Jan's Column 2025

I admit it. I take the blame. It is all my fault. Why, only last week I was waxing almost poetically about the end of summer and how we had entered the autumnal phase of the year. I know. I know, I know. I was tempting fate and most importantly, I had failed to knock on wood. And what is the result? Since I put those words to paper last week the temperatures have been steadily rising and look to continue in the low to mid-80s at least until the publication day of this column. For those of you who can't wait for autumn to begin, I apologize. For those of you who love summer and hate to see it go, you're welcome! While the weather may be fickle, the length of days and the book publishing trade are not. The inexorable shortening of days continues apace which provides longer evenings which to get cozy with a good book. The publishing trade has moved into full production of its Fall Title Lists which is a happy coincidence in that they provide books for those longer evenings. Expect new titles from all the bestselling authors to hit the shelves soon. In the meantime, below you will find some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Why it seems like only yesterday (It was August 29th. I looked it up) when I was commenting on how autumnal the weather had turned. I can, indeed, make that claim again this week, only more so. The rather unseasonably cool weather has the trees already beginning to drop their leaves and blush. My tomato plants (I grow them in plants on my porch and driveway) have quit growing and are only requiring once-a-day watering. They are rapidly become sticks with green tomatoes attached to them. Birds are departing the area at a goodly clip. I have reports from a friend who lives in the country that the plovers, gross beaks, robins, and orioles have left the area. Hummingbirds are migrating through and apparently feeding heavily at any feeders that they might find. If you’d like to get a sense of how many birds are leaving the area nightly (most birds migrate at night), go to this website: dashboard.birdcast.info and type in Dane County, WI as your location. If you look at some of the charts available at this site, you will see that birds started leaving at the beginning of August. If you ask me, evenings are getting cozier, which provides the perfect opportunity to curl up with a good book, a hot beverage, and a cat, dog, or significant other.  If this appeals to you, then check out some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. And, enjoy!

The Summer Reading Program has finally and truly ended. The celebratory party has occurred. There is nothing left to do but to give you all the fascinating numbers.  This year 686 participants read, earned a badge, and /or attended an event. Those participants read 38,0522 books. Whew! That’s a whole lot of reading!

Every year, for more years than I care to remember, I have been reporting the number of pages read in concrete terms.  I have converted the number of pages read (or pages listened to, or time spent reading) into inches, then converted those inches into miles, and then plotted that number of miles on a map.  Since I have been doing this annually for enough years for this to have become a tradition, and since I’m wise enough not to tamper with a fine tradition, here goes!

Those 38,052 books read by those 686 people convert to 3,344,710 pages (using our traditional and somewhat arcane conversion formula). This is 650,351 more pages read than the 2,694,359 read last year.  That’s about 4,876 pages per participant which is 386 more pages read per participant this year when compared to the 4,490 read last year!

Now, on to the calculations which begin with this question: “If you laid all the pages of the books that were read end-to-end how many miles would they stretch?”  The average size of a page is 9 inches tall which gives us (3,344,710, times 9” or) 30,102,390 inches (always show your work if you want to receive full credit). Then we take those inches and divide by 12 to give us 2,508533 feet and then divide by 5,280 to give us 475 miles (BTW, last year we only read 383 miles). So,475 miles east of DeForest (assuming you had pontoons on your car and could drive straight across Lake Michigan) would put you just at the western edge of Hamilton, Ontario. Going almost due south, you would drive south of Cape Girardeau and New Madrid ending up somewhere north of Hayti, MO. And if you headed west, on I-90 you’d be west of Mitchell and Plankinton, South Dakota, right on the county line between Brule and Aurora counties. No matter how you look at it, that’s a lot of pages read!  You know, suddenly, West Virginia, Niagara Falls, Kearney, NE, and Nashville, seem well within reach. There’s always next year!

Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

As is my wont at this time of year, I fill up the top of a library column, soon after the end of the Summer Reading Program, and do a whole lot of math.  As you may – or may not recall – I convert the number of pages read into miles and after many calculations, plot those miles of books read on a map. Well, the good new is, I won’t be doing that this week. Consider this your fair dues warning for next week. As of this writing, we are still tallying up a few of the reading sheets that were turned in using the old pencil-and-paper approach. Once that final number is achieved, I shall begin the calculations. In the meantime, it seems as if fall-like weather has arrived and is planning on staying for at least a few days. The skies have that cold-weather cloud look. Plants are beginning to yellow. Birds are starting to flock up (admittedly in small groups, but still, it’s starting). Nights are getting crisper. Sweater weather is almost here. Geese are flying. The robins have departed (or at least they are not hanging out in my neighborhood). The seasons are getting ready to turn. Fall book titles are drifting in like leaves spiraling down from trees. Pumpkin spice everything is appearing everywhere. If you are beginning to feel the urge to curl up with a good book in the evenings that are getting increasingly longer, below you will find some of the new titles which recently appeared at the library. Enjoy!

