look in her eyes. “Whatever kind of pinch you may find yourself in soon, Hannah, do not call on Mr. Willowtree.”

Abruptly, she stood up and left the room. The Admiral did not follow suit; instead he kept his territorial glare fixated on me. His distaste was palpable. Snob.

I let myself out of my aunt’s apartment, and traipsed up the staris to my own. I had to gather my thoughts and prepare myself for my next encounter: back to the library to get my, uh, uncle’s side of the story.

After fueling my body with 2 large bowls of cereal and a brief moment (2 episodes) of Netflixing, I headed back out to the library. To my surprise, Cindy was not perched at the circulation desk. My new uncle, as per usual, was relaxing in front of the fireplace. He looked as thought he’d been waiting for me.

I walked up to him, warmly greeted by a smile and a cup of coffee, and sat down.

Pinch: Chapter 10

“Mr. Willowtree has been, well, I guess you could call him our family ghost,” she began, settling back into the couch.  “The stories go back generations, long before our family came to the States.”

I’m absolutely bursting with questions, but one look from Mrs. Crumpet, er, my aunt, and I quell the urge to interrupt.

“I’ll just tell you my story for now, as it would take hours to go through the old family records.”

She takes a sip of the tea that has been cooling on the coffee table between us, clears her throat and begins.

“It goes back to my dear, sweet Arnold shipping off to war.  As I said, he gave me Admiral Rumples to keep me company while he was away.  The Admiral and I fell in mutual love from minute one,” she explains, gazing over at the snoozing Admiral with fond adoration.  “He became my constant companion, even riding in my handbag when I would go out to run errands or pay a visit.  He was such a comfort to me, even when the worry about Arnold became almost unbearable.  That’s why I was so frightened when the Admiral got out one evening and was hit by a car.”

She stopped to sniffle into an embroidered handkerchief and wipe her teary eyes.

“I was desperate, you see,” she began, crumpling the handkerchief between her shaking hands.  “I knew the stories about Mr. Willowtree, I had been hearing them all my life!  Always the same warning; don’t call on him, no matter what!  Don’t let him in!  But nothing could get through my grief.  If the Admiral died I would be completely alone.  So I did what I had been warned against my entire life.  I called Felix P. Willowtree.”

She was quiet for a long moment, staring over my head with tears swimming in her eyes.

“I called Felix P. Willowtree,” she whispered, “and everything changed.”

Pinch: Chapter 9

Just as I was starting to feel like I’d lost my mind, Mrs. Crumpet, of all people, assured me that I had not.

“Willowtree?” I managed to stammer out while Mrs. Crumpet looked at me intently, watching her words have their expected effect on my face.

“Yes, dear. The very one. I know you’ve had a few strange encounters of late, and I think it’s time you learn why. And why you.” Mrs. Crumpet’s usually jovial face had become somber. I was suddenly strangely aware that I’d never heard her breathe a word about her husband before now.

“My sweet Arnold,” she continued wistfully, as if she’d read my mind. “Hannah, have you ever wondered about your family lineage? Or, rather, your lack thereof? Because, my dear, you do have family. Your mother is my baby sister.”

Ok, maybe I had lost my mind. Maybe I was completely batty and the old Crumpster and her ancient cat were figments of my fractured imagination. My mother absolutely does not have a sister; she is an only child, like me, as she often reminds me that “siblings are for peasants, dahhhling.”

My alleged aunt didn’t miss a beat. “Hannah, I’m your aunt. We have a brother as well: your uncle. I know your mother has kept this from you; she lives in her fantasy-world bubble, she always has. But given the fact that Felix has made contact with you, I can no longer allow your mother to keep you in that bubble.”

I had at least 500 questions, but couldn’t seem to form a single word. Blankly staring at her, I waited for further explanation.

“I’ve lived in this apartment for many, many years. Most of my life, actually. My brother and I have been doing our best to keep an eye on you for all these years. I’m sure you’ve seen your uncle at the library. He spends most of his waking hours there drinking coffee and waiting for you to come in and ask questions.”

I thought of the man who followed me out of the library just a bit ago heeding warnings about Felix Willowtree. Was he really my uncle?

For all I knew, Admiral Rumples the Ageless Wonder Cat was my uncle.

Ohio Library Council Chapter Conference – Staff Training Day 2015

Continuing education and staff development are important aspects of any job. As a library worker, this is especially true. We work daily to maintain our standard of service in our community, keep up with literary and technology trends, offer fun and fresh programming, and learn about best practices for providing library service.

This year, our staff went to the Ohio Library Council Northwest Chapter Conference in Toledo, OH. It was a day full of learning and I, for one, am back in the office with a head full of ideas that I can hardly wait to try in our community.

