Peninsula Community Library on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo
Contact-less Checkout at Peninsula Community Library on the Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo
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Far off in a land of sea and islands, a nation of people who were once the mighty Vikings are now often cited as the happiest people on Earth.

In the Kingdom of Denmark, hygge is a national identity. There is no English equivalent to the word, but it is a feeling of coziness, well-being and contentment attained through the enjoyment of simple things in life.

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Hygge in Stressful Times

Burning pure white candles at family dinners, donning woolly socks and sipping hot cocoa on a snowy night, or finding a cozy corner to curl up with a good book on a rainy day all exude the sense that there are good things to be savored.

In these stressful times, many of us have created our own kind of hygge, baking homemade bread and taking on garden projects or playing board games with our children. This is how we are coping with a world that may no longer feel “right.”

Sourdough Bread
Jane’s Sourdough Bread with Greek Olives and Asiago Cheese | Jane Boursaw Photo

Peninsula Community Library is very much here for you no matter what hygge means to you! We look a little different. Our programs and services may be offered in less familiar ways. However, the same friendly staff is present to hear about your day, what you have been up to, and what you would like to read or watch or play.

You can check out books, movies, puzzles and games. Come on in! You must wear a mask and stay at least six feet away from anyone not in your household – because it’s the law.

Curbside Service Continues to be Available

Not comfortable with coming in? We continue to offer curbside service! Reserve your items online or call ahead, (231) 223-7700. When you are notified your holds are ready, pull into a coned parking space, pop your trunk and call us to let us know you have arrived. We will bring your items out to you.

Peninsula Community Library Opening on the Old Mission Peninsula
Peninsula Community Library Curbside Service | PCL Photo

Reserve Your Own 20 Minutes in the Library

If you are in a vulnerable group because of health issues, we invite you to make an appointment for your very own 20 minutes in the library. You MUST wear a mask to keep my staff safe. This is offered on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. The slots available are 9 a.m., 9:20 a.m. and 9:40 a.m.

You must call for a reservation, first come first served. We ask that these slots be reserved strictly for those who have the need. Oh! And any item you pull from a shelf but decide not to take home needs to go on the cart. Those items will quarantine for 24 hours before they go back on the shelf.

What About Returns?

Some of you have asked what happens when you return items. On the recommendation of the American Library Association and the Centers for Disease Control, all returned items go into quarantine for three days before they are checked in. Your account should not be accruing overdue fines and when we see them, we forgive them.

However, if you notice you have fines, call us and we will take care of them. Give it a few days, though. Since we don’t check in for three days, some items may temporarily show a fine. We backdate all returns four days, which erases the fines when check-in finally happens. And yes! My staff does wear PPE to handle newly returned items.

Summer Reading Club is Happening

Be sure to check our website! Summer Reading Club for all is happening in both the Zoom and as DIY projects this year. We have booked some really great performers. Treat bags with toys, activities and crafts will be available for curbside or inside pickup each week for the kids and twice for teens when you register them.

Time and DIY activities in our Children’s Garden will be the Grand Finale this year. Each family will be assigned their own personal slot to enjoy! More info and registration is available on the website.

We even have a DIY Reading Challenge for adults! Check it out! The first virtual program is this Friday, July 10 at 10 a.m. with the Acting Up Theater. Once you register online or by contacting us, we will send you the link for ZOOM attendance. The theme this year of Summer Reading Club? “Imagine Your Story” – and we all have a story to tell!

Pageturners and “What the Eyes Don’t See”

Pageturners, our adult reading club, meets via ZOOM on Thursday, July 16 at 6:30 p.m. The book is “What the Eyes Don’t See” by Mona Hanna-Attisha. The author is the relentless physician who stood up to powerful politicians in the Flint water crisis.

For more information, contact PCL’s Carol Olson via email at [email protected]. Once we know who is attending, we will send out the virtual meeting information. (Editor’s Note: I’m a member of Pageturners, and it’s a great way to read and connect with other book-lovers! – jb)

Volunteer in the Children’s Garden

Looking for a way to volunteer at PCL? Our Children’s Garden will soon be mostly complete, and we are need of people who like to weed. Let me know if this is something you are interested in. I will assign you a specific plot.

I would also like a little fairy garden in a corner of the garden. If this is something you would like to donate toward and help with the layout, also let me know! I think the kids would enjoy knowing that gnomes and fairies use the library, too!

Relax… All Will Be Well…

When we were in Denmark several years ago, Bob and I stayed in a small B&B in the countryside. Breakfast was huge – more than we would ever normally eat. There were fresh eggs laid that morning, scrambled in Danish butter and served over greens, smoked salmon and sausages, fruit and homemade yogurts, cheeses and several different kinds of homemade breads and rolls, the ever present high octane Danish coffee (decaf is unheard of) and juice.

We did not understand the first day that our hostess meant for us to sit, relax for the morning at the candlelit table and enjoy it all. We were the only ones staying there, and it was a lot of breakfast. It didn’t take a day, however, before we settled into it, decided we could skip lunch and just enjoyed.

Whatever it takes to find your own feelings of security, comfort and warmth in these trying times, let PCL be a part of it!

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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