The Summer Reading Program is finally over. Thanks to all the participants who “read their eyes out” during the 68 days (or 1,632 hours; 97,920 minutes) of summer reading. This has been an extraordinary summer. This was a record-breaking summer. We’ve had high temperatures, high humidity, lots of rain, and lots and lots of books read. This year we had the highest number of participants in the Summer Reading Program – 676. Those participants completed 5,418 activities and wrote 269 reviews. Last summer the previous record was broken with over 32, 000 books read. This year that record was broken with 38,052 books read. Way to go! And while I just said that the Summer Reading Program was over, there is still one thing left to do. There will be a celebratory party on Wednesday, August 27th from 5-7 pm. There will be food. There will be games. There will be a color dying event –bring a white T-shirt. Awards will be announced. Prize basket winners will be announced. Plan on attending!  Now that the pressure of reading all those books for the Summer Reading Program is over, you can still keep reading. You don’t want to lose your competitive edge because the Winter Reading Program is just around the corner. Below are some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Check them out and read them at a more leisurely pace. Enjoy!

You may have noticed that the days are getting shorter; that the cicadas are whirring away; that crickets have started singing again (These are field crickets which are hitting the peak of their breeding season, hence all the singing trying to attract a mate.); that the back to school sales have reached a frenzied-pitch; and that after my pitch today for the Summer Reading Program, you will hear no more from me on that topic. “Why?” I hear you asking. Well, because the 2025 Summer Reading Program ends tomorrow, Saturday, August 16th. I will remind you, just this one more time, that you have until some time on August 16th (I would say closing time at the library which would be 5 p.m.) but if you are entering books via the online app, that might (I say, might) gain you a little more time.  Log into your account, log the number of titles you’ve read ( you don’t have to enter the titles and can just put in the number) earn a few more dragon dollars, and get us over the community challenge number of books read (which will result in a sweet treat at the Summer Reading Celebration & Award party on August 27th). You can redeem those dragon dollars in our store or donate them to one of our charities until August 27th at 7 p.m.  Record those books and once you’ve done that, check out some of these new titles. Enjoy!

Even though we are only at the end of the first week of August, we have passed many of the major markers of the summer season at the library. Our final Concert on Market Street has passed. The annual Harry Potter Birthday party has come and gone. There is only one week left in the Summer Reading Program. The good news is that even though all the signs that summer is beginning to wrap things up -- cicadas whirring, crickets chirping, birds beginning to flock up, butterflies flitting, back-to-school sales appearing everywhere-- the beach reads and “summer” book continue to arrive in large numbers. Many of those titles are listed below. I encourage you to read, record them as part of your summer reading account on Beanstack, earn dragon dollars, and, most of all, enjoy!

FYI: After the Harry Potter Birthday Party, a large lift came to the library to take down the four dragons on the corners of our peaked roof. These four dragons have guarded the library and its treasures (that is the job of dragons after all) since the library was built 23 years ago. Those dragons have been on guard in rain and sleet, in hail and blazing sun. They have been blasted by gale-force winds (the South dragon was hit by flying debris during one storm and lost part of its flame/ tongue) and crows and other birds have perched on them (and we all know what happens to things that birds perch on). After all those years of weathering, the dragons are going off to be refreshed.  We hope to have them back in the not-too-distant future.. Their guardian spirit has kept the library safe for the past 23 years and we look forward to their return

Phew! Now that we are finally past the Harry Potter Birthday Party, we can concentrate on getting those books read and logged as we coast towards the end of the Summer Reading Program. As of this past Friday, the community has read 24,169 books which puts us very much within reach of hitting the goal set at the beginning of this summer (which seems so long ago now, doesn’t it?) We are trying to hit the 27,500 books read mark.  There is still plenty of time for you to do your share!  The face off between the elementary schools has Windsor in the lead with 3,155 books read. Yahara is in second place with 2,733 books read. Eagle Point has read 1,248 books. These numbers are just snap shots and sometimes folks don’t log their books until the end (I speak from experience, since I am one of those). So, no judgement.  The Village staff internecine rivalry finds village hall, pubic works, and the Cornerstone Community Center not quite neck-and-neck, but bunched up where any one of them could surge forward and take second place. Because, hard to believe, I know, but this is true, the library staff is way, way, ahead. I hope all these numbers have inspired to you keep reading and to log the books you have read on the Beanstack app (check out website (under the reading programs tab) for more information. In the meantime, there are a lot of new books which are waiting to be read. Below are a few of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

The countdown for Harry Potter Birthday Party continues apace. As of this publication date (7/25), it is a mere 5 days until the party. We are running around taking care of all the details to make this a memorable event for all of you party-goers. Remember to come in costume, if you wish!  Next week is the final Concert on Market Street.  At 6:30 p.m. the Soggy Prairie Band will be performing and I quote from their website “Soggy Prairie has the five-piece instrumentation of a traditional bluegrass band, but they don’t call them traditional. With a mix of bluegrass standards, modern takes on country and Americana, and original music, Soggy Prairie puts on a show that demonstrates the versatility and broad appeal of string music.” Once we have passed the Harry Party Birthday Party, can the end of the Summer Reading Program be far behind, I hear you ask. My answer is “You are correct.” The Summer Reading Program ends on August 16th. There is still plenty of time to read, earn dragon dollars, and spend those dragon dollars in our store. AS of July 18th, the community challenge of reading 27, 500 titles is well within reach. 21, 083 books have been read to date. If the community challenge is met by August 16th, the library will throw an end-of-summer-reading-program party at the library on August 27th.  There are lots of new books to help you keep reading and help you help us meet that community goal. Below are some of the new book titles which recently arrived at the library. Keep reading! Enjoy!

