I had one of those miserable birthdays over the weekend. You know; one of the ones that end in a 0. The kind of birthday that scares the daylights out of the birthday girl. I’m recovering from the shock, determined to make the best of my remaining years by keeping busy at the library.

Last week we held the discussion for our last Humboldt Reads! book, The Horizontal World, by Debra Marquardt. It led to quite an interesting discussion of a person’s tie to the land of his birth. Even though Marquardt was itching to leave her rural North Dakota farm at the first opportunity, the land still calls to her. There remains a bond that appears to be permanent to the land of her childhood. It seems to be one of those universal feelings. Although I left Oklahoma many years ago, I never feel as comfortable anywhere else. There is something in that red dirt and vast, blue sky that anchors me the way rolling hills of fertile, black soil never will. About 60 library patrons read the book and another 10 or 12 attended the discussion. Thus, we will start reading another book for discussion.

Our next book is Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. It is the memoir of a man born in a rural coal mining town in West Virginia. It is the story of a young man coming of age in the 1960s. He and a few friends dreamed of launching rockets into outer space. That was a common boy-type dream in those days. The difference in this story is those West Virginia boys made their dreams come true. Homer became a NASA engineer. It is the book that the movie October Sky was based on.

We have plenty of time to get this one read. We plan to meet at the library on January 8 at 5:30pm. We will order pizza, view the movie and wrap up the evening with book discussion. It is a charming American story. Please join us.

Our scarecrow contest was a rousing success. Kaitlyn Daisy won the People’s Choice Award with her entry, Oopsa, That 70s Girl. Don’t blame Kaitlyn for the poor pun. It was mine. The scarecrows will be up through the weekend. Stop by to see them.

Lastly, tickets are on sale now for the Humboldt Area Arts Council’s Art Encore. It will be held at the events center at the fairgrounds on November 22. It’s your chance to have some fun, contribute to a good cause and go home with a real treasure or two. The night starts out at 6pm. From 6-8pm there will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a wine and beer cash bar. At 8pm the auction will begin. Not only will all those clever lamps be offered, there will be assorted other items you won’t be able to resist. A silent auction will also take place until 11pm. From 9-midnight the Josh Davis Band will perform. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available at the library, Sheree’s Hallmark or from any arts council board member.

I have a stack of tickets to sell, so help me out and pick up yours at the library. Also, when you take a gander at the lamps for auction, take special note of the pair the library staff assembled. They are perfect for anyone’s home-so delightful & original!