I attended the following four sessions:

1. Creating Connections, presented by Amanda Bennett, Director at Ada Public Library

Amanda was an awesome presenter; energetic, genuine, relatable, and inspiring. She made me want to go out and plant a tree or something. She gave examples of successful programs done in the Ada community that involved reaching out and partnering with community businesses/entities.

---

2. 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, presented by Cindy Romick, Children’s Manager at Findlay-Hancock County Public Library

I LOVED this program. I can hardly wait to get it started at our Branch. The program is simple, but Cindy gave us details about exactly how her library runs it. The first part of my library system’s Strategic Plan is written as follows: “Create Young Readers: Early literacy. Children from birth to age five will have programs and services designed to ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write, and listen.” (Paulding County Carnegie Library Strategic Plan 2014).

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is exactly aligned with this part of our plan, and I hope it will be a great success in our system. Look for it this fall!

---

3. Trivial Pursuits®: Quiz Shows as Off-Site Programming, presented by Jesse Henning, Youth Services Librarian at Westerville Public Library

This was a super captivating and fun session to attend. Jesse has charisma, and I am sure his quiz shows are great fun. The idea of off-site programming is really important and something I want to implement in our small town of Payne, OH. It provides an opportunity to collaborate with local businesses and to reach more people in our service area. I’m naturally a “behind the scenes” person, but I think hosting a quiz show at a venue in our town is something I would maybe possibly really enjoy. Who doesn’t love trivia!?

---

4. Food: A Tasteful Trend in Programming, presented by: Jen Downing, Upper Arlington Public Library; Bill Meltzer, Worthington Libraries; Erin Huffman, Westerville Public Library; Luke Powers, Delaware County District Library

We offer a Cookbook Club at our Branch–next meeting is Monday, May 4, at 6:00 pm!!–and have had success, but we wanted to find more ways to entice new members. The four presenters gave many new (to us) and delicious ideas for offering food programming. Bill said something in his presentation that I really liked: “While food is fundamental for life, the sharing of food is fundamental in forming community.”

Again, I have many ideas of community collaboration in mind. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for all upcoming events!

---

Overall, I think our team had a nice time and absorbed a lot at the conference. I know I did!

-Suzi

Pinch: Chapter 8

I skipped up the steps to my building and stepped inside.  Almost immediately the door to apartment 2A opened and Mrs. Crumpet waved me down.

“Hannah!  Hannah you must come join us!  It’s the Admiral’s birthday!”

Sighing, I trudged into her apartment, wincing at the click of the door closing behind me.  Trapped indefinitely.  I had spent the better part of my morning looking for that skinny fur ball and now I was stuck celebrating his birthday.  Ugh.

The “birthday boy” was perched regally on the back of the ugly flowered sofa, glaring down at me.

“The Admiral and I are so happy you could join us, Hannah!” Mrs. Crumpet called from the kitchen.  “His birthday is such a special occasion, and to think he might not have been with us if you hadn’t found him this morning!”

“Happy to help, Mrs. Crumpet!” I called back, flipping the bird at Admiral Rumples.  He hissed and jumped down from the sofa.  “So Admiral Rumples must be what, fifteen by now?”

“Oh no, dear,” she said, carrying in what looked to be a cake made entirely of canned tuna.  “The Admiral is celebrating his half century.”

I stared blankly at her.  Surely she didn’t mean….

“Dear Admiral Rumples is fifty years old today!”  She patted her lap and the cat jumped up and curled up on her legs.

“What?” I laughed  “No way!  You mean in cat years, right?”

“Absolutely not,” she sniffed, stroking the cat’s head.  “My late husband gave me the Admiral when we were newly married, back in 1965.  Arnold was leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam, you see, and he didn’t want me to be left alone.  He brought home the Admiral and it was love at first sight.”

She stared wistfully down at Admiral Rumples, who was by now snoring softly on her lap.

“But Mrs. Crumpet,” I began, “how in the world could a cat possibly live to be fifty years old?  It just doesn’t make sense!”

She stared at me for several long moments, and then nodded as if coming to a decision.

“I suppose I can tell you,” she said, shifting slightly in her seat.  “The Admiral and I are getting so old now, it doesn’t seem right to keep it a secret any longer.”

She cleared her throat and stared at me with intense, glittery eyes.

“Fifty years ago, someone did something extraordinary for me.”  She paused and looked down for a long moment.  “Well, I say extraordinary, but looking back I’m not so sure that’s the appropriate word.  Awful might be the better word.  Extraordinary, yes, but equally awful when I think of the events that happened after.”

She reached out and gripped my hand.  “My dear, have you ever heard the name Felix P. Willowtree?”

Pinch: Chapter 7

Huffing and puffing out of the library like the frustrated creature I was, I hardly heard Cindy’s futile attempt to call after me. But it was impossible to not hear, “Miss! MISS! HEY!” barreling out of the library doors behind me. It was the patron I saw relaxing in front of the fireplace inside. There was nothing relaxed about this man now.