In case you are counting the days until our annual Harry Potter Birthday Party? If you are doing a countdown, then, as of this date, July 18th, there are 12 – count them—twelve days until July 31st – which we all know is Harry Potter’s birthday.  We have already rolled past the 25th anniversary of the release of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in the U.S. The book was released on July 8th, 2000 and this was the first time that the Harry Potter books were released simultaneously in the United Kingdom and the United States. This is also the book where things start getting darker.  Be sure to stop by between 10 and noon on the 31st, and partake of the frivolity! There will be refreshments. There will be a slug eating contest (no actual slugs will be harmed!). There will be a costume contest. 

The Concerts on Market Street continue for the next two Tuesdays evenings at 6:30 – on the 22nd, Gin, Chocolate, and Bottle Rockets will be performing and on the 29th the Soggy Prairie Band will be playing. Both of these concerts will help you fill up your time while you are waiting for the Harry Potter Birthday Party on July 31st (from 10-Noon). Or, you could read some of the books listed below.
Enjoy!

As of today, July 11th, it is a mere 20 days until the library’s annual Harry Potter Birthday Party.  The library has been hosting a birthday party for Harry for 23 years. The natal felicitations began during that hiatus between the “Goblet of Fire” and “The Order of the Phoenix”. For fans, the three years between the publication of those two titles was agony. It seemed like a party to celebrate the first four books (which had been published annually before this break) would help keep everyone’s spirits up, so the library hosted one. The first years of the Harry Potter Birthday Party (or was it called a “Bash” for a while – very British, don’t you know?) took place in the basement of the library with some of the lights off to provide atmosphere. There was indoor quidditch, potions, wizarding level tests, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, wand making, a birthday cake, a costume contest, and Hagrid walking around. Over the years attendance kept going up. The pandemic pushed us outside – where we have remained since it provides so many more venues and more space for the ever-increasing attendance. We still have many of those features. It is fun for the whole family. Please plan to attend. The answer to the perennial question, “So when is the Harry Potter Birthday Party?”, is, as always, “On his birthday! July 31st. No need to bring a birthday present, just yourself. While you are counting the days, minutes, and seconds, until the party, you will find some of the book titles which recently arrived at the library. Check them out and read while you are waiting. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July! Here in DeForest at celebration begins on July 3rd with bands, pony rides, and fireworks. The celebration continues on to the actual 4th of July with a parade, more bands, food, crafts, bingo, etc. The library shall have been in the parade again this year. Library staff has been casting out collective minds back, trying to remember the first time we had a “float” in the parade. I know for sure we were in the 1991 parade where we unexpectedly (because we didn’t even know there was a contest) won a prize for our entry. It was two 4-foot inflatable dinosaurs dressed up as Uncle Sam-asaurus and Betsy Ross-asaurus.  1991 was my third year as library director here, so it is possible that was our first time participating. And we have flung candy to the crowds each and every year. In the wee hours of the night sometimes I wonder how many pounds of candy we have distributed. And guess what, I don’t have the entire date run, but I do know how many pounds of candy we have started the parade with starting in 2009 (I had to keep track because we would run out – due to the size of the crowds—before the end of the parade and I wanted to buy more the next year so we had enough. Unfortunately, the crowd size kept increasing and we continue to run out.). Since 2009 we have tossed an amazing 3,445 pounds. I hope you enjoy a safe and happy 4th of July, that you enjoyed the parade, and that you managed to snag a piece of candy as the library staff passed by. If you’re looking for soon new books to read in the shade or on the beach or in your airconditioned environs, below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!
 

A week from today is the Fourth of July. While this holiday does not fall precisely at the midpoint between the other two major summer holidays – Memorial Day and Labor Day – it is a good reminder that we are rapidly approaching the actual midpoint, which, if the math I am doing in my head even as I type is correct, would be on July 14th (also known in some quarters, and some countries, as Bastille Day). There are 98 days between Memorial Day this year (May 26th) and Labor Day (September 1st). There are 39 days between Memorial Day and the 4th of July. There are 59 days between the 4th of July and Labor Day. My math thinks that adding 10 days to July 4th will get us 49 days further from Memorial Day and adding those 10 days will get us 10 days closer to Labor Day. And violà, that brings us to the midpoint between those two bracketing holidays of summer which is Bastille Day.  All of which is a long way of saying, with the 4th of July coming up next week, those of you who are participating in the Summer Reading Program should keep in mind how quickly the lazy days of summer are flitting away.  And do remember that the end of Summer Reading is August 16th – not Labor Day. This means the halfway point between Memorial Day and the end of Summer Reading is 41 days, which, I believe would be July 6th (which has nothing much associated with it other than John Lennon and Paul McCartney purportedly met for the first time at a church event and it’s National Fried Chicken Day). Read. Record what you’ve read. Help meet the community challenges. Be part of the Summer Reading Program. Try some of the more recent books added to our collection listed below.
Enjoy!

Today, Friday, June 20th at 9:42 p.m. the Summer Solstice occurs. This astronomical event is the longest day in the year and occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees North. For those of you who are optimists: “Yay! It’s the longest day of the year and there are long days and warmer temperatures ahead.” For those of you who subscribe to the Eeyore worldview: “It’s all downhill from here. The bright day is done and we are headed for the dark.” The summer solstice is also the eve of the Village of DeForest Make Music Day on June 21st. The Village of DeForest will celebrate Make Music Day on June 21st, 2025. Every type of musician is encouraged and invited to share their love of music with friends, neighbors, and the community. At the library, we will be celebrating in two ways. At 10 a.m., Solstice Brass (how appropriate is that name for this time of year?!), an ensemble of Madison-are horn players will be playing music from the library mezzanine. They will be performing music ranging from traditional to jazz (since they are here most Yuletides they have promised not to perform any thing Christmas-y). The acoustics are great as is the musicianship. Be sure to stop by to get an earful while you browse our collection. There will also be free RPG and music themed models at the 3-D Printed Miniatures event. This takes place from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. Below you will find some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

If the Summer Reading Program has officially started, can the meteorological start of summer be far behind? I think to answer to that is we must begin by defining our terms.  Does summer mean highs in the upper 80s with enough humidity to be noticeable? Then I think you are going to have to wait a bit longer for that kind of weather (at least according to my favorite weather app). Does it mean mild days with highs barely reaching into the 80s with little humidity and gently wafting breezes? Then I think that’s what we will be experiencing for at least the 10-day forecast (once again, according to my favorite weather app --Weather Kitty). While we are waiting for the heat and humidity and, frankly the first day of astronomical summer to arrive which is only a week from today on Friday, June 20th at 9:42 p.m. there are programs to attend at the library – check out our website at deforestlibrary.org. The Concerts at the Rocks begin on June 17th with Elmore Lawson getting everyone moving and grooving with percussion instruments of all kinds. There at craft programs in the Workshop. There is Qigong 3 times a week for adults. There are book clubs for all ages. The Summer Reading Program isn’t just about reading books. It’s about attending programs too! But it is about reading books. Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

We are only four days from the kickoff for the Summer Reading Program. Gee Funny Farm will be returning with many of their furry friends to help launch the Reading Program. Abish, the two-toed sloth, will be back again this year. Abish will be with the other animals at “The Rocks” – across the street from the Library Street entrance.  Abish will be there if the weather is warm enough. Last year the outdoor temperature was too cool for her so her climbing tree was set up in the children’s room – possibly with space heaters. Sloths do live in tropical rainforests so temperatures below 75 degrees seem like arctic temperatures would seem to us. Details of the long-awaited Summer Reading Program are available on our website, but I will give you a high-level overview. Sign up for the Summer Reading Program on our Beanstack App and add the number and /or title of the books you read during the program (June 10th – August 16th) into the app. You earn “Dragon Dollars” which can be redeemed in our store or donated to my designated charities (I will convert those “Dragon Dollars” into U.S. dollars and make a donation to said charity). You can also earn tickets by writing reviews, answering trivia questions, attending events, and completing certain challenges. These tickets can be entered into various drawings. There are lots of incentives to get you reading and keep you reading. Below you will find another reason to read – the new books which recently arrived at the library. Read on! Enjoy!

We have made it past the first almost-official holiday of summer.  After an initial burst of summer-like weather (Remember that day a couple of weeks ago that made it to 87-degrees with humidity?) the weather has turned down right chilly. During that heat wave, I called to have the pre-season tune-up done on my air conditioner. It was scheduled for the week of the 19th and had to be rescheduled because it was too cold to do the tests.  That chilliness has persisted making those warm, sunny days of late May and early June seem like impossible dreams.  As of this publication date, we are still 11 days away from the kick off of our Summer Reading Program on June 10th. It is still 21 days until the summer solstice occurs on June 20th (at 9:42 p.m.). It is still 35 days until July 4th.  Surely, by one of these dates the temperatures will have warmed up. In the meantime, the rain and the cold, and the gloom are perfect weather for reading.  Below are some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Stay warm! Enjoy!

The spring book titles just keep showing up at our door. They are almost as thick as dandelions on the medians on I90/94.  Soon, the titles from the publisher’s spring book lists will start to be replaced by the summer “beach” reads. “And what,” I hear you ask, “is a beach read. Please define your terms!” Thanks for asking. I shall do just that. AI says that a beach read is “a book that is considered ideal for reading during a vacation, especially at the beach. It is engaging, entertaining, easy to read, and offers a sense of escape or relaxation”. According to an article by the Los Angeles Public Library the term first appeared around 1990, but the idea of summer reading was purportedly an invention of the publishing industry in the 19th century which sprung up in response to the creation of  idea of the summer vacation. Apparently the construction of railroads and grand hotels during the late 1800s made summer vacations more accessible to the middle classes. For those newly-vacationing (mostly) women, these summer reads told you how to enjoy your summer vacation. Picnics, fireworks, dances, dressing up, boat rides, carriage rides, and romance were common plot points. Summer was seen as a time to read to escape, not a time to read for enrichment or education. If you care to read for more information on this topic Donna Harrington-Lueker has written “Books for Idle Hours: Nineteenth-Century Publishing and the Rise of Summer Reading”. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. You can decide whether or not they are Beach Reads. Enjoy!

Temperatures are rising. The trees are almost completely leafed out. Ornamental flowering trees and shrubs are solid masses of pinks, fuchsias, whites, and purples. In places the ground is littered with petals. tulips, daffodils, jonquils, and hyacinth are busting out of the ground and adding their bursts of colors to the palette of spring. These various hues color our world with the promise of new life and with hope. And speaking of coloring our world, the theme of the Summer Reading Program this year is "Color our World" (notice the nifty segue?).The Summer Reading Program is a mere 600 hours away ( 25 days). There is still plenty of time to tune-up your eyes and get your reading speed up.  The number of books read by individuals and as a group wins prizes for participants. Don't delay. Start training today. Below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

For those of you who are counting the days until the Summer Reading Program starts – you know who you are, and surprisingly, we know who are too—we now have confirmed bookings for the Concert on Market Street series.  Kicking off the series, as is our fine tradition, is Bucky Badger and members of the Badger Band on July 8th at 6:30 p.m. On July 15th, Back2 Back, will be performing starting at 5:30 p.m. The 22nd of July features Gin, Chocolate & Bottle Rockets, and the series wraps up with Soggy Prairie.  The Kick off Concert at the Rocks series begins on June 10th (which—as you all know—is the start of the Summer Reading Program which, as you also all know, is a mere 32 days away). Gee Funny Farm will start the series off with all sorts of animals for you to meet and interact with including Abish the sloth, possibly a miniature donkey or horse, or sheep or goat. You’ll have to come to the kickoff at 1 p.m. on June 10th for find out.  On June 17th, Elmore Lawson, will be performing his interactive, percussive show. On the 24th, Miller and Mike will be in concert. David Landau will be wrapping up the Concerts at the Rock on July 1st. All of these concerts are at 1p.m. Summer will soon be upon us so start reading to get into shape to help the community met the challenge goals set for the this years, “Color Our World” Summer Reading Program. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

The spring list of books is popping up at the library nearly as quickly as those pesky (but some say delicious) dandelions appear in your lawn. A little rain, lots of sunshine, warming soil temperatures, a voilá, a yard full of beautiful yellow flowers. As George Washington Carver often said, “A weed is a flower growing in the wrong place.” Some of the books which recently arrived may qualify as weeds to your way of thinking. Some might be flowers. Rest assured though, as with dandelions and other beautiful flowers appearing as if by magic now that spring has finally decided to put in an appearance, next week there will be a new crop of books.  

For those of you with inquiring minds about when the Summer Reading Program kicks off, it starts on June 10th with a Kickoff Event at 1 p.m.  For those of you who want to know how much time you have to get into your peak reading shape (whatever that means) you have 5 weeks and 4 days, or 39 days, or 936 hours, and I will quit right here.  There is still lots of time to up your reading fitness level (whatever that means).  Below are some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

April showers of the gently type, of the down-pouring type, of the thunder storming type, and even of the hailing type, have pelted the area over the week. We all know what they say about April showers – that they bring May flowers. The April flowers are doing their best to put in an appearance before those flamboyant May flowers flood the senses with color and fragrance. For now the April flowers are tentatively poking their wee heads up and showing off their pretty stalks of purple and pink flowers. Crocus and pasqueflowers have been blooming for the past couple of weeks and have lately been joined by daffodils and some tulips are certainly out there trying. These remarkably hardy early bloomers have recently been joined by the trees which are leafing out rapidly. Their silhouettes are becoming lacier almost by the minute. Maple trees first dropped their blossoms and are not dropping their seeds. May is only a week away which, among other things, means that the serious countdown to the start of the Summer Reading Program can begin.  Once the countdown begins, it will be time enough to get back in to your competitive reading mode. Until then there are plenty of new titles, some of which are listed below, to help you stay in shape for when the Summer Reading Program starts.
Enjoy! 

This past weekend, as well as being the lefse maker at the library's Open House on Saturday, I was also a participant in the Annual Midwest (Sandhill) Crane Count earlier in the day (5:30-7:30 a.m.). I have been doing the Crane Count since 1994 and not missed a year. I have mostly counted the same sites in Columbia County since I started. Now I am counting closer to the Dane County / Columbia County line. This year I probably saw and/or heard about a dozen cranes. It was a clear morning and the sunrise was spectacular. A red ball rising through a stand of pines after turning the eastern sky pastel oranges and yellows and pinks. The killdeer and red-winged black birds were everywhere and letting everyone know this was their territory. There were a couple of hundred Canadian geese on the site's pond, and a couple of swans. Ducks were quacking and flying here and there. Even with all the avian activity it was very quiet without much vehicular traffic. It was just Mother Nature putting on a bit of show. The Crane Count is citizen science at its best. You can be a counter too-- next year. In the meantime, there are a number of new books, listed below, that you might consider reading. Enjoy!

Today – if you are reading this on Friday, April 11th, is the eve of a great library event. Tomorrow our annual National Library Week Open House takes place between 10 a.m. and Noon. Saturday, April 12th is the last day of National Library Week and our celebration of all things library.  The open house will feature displays and demonstrations of many of the items you can check out from your public library. The Friends of the DeForest Area Public Library will be holding a mini-book sale. There will be treats – some showing the marvelous cakes that can be made from the library’s cake pan collection (which you can check out) while also demonstrating the Wilton Master Cake Decorating Tip set (which you can check out). There will be egg-dyeing (you must bring your own eggs --up to one dozen hard boiled eggs each. Someone may be attempting to reconnect with their Norwegian roots after more than a few decades by making lefse using the library’s lefse making kit (which you can check out). You can get a “passport” and visit all the various areas and demonstration stations around the library. Getting your passport stamp at all the locations lets you put your name into a drawing for some fabulous prizes. It’s sure to be a fun time. Be sure to stop by! Before, after, or during the Open House, you might want to check out some of the new titles, listed below, which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

They say April showers bring May flowers; however, so far this month (admittedly we are only 4 days into the month) those showers have little to show for their efforts. Perhaps it is because some of those showers have come in a more solid form of precipitation. The trees are definitely getting lacier in profile as their leaves and flowers are getting set to burst forth. The sun is definitely getting stronger and the dawn chorus is definitely starting earlier (a cardinal in my neighborhood is starting to sing while it is still dark our), is louder, and has more voices. We have rolled past a number of days of note including the start of Daylight Savings Time, St. Patrick’s Day, the Vernal Equinox, and April Fool’s Day which also happens (this year) to be Election Day. “With so many things in our rear view mirror, what possibly can lay ahead?”, I hear you ask.  National Library Week is my reply. The week of April 6th through is just around the corner. We are celebrating with a “Spirit Week” in which you and yours as well as library staff are asked to show their library spirt by dressing to meet the day’s theme as follows: Monday, April 7: Hat Day; Tuesday, April 8: Cozy Day (your favorite cozy mystery title or character or, in a pinch, you could wear a tea cozy): Wednesday, April 9: Book Day (dress as your favorite book or book character); Thursday, April 10: Favorite Color Day; Friday, April 11: Mismatch Day; Saturday, April 12: DAPL (wear your library gear or anything tangentially related to your library) Day. This is supposed to be fun, so don’t over think it and be sure to attend our National Library Week Open House on Saturday, April 12th from 10a.m. to noon. Below are some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Here we are at the end of March,which certainly came in like a blustery lion. And here I am on vacation. I am sitting in a hotel room about to drive up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. While I am waiting for my buddy to get ready, and since I am conscientious and dutiful by nature, I thought I would take this time to write a column. My road trip started on the day the blizzard struck most of the middle section of the country. We drove through a hail storm outside of Dodgeville. The road was covered with hail deep enough to look like snow. There were cars in the ditch. The trip was supposed to take us to Kearney, Nebraska to see cranes and then on to the South West. That didn’t happen. We headed south at Des Moines and had to stop in Topeka, KS because the interstate was closed, due to the blizzard in Saliana, KS. Since then the weather has been sunny, windy, and warm. Driving to Taos, New Mexico there were mule deer strolling through the town we stopped at for gas. Their appearance was followed shortly by the bookmobile. There were signs for public libraries in most of the little towns we traveled through. I have an innate sense of where libraries are located in any community and I can’t seem to escape public libraries even on vacation. Kansas roads were great. Oklahoma roads not. New Mexico road were good but the scenery got extremely boring until we got to Georgia O’Keefe area where the rock formations are as stunning as her paintings. Went to Abiquiu (where one of the elementary schools has a dragon that looks a bit like ours as a mascot), Plaza Blanca, and Ghost Ranch. Then on to Albuquerque and straight through Arizona to Williams, AZ from whence I am writing. I am enjoying the sun and warm weather. Below you will find some books to perhaps warm your hearts and minds. Enjoy!

The Winter Reading Program ended on March 1st and the last day for spending Dragon Dollars in our store was March 9th, so this year’s Winter Reading Program is truly and finally at the end. And as I promised (or would that be threatened) I shall now regale you with the amazing numbers this year’s participants have racked up. 64 of our youngest readers, the Chipmunks, read an astonishing 9,173 books. That’s over 143 books per child.  The 42 chapter book readers, also known as “the Racoons”, read 1,950 books which is over 46 books per reader. The 15 teen readers, a.k.a. “the Porcupines” read 495 books or 33 books each. Our 59 adult readers, the Moose, read 1,186 books which works out to about 20 books each. 19 “Flying Squirrels”, also know and the library staff read 699 books which is almost 37 books apiece (no wonder my eyes are tired!). All those reading program participants earned 1,200 Dragon Dollars which they very generously donated to these following charities: Blessings in a Backpack, Norski Nibbles, Mission Nutrition, the Dane County Humane Society, and the library’s endowment fund. I shall be writing my personal checks to each of those charities for the amount of Dragon Dollars donated in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, a friendly reminder that the Summer Reading Program kicks off on June 10th. Don’t lose your reading momentum by taking a break. Below are some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library. Check them out. Keep reading. Enjoy!

Today, March 14th, has many celebratory days associated with it. It is National Learn About Butterflies Day (and I bet the library has some books so you can learn all about butterflies (and moths)). It is National Children’s Craft Day – once again, the library is a wonderful place for youngsters to practice crafts in our story times, in Studio 203, or in the workshop). It is National Write Down Your Story Day – (I’m sounding like a broken record here, but the library is the perfect place to read stories that others have already written down, or to join the Memoir Writers who meet the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. to share what they’ve written down with others in the group). And, probably most importantly, it is National PI Day. Each year the library’s shark, Larry, wraps himself in a hand-written (fin-written) scroll of PI to at least the first 100 digits. Larry also demands that the library hands out PI cookies to those who can recite the first 10 digits of PI (3.1415926535). Make sure to stop by the circulation desk on Friday, the 14th, and say those digits. You will be rewarded with a PI cookie which I’m sure you’ll enjoy! In the meantime, there are a number of new books listed below that you may also enjoy!

A week and a day is all the time that is left for you to read books and log books and activities before the Winter Reading Program comes to an end. You can still earn Dragon Dollars and spend them in our store or donate them to one of our designated charities. In the meantime, here are the latest statistics from our Winter Reading Program. 180 active readers have read an astonishing 10,141 books.

Our youngest readers (the Chipmunks) who read picture books and board books have made it through 7,146 books. The Raccoons, also known as chapter book readers, have done an amazing job and read 1.425 books. The 46 adults in the Moose category have read 621 books, and the 17 members of the library staff have managed to read 528 books. I know some of you readers wait until the very end of the reading program to log your books, so I’m expecting the total number of books read to shoot up by March 1st. I’m thinking that 11,000 books should be an easy goal to reach if every one reads and logs what they’ve read. The arctic blast at the beginning of the week provided a great incentive to stay inside and read.  There are 8 days left to read, so dig in!  Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  As we all know, this observance originated as a feast day for a couple of Saint Valentines who were martyred for their faith. Through folk tradition over the years celebrating this day has become a significant cultural and commercial celebration of romance all over the world. I hope your sweetie brought you chocolate, flowers, a card, took you out to dinner, or even wrote you a poem.

If your Valentine Day celebration leaves you feeling energized, Gee Funny Farm is bringing some woodland creatures to the library on Saturday morning to help the library celebrate the Winter Reading Program – Winter Woodland Reading Adventure.  Learn about the winter behaviors and adaptations of porcupines, snakes, skunks, rabbits, hedgehogs, and red foxes—and then meet some of them in person. Plan on attending!

We are approaching the end of the Winter Reading Program on March 1st. There is still time to read and record books, earn Dragon Dollars and spend them in our store or donate them to designated charities. Each day that gets us closer to the end of the Winter Reading Program also gets us closer to the start of spring. In fact, I saw a couple of robins hanging out in a tree in the front yard that was covered with berries (possibly fermented). They were having a wonderful time. Two robins do not a spring make, but we are edging closer all the time. Below you will find some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

As of this publication date, Friday, the 7th, there are 3 weeks and 1 day until the Winter Reading Program ends on March 1st.As of this writing, the 172 active Winter Reading Program participants have read 7,227 books and logged 1,433 activities.  The category which has read the most, is of course the Chipmunks (Picture Book Readers). 58 of which have read an almost unbelievable 5,035 books. The 41 Raccoons (Chapter Book Readers) have read an incredible 1,141. Our 14 Teen readers, also known as Porcupines, have read an impressive 271 books, while the 43 Adults, a.k.a, Moose, read a respectable 436 books while 16 library staff members have read 341 books. There is still plenty of time to read books and to record the titles if you haven’t already done so. I, for one, have a list of books I have yet to record, and “Yikes”, I have been told by reliable sources that I have not even registered yet.

If you still need to register so you can record the many, many books you have read since the end of last year go here: https://deforestlibrary.beanstack.org/ .  Remember you can read to earn Dragon Dollars which can be redeemed in our store or donated to one of these charities: Blessings in a Backpack, Dane County Humane Society, the DeForest Area Public Library Endowment, Mission Nutrition, and/or Norski Nibbles.  I will take those Dragon Dollars, total them up, and will personally make a donation to the each of those organizations in the amount of Dragon Dollars donated.  While there’s still plenty of time to read, below you might find some of the new titles which recently arrived at the library tempting you to read more. Enjoy!

So how did it get to be the end of January already? How are we already a twelfth of the way through 2025? How can we already be a month and a day from the end of the Winter Reading Program? How can we have had wind chills a week ago (as of this writing, not of the publication date) that schools were closed and have high temperatures approaching 50 degrees this week? Will there be an early spring or will this strange winter linger on? Most of these and other burning questions will not, I repeat, will not be answered below. I will however remind you that one of the library’s many celebrity mascots will be making his annual prediction on February 2nd at or around sunrise. I am of course talking about Booky, our prognosticating badger. On Ground Hogs Day, every year for a couple of decades now, our badger takes on the likes of Jimmy the Sun Prairie Ground Hog and Punxsutawney
Phil. Booky, as you probably recall, has a perfect record for Ground Hog Day predictions. While badgers and ground hogs are both, squat, short-legged mammals the similarity ends there. Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are grazing members of the rodent family; badgers are hunting members of the weasel family, (Mustelidae). This pretty much means, theoretically, a badger could eat a groundhog for lunch which is probably why our badger’s predictions trump the local groundhog’s prediction consistently. Watch for Booky’s prediction on Ground Hogs Day on February 2nd. While you’re waiting you might want to check out some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!

