Today marks 23 years as the Director of the Carver Public Library. Twenty.Three.Years.

I wrote extensively about my time here 3 years ago for my 20th anniversary and everything I said then still holds true. Looking back over that post, though, I can’t help think about how blissfully unaware I was of the changes that were just 6 months down the road.

In other words, being a Library Director during a global pandemic was really challenging. All the things I took for granted . . . my staff, the hours that the library was open, the daily flow of patrons in and out of the building . . . went away. I spent a lot of my work time alone during the first few months of the pandemic. I cried when I updated the library voicemail to say that we were closed indefinitely. I felt helpless when I had a Zoom staff meeting and told everyone they were furloughed. I struggled with how to meet the community’s need for a library without being able to open the doors. They were the darkest days of my career.

I suppose this is the part where I get philosophical and wax on about how you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. I don’t know that I have that perspective on the pandemic yet, though. I can say that those months of being closed and the months that followed when we only provided curbside service and then the months that followed that when we were only open a few days a week showed me once again how important libraries are. It helped me remember that this is indeed a noble profession and that the services we provide are invaluable and even life changing and saving.

I can’t say I’m glad to have learned that lesson. But I can say that I’m glad to have had 23 years in the same place with many of the same people. It’s my home away from home and I’m so grateful for the path that lead me here and the road I continue to walk.

Happy Work Anniversary to me and the Carver Public Library. It’s a good place to call home.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Three On Thursday post in order to welcome the month of September . . .

The first of every month is a clean slate but the first of September is an extra special clean slate.

To me, it’s a time for fresh starts and renewal of purpose. New notebooks and sharp pencils. Crisp mornings that carry a hint of fall followed by warm afternoons to remind us that summer is still here. There are flowers to pick and produce to gather, made all the sweeter by the knowledge that they are slowing down. There is a return to routines and schedules, a sense that it’s time to get back to serious life after the thrill of summer.

On my horizon for the month: Hannah’s birthday. And mine. A weekend camping trip. Dinner guests and local gatherings. Spending time in my studio. Plus all the other expected and unexpected things of life.

Here’s to a long, slow, and wonderful September.

Fred and George are a year old today and they are no longer kittens. I can’t believe we went from this (the day we met them, October 2021)

To this (which is from last weekend and you’ve already seen it because, alas, they were not willing to pose for a cute photo last night)

They have grown and changed in so many ways but their personalities are still very much the same as the day we brought them home. Fred is playful and fearless, always the first to try something new and the most likely to get in trouble. George is laid back and hesitant, he will snuggle (but only on his terms) and he loves to drink from the bathroom faucet. They make me laugh with their antics and I love nothing more than having both of them in my lap. I can’t imagine life without them and I’m so glad we made room in our hearts and our home for them.

Happy Birthday, Fred & George. Here’s to many, many more!