Breathless, he caught up to me. “Geez, you’re quick. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I couldn’t help hearing your conversation with Ms. Mayes in there. Why are you asking about a Willowtree?”

His tone elevated quickly from casual (and still breathless) to concerned and even a bit afraid. This kind-faced older man met my eye with a knowing, anxious look. It was a look I’d already seen two times today.  “Er, I just came by the name somewhere and wanted to know who it was. Felix Willowtree. Do you know him?” I replied cautiously.

He appeared to be momentarily stunned, as if reminded of something he’d long ago forgotten.

“My dear girl,” he said seriously and grasped my hand, “I advise you, I urge you to dispose of the button you found and anything else you may find with those initials. I will not tell you things you do not need to know, but please hear me when I say: do not pursue this. Kill your curiosity before it gets you into trouble.”

After a few more long seconds of enduring his meaningful look, the man turned around and walked briskly back into the library. I fought my urge to follow him, and instead headed home to figure out what to do next. My thoughts were interrupted only by a sharp crack of thunder.

What in the world was going on here?

Pinch: Chapter 6

“Hi Cindy,” I greeted the small (pocket-sized, as she liked to call it), curly-haired librarian ensconced behind the circulation desk of our local library.  Brilliant green eyes sparkled up at me from behind turquoise-rimmed glasses.

“Hi sugar, how’s life treatin’ ya?”

Normally I hated being called “sugar” or “sweetie” or “honey,” but from Cindy Mayes, a woman I had been seeing at the library at least once a week since I was five years old, it just made me feel warm and fuzzy.

“Well, I have a bit of a mystery on my hands,” I replied, leaning on the desk.

“Ooooh, a mystery, do tell!”  She was practically rubbing her hands together with glee.

I held out the button to her with the initials F.P.W.  She gingerly took it in hand and examined it closely.

“Does the name Felix P. Willowtree mean anything to you?” I asked.

She froze in place and slowly looked up at me, eyes wary.  She handed me back the button and took off her glasses, nonchalantly polishing them on her cardigan.

“I can’t say it does,” she replied, studiously not meeting my eyes.  “Why do you ask?”

“He left his card in the tip jar at the bar and I’m pretty sure he’s the one who knocked me over on the street earlier today.  This button was stuck to the bottom of my boot.”  I held it up again but she still wouldn’t look at me.  “Cindy, come on, I know you know something.  You’re shut up like a clam and that’s not like you at all.  My mom just gave me the same song and dance.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” she sniffed, perching the glasses back on her nose.  She finally met my eyes.  I was taken aback by the flicker of fear I saw there.

“Cindy,” I began, but she stopped me with an upturned hand.

“I’m sorry Hannah but I have a lot to do this afternoon.  I’m very busy.”

I looked around at the almost empty library.  One patron was slowly picking away at the keyboard of one of the public computers and another was relaxing in front of the fireplace with a large stack of books and a cup of tea.  Busy my right foot.  I turned back to argue but she was already shuffling away on sparkly red pumps.

“Fine then,” I called, causing the two patrons to look over at me.  “I’ll just find someone else to help me, since you’re afraid.”

“Hannah, wait!” she cried, but I was already out the door.

Pinch: Chapter 5

My mom. Good ol’ mom. She knows all there is to know (and all she shouldn’t know) about anyone and everyone here in town. And in every other town.

I walked over to my parents’ house, two lattes in hand, with something like a pep in my step. It could’ve totally just been an indent in my boot from the button, but I like to think I was feeling newly motivated to solve the mystery of F.P.W.

“Mom, it’s me. I brought coffee.”

As I took off my coat and boots at the door, I tried not to choke on the familiar smells of my parents’ house: strong coffee, cigarette smoke, and apple pie. Unfortunately for me, there was no apple pie here; just staggering amounts of scented candles burning in an effort to mask the cigarette smoke.

“Hannah! I was just about to call you. And POOF, here you are. What’s going on, darling?” My mother gracefully swished into the kitchen in her usual chiffon kimono-style robe and furry house slippers.

“Poof, here I am. I am in need of your extensive societal knowledge.” I explained the Willowtree instances to my mother, and felt all the earlier peppy mystery-solving motivation evaporate as she immediately closed up like a clam. Although she denied ever having heard the name, I could read the wariness on her face and the forced nonchalance in her shrug.

“Hmm. Sounds like a prank or something. I wouldn’t worry about it. Let me fix you lunch, dear, you’ve gotten so thin since you moved out. How about I fix you lunch and dinner? Your father and I miss you, you know…”

I was used to this conversation. Being an only child and moving out just three months ago, I was often the recipient of this guilt trip. After a rather large and delicious lunch, I left my mom to her afternoon of whatever it is that she does, and decided on my next stop: the library.

If the fabulous Francie Brewer didn’t want to dish on Mr. Willowtree, there must really be a mystery worth solving here.