Did I predict this? Didn’t I mention this a couple of weeks ago? I’m pretty sure I did make note of the weather lore that says as the days lengthen – which they certainly have – sunset is not at 5 p.m. (instead of at 4:22 which it was at during the darkest days of December) and sunrise is not at 7:20 a.m. (instead of at 7:29 which is was for the twelve days at the end of December and into January) that the cold strengthens. We have gained a whole lot of daylight and, possibly, because of that, the bottom fell out of the thermometer over that past weekend and the beginning of this week. However, daytime highs that hover right around 1 degree (above or below zero – it doesn’t make much difference once it’s that cold) is the perfect time to get a hot beverage, a blanket, and a snuggle buddy (cat, dog, significant other) and curl up with a good book.  Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. I guarantee at least some of them are worthy of being snuggled up with.  Stay warm! Enjoy!

While we have had a temporary reprieve from the weather lore of “As the days lengthen, the cold strengthens” the 10 day forecast at this writing has us heading right back into the freezer this weekend and into the start of next week. But let’s not dwell on that. Let’s think happier thoughts --which I know is hard, what with the Packers losing this Sunday past which eliminated them from continuing in the playoffs. However, the Winter Reading Program is well underway Our Winter Woodland Reading Adventure continues on apace from now until March 1st. As of this writing, 137 readers have read 3.466 books. They have completed 919 activities. They have written 28 reviews. Our youngest group of 47 (the Chipmunks) have read through 2,402 board books and picture books. The 27 youngsters who read chapter books (a.k.a. the raccoons) have made it through 396 books. The 12 teen participants have so far read 181 books. And the 36 adults have read 192 books. Now if you do the math on these numbers you will find that the littlest kiddos are getting through the largest number of books – slightly over 51 books per participant. The chapter book readers are at almost 15 books per person. The teens are also reading about 15 books each. And you adults (I am assuming if you are reading this you are probably an adult) are only reading 5.36 books per participant. I would hope all of us in the “adult” category would view these numbers as a challenge. There is still lots of time (43 days to be precise) until March 1st when the Winter Reading Program ends. So let’s get reading and upstart readers what mature readers are capable of. Below you will find some of the books which recently arrived at the library. Read! Read! Read! And enjoy!

The 10th day of January. The second Friday of the month. And, as I foretold sometime back in the dark days of December, we have started to gain minutes of daylight back at the end of the day. Since that earliest sunset of 4:22 p.m. during the 7-10th of December, we have gained a whopping 21 minutes of light as evening falls. And, sunrise has also started to get earlier and earlier. We have been stuck at the latest sunrise of 7:29 a.m. from around the 27th of December until just this week when on January 8th, sunrise was a minute earlier. This is all great news for those of us who look forward to longer hours of sunlight. These longer days, however, come with a caveat. Weatherlore in this neck of the woods states that “as the days lengthen, the cold strengthens”.  The weather between January 6th and the 23rd are typically the coldest stretch of days we get around Madison. This year’s weather seems to be bearing that out. This is perfect weather to stay indoors and read. Remember the Winter Reading Program is underway and books that you read can be logged and earn you dragon dollars to either spend in our store, gift to a friend or relative to spend in our store, or donate to one of the designated charities. There are lots of new books arriving at the library. Below you will find a sampling of some of the titles. Enjoy!

Today, should be the third day of January, 2025.  You have already had a couple of days to get that date of the year right, if, like me, you still occasionally write a check or two and or send actual, handwritten, Thank-you cards. Here are some fun facts about January. The month is named after the Roman god, Janus (pronounced the same way my unabbreviated name is, but that is purely coincidental) the protector of beginnings and endings as well as gates, doorways, and other areas of transition. This god is portrayed as being two –faced, which does make sense, to be both looking back towards the past and forward towards the future. This pause that January gives us after the rush of the holidays, allows us chance to firmly resolve to take up new actions (sometimes) and set down old ones (sometimes). In the publishing world, this is the time of year that all the self-help books pour out into bookstores, libraries, and the hands of well-intentioned, determined individuals. You will note, that today’s selection of book titles, only includes one book that might be considered a self-help (“Lifestyled”). More titles of this ilk, I am sure will be following as we get deeper into the month of January. Today, January 3rd, is “National Drinking Straw Day”. This is the date in 1888 that Marvin C. Stone received the patent for the paper drinking straw. It is “National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day”. These cherries can be covered in white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate and can also contain a little bit of kirsch liqueur (or other cherry cordial). I hope the beginning of this brand, new, year is treating you well. Below you will find some of the new books which recently arrived at the library. Enjoy!