We're past the onslaught of Resolution Season and still a few months away from beach weather. (With the way this winter is going, one might worry that we'll never see beach weather.)
So what's the incentive to get in shape?
How about being healthy? Living a better (and likely longer) life? Are those reasons attractive enough?
Their nutritionist will talk about the causes of heart disease and what role diet plays in heart health. They'll also offer examples of heart-healthy diets, like the popular Mediterranean Diet. You can register for the program here.
(If this program sounds familiar, it was originally slated for February; but we had to reschedule it because of this insatiable winter.)
So get healthy, get happy and—if this subject intrigues you—get to the library at 6 p.m. on March 3 for more details.
There’s never a bad time to celebrate Dr. Seuss; but there is a good time, a wonderful time, a Seuss-pendous time to celebrate him.
And that time is Monday, March 3 and the place will be all three of Mentor Public Library’s branches. The library is commemorating Dr. Seuss’s birthday and Read Across America with a bevy of Seuss-themed events.
The party will go all day at the library’s Main Branch. Kids can make their own Horton puppet and Whoville specks. They can play a game, trying to catch a Red Fish or Blue Fish (maybe even two fish.) Kids can also get a special Horton Hears a Who!booklet with fun games, puzzles and pictures to color at the Children’s Services desk.
There will even be a birthday cake while it lasts.
Meanwhile, at the Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch, the library will host a special story time from 4 to 5 p.m. for children three years and older. Kids will listen to classic Seuss stories and make their own version of the hat made famous by The Cat in the hat.
The Mentor Headlands Library Branch will also have a Seuss story time from 3:45 to 4:30 on Monday, March 3. Kids can make a craft and enjoy some bread and jam for Sam I Am.
Wilson tends to draw attention when he pads into our children’s section.
It might just be a matter of size. At 180 pounds, he is bigger than almost all of the kids and even some of their parents.
Most people are just curious as to why there’s a dog in the library.
But Wilson’s just here for the same reason as most of the kids. He wants to hear a good story.
Big dog. Little girl. Good book. Leah reads Junie B. Jones to Wilson, a 180-pound Newfoundland.
It’s uncouth to play favorites, but Paws to Read is one of our favorite programs that we do at Mentor Public Library.
Paws to Read pairs young readers (between the ages of six and 12 years old) with therapy dogs, who make for a sympathetic and adorable audience.
The dogs help the kids relax so they can get used to reading to an audience. (And the therapy dogs usually get an ear scratch for their troubles.)
Reading time sometimes becomes snuggle time.
If your child can read independently but doesn’t like to do it in front of other people, you might try signing them up for Paws to Read. (Especially if your son or daughter is also a dog lover.)
Registration fills up quickly, so contact the children’s department at Mentor Public Library soon if you think you child could benefit from Paws to Read.
There is often a waiting list for the program once registration begins.
Ava reads to Toby, a standard poodle, and Janelle, Toby's owner.
For more information on Paws to Read and other children’s programs at Mentor Public Library call (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.
Gavyn uses paper to weave a pattern during the Studio MPL meeting Monday.
Pardon the pun in the headline but the kids of Studio MPL had a lot of fun with weaving during their meeting Monday.
(Get it? Weaving. Something looming.)
Julia weaves yarn around a CD to turn it into a dreamcatcher.
Not only did the kids weave patterns with paper but they also used yarn and CDs to make dreamcatchers.
Studio MPL is our art club for kids in first through fifth grade.
Lea weaves strands of paper together.
Studio MPL meets the third Monday of each month. Next month's session will be March 17 at our Main Branch. You can register for it here.
For more photos from our Studio MPL session, check out our Facebook page. For more information on programs and events for children, teens and adults at Mentor Public Library, visit www.mentorpl.org.
Rebekah and Kenzee hold hands while relaxing at the Mentor Library's spa day.
There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself on Valentine’s Day.
That was the message the Mentor Public Library had for the 50 girls who came to a special Spa Day Saturday afternoon, on Feb. 15, at the library’s Main Branch.
The girls made facial masks, decorated their own flip-flops with pieces of fleece, painted their nails and even took home bags of bath beads.
Shannon helps paint Kelley's toenails.
“More than anything, we wanted the girls to relax and have fun. But we also want to help them treat themselves well,” said Kim Sidorick, the manager of Mentor Public Library’s children’s services department. “Some people put a lot of emphasis on Valentine’s Day. We wanted to show these girls that there is nothing wrong with being your own valentine.”
Niyati listens to relaxing music while her facial scrub sets in.
But Ranger Mary Lintern's talk Wednesday was unique. She didn't discuss tactics or casualties. She talked about the paintings, poetry, songs, statues and stories inspired by the Civil War.
While we can't describe them as eloquently as Lintern, here are some of the pieces of art she highlighted during her talk.
Our Banner in the Sky by Frederic Edwin Church
Church didn't draw a literal flag. Instead, he implied it with the sky, clouds and a tree trunk as if to say a unified United States was as natural as nature itself.
The "flag" may look rent in the painting, but it is still standing. The moral: we are wounded, but we are not fallen.
Mountain Brook by Albert Bierstadt
Instead of using nature to depict the damage of war, Bierstadt uses a tranquil scene to stand in contrast to it.
This creek and its kingfisher are depicted after a storm, just as the sun has begun to shine again.
Sharpshooter on Picket Duty by Winslow Homer
The landscapes painted by Church and Bierstadt were falling out of style by the Civil War, in part because of the invention of the camera. Photos—specifically those depicting battle—encouraged painters to embrace a more realistic style.
Homer was a commercial illustrator who traveled with Union soldiers. He drew battle as it was: unglamorous and fatal.
Love's Melancholy by Constant Mayer
A death affects more than the dying and war hurts more than the warrior. Mayer's painting of a war widow reminds us that each loss was felt beyond the battlefield.
Mayer, by the way, was a man. However, the war also inspired female artists. For example...
The Home of the Red, White and Blue by Lilly Martin Spencer
Spencer was best known for painting happy domestic scenes; and, even in 1867, she found warmth in a moment tinted by war. The smiling faces, the organ grinder, even the brightness of the colors all add to the conviviality of the painting.
The Slave Auction by John Rogers
There's more to art than oil and acrylic. Sculptors, poets and prose writers were all moved to create by the Civil War.
Rogers used his sculpture show how slavery tried to make a human less than a person.
The Freedman by John Quincy Adams Ward
Meanwhile, Ward emphasizes the humanity and nobility of the freed man.
O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman
Whitman's poem may now be associated with Robin Williams as often as it is the Civil War; but when New York's Saturday Press published it in 1865, it summarized a wounded nation's reaction to Abraham Lincoln's death.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Some people think of I Heard the Bells as a cute Christmas standard for the Muppets to sing during holiday medleys. (Full disclosure: That's how I thought of it until Lintern's talk.)
But for those who read Longfellow's poem, they know how melancholy a story the poet is telling.
Longfellow wrote it after a pair of tragedies: the death of his wife and the wounding of his son on the battlefield. But amid his loss, he still found the hope to write an unironic wish, "peace on Earth and goodwill to men."
The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
If Longfellow found pathos in war, Bierce discovered cynicism.
Bierce fought at Shiloh and received a severe head wound at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. While An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridgeis his most famous work, The Devil's Dictionary best displays his postwar outlook on life.
Two of the most popular Civil War-era songs have Ohio ties. Lorena was written by Rev. Henry D. L. Webster for a Zanesville woman named Ella Blocksom. (She ended up marrying someone else though.)
And Dixie, the old minstrel tune that became a Confederate anthem, was penned by Ohio man Dan Emmett.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Civil War continued to inspire great art long after the war's end. Books as diverse as The Killer Angels, Cold Mountain, Shiloh, The Red Badge of Courage and Gone with the Wind owe part of their inspiration to what is still the most fatal war ever fought on American soil.
For example, consider Lake Health. It's one of the biggest employers in the county; and you might be qualified to join them, even if you're not a doctor.
But you might be intimidated to apply there, especially if you don't already know someone who works at Lake Health.
Career Coffee Talks is a series of monthly informal talks designed to help people get the tools they need to help them find the career they want. The series is spearheaded by Ohio Means Jobs Lake County and hosted by Mentor Public Library.
Sometimes, the best way to learn how something works is to take it apart and put it back together.
People can get to know computers and other electronic devices inside and out during Mentor Public Library’s first Make-It Monday at 6:30 p.m. on February 17 at the library’s Main Branch.
“For our first Maker Monday, we are going to take apart computers and show people what the insides of a computer, eReader, printer and keyboard look like,” said MPL Reference Librarian Mary Pelton.
Patrons will not just watch as Pelton and MPL Information Technology Manager Andy Gunsch take apart electronics. They will participate and assist in the deconstruction.
“This will give people hands-on experience with computers and hopefully make them a little less intimidating to the average person,” Pelton said.
People can register for Make-It Monday on Mentor Public Library’s website, www.mentorpl.org, or by calling (440) 255-8811 ext. 215.
Mentor Public Library will host five Make-It Mondays in 2014. Then next session will be in April when The Bicycle Hub will show people how to maintain their bikes after a winter of disrepair.
