Your Neighborhood Librarian

 Being in elementary school for the second time has really taught me a lot 😁 Did you know there are other famous groundhogs? I never knew Punxsutawney Phil wasn't the only guy in the know about Spring. And Gail Gibbons is my go to for great nonfiction about so many topics.

One of Julian's favorite people is our friend Bob. When Jules asked me what I was watching on TV and I told him " Bob Ross" he was distraught, " NOT BOB!" he said ( because it wasn't his friend Bob). Anyway, I have a terrible cold and this book is easy for me to read (and super funny) .

I can barely drive my own kids through bad weather and worries about things we might run into.  Bus drivers drive our kids every day and are tough cookies. My favorite fictional tough cookie bus driver is Axel Annie! And when we get sent home early and face snow tomorrow too, I think of her!

The Wilderness Journal: 365 Days with the Philokalia Jason A. Gagnon Bringing it back to Earth January 16, 2019 Format: Paperback The Philokalia is a tricky set of books. It is a collection of writings from spiritual Fathers of the Eastern Christian tradition who lived and wrote between the fourth and fifth centuries. It often comes with a warning - "Don't read these without the guidance of a spiritual father!" They were written largely by monks for monks- but still, for a set of books called "Love of the Beautiful" that is strange advice. If these writings are to help the devout on the path to salvation, why do they so often come with a warning? To be fair, flipping through a volume of the Philokalia can sometimes read like the Eastern Christian equivalent of Zen Koans. What is the sound of one hand clapping? Beats me. But what about when St Isaiah the Solitary writes "He who receives no help when. at war should feel no confidence when a