When I was a little girl downstate, Thanksgiving meant getting up at the crack of dawn to go see the Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Detroit. My mother never went with us, staying home presumably to work on dinner, but probably enjoyed having the house to herself before the onslaught.
My father would always take along a small ladder, and once he set it up on the parade route in just the perfect spot, my brother, sister and I would each sit on one of its steps according to size, with my little sister at the very top. Dad always had two thermoses – one filled with hot chocolate for us and another with coffee for him. At least I think it was coffee. He once joked – when a stranger next to him asked – that it was something to warm the soul. I do know that he enjoyed an occasional brandy. Who would know now that he is gone? The tale can evolve into anything that my siblings and I agree on!
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A Box of Letters
The Thanksgiving and Christmas season are a time for good memories, family stories and gratitude. Several weeks ago, Nancy Davy (who we all thank as our lead donor for the new library!) gave me a lovely beribboned box. She told me it was filled with letters from the people of Old Mission to me. It was! I cannot tell you how overwhelmed I was by your notes of thanks and gratitude for the new library. They made me laugh. They made me cry. They all made me feel incredibly loved.
Yet, at the same time, I want each of you to know that I am grateful for you. A community made this happen, and I am so very thankful that I live in a place that supports its small library! We are the heart of the community because of YOU! Several weeks ago, I wrote the final check to Grand Traverse Construction. The building now – unequivocally – belongs to the people of Peninsula Township!
Coming Up at Peninsula Community Library
On December 3 at 10 a.m., Becky Dykstra will show us how to make ceramic tile coasters, just in time to gift for the holidays. These are beautiful, creative and easy, and they make great gifts. Space is limited, so call (231) 223-7700 to reserve a spot. The coffee is on us.
A new tradition begins Saturday, December 7, 5-7 p.m., when Santa arrives at PCL courtesy of the Peninsula Fire Department! “Holidays in Our Hometown” will include music, crafts and cookies, and kids will receive a small treat from the big guy himself! This event is co-sponsored by PCL and the Old Mission Peninsula Education Foundation. Santa will arrive at about 5:30. Dress warmly, as weather permitting, we will be outside!
Sometimes, the holidays get the best of us. On Dec. 14 at 11 a.m., Wendy Weckstein, a physical therapist,wellness consultant and mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, will talk about how paying attention in a purposeful way can benefit us both physically and mentally. Call (231) 223-7700 to reserve your spot.
Regular Programming at the Library
Story Stew for kids is offered on the first and third Fridays at 10 a.m. The third Friday offers free books courtesy of Born to Read and Twilight Rotary.
Chess Night takes place every Monday at 6 p.m. All ages and skill levels are encouraged, and there is no charge. Chess sets will be available.
Just Bee Yoga – yoga for kids aged 3 to 5 – happens on the second Wednesday at 10 a.m. Call (231) 223-7700 to reserve a spot.
Our Reading Therapy Dogs listen to kids read on the first and third Mondays, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Bring your craft projects to THREADS at PCL on Mondays at 10 a.m. and work among friends!
Chapter Chicks Mother Daughter Book Club meets Dec. 14, 2019, and Feb. 8, 2020, at 10 a.m.
Pageturners Book Club meets on the third Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Books for our book clubs are available on a first come basis. (Editor’s Note: We’re currently reading Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict. -jb)
Children may pick up our “Knights of the Reading Table Quest Log” to earn free books.
Gentle Yoga is back for a small fee on Thursdays at 9:30 a.m.
PCL and Munson Healthcare Hospice invite you on the first and third Tuesdays at 2 p.m. to join our grief support group in a friendly environment where grief and loss are understood.
Our French Language Group invites all language Francophiles, fluent and beginning, to meet on the third Saturday at 11 a.m. to converse in a friendly and social environment.
“Tuesdays at Two With Tim” – in which Tim Carroll talks Old Mission Peninsula history – continues on the fourth Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Happy Holidays! Your Overdue Fines are Waived!
All of the libraries in the Traverse Area District Library network – the main library, as well as branch and member libraries – will be forgiving overdue fines as a gift to our community. We will waive the late fines for any materials returned in December, regardless of how old. Happy holidays!
Snow days here at PCL are a little different now that we are not in the school. If TCAPS is closed due to weather, we will be on a two-hour delay to allow time for the lot and sidewalks to be cleared. At that time, a determination will be made to open or remain closed. If the day is nasty, please check our website or social media before venturing out. As always, we will waive any fines incurred on those days because of the closure.
A small request – we know that our children LOVE hanging out in the new children’s area. Help us keep it nice by encouraging your child to put toys back where they found them. Please DO NOT reshelve books for us, but rather return those to the drop box at the circulation desk. Books can disappear just about forever when shelved in the wrong place!
The Board and Staff here at Peninsula Community Library wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with your own special memories! Journey safely if you are venturing from our shores. Curl up by the fire and enjoy a good book if you are remaining home. I leave you with this smile from a favorite poem…
Ate Too Much Turkey by Jack Prelutsky
I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I’m stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin’,
I’m probably going to die.
I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I’m so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.
I’m full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there’s still some dessert,
so I guess it won’t hurt
if I eat just a little bit more.
Happy Holidays!
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SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
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[…] brand new tradition called “Holidays in Our Hometown.” As Vicki Shurly reported in her library news column this month, the big guy will be stopping by Peninsula Community Library (PCL) on Saturday, Dec. 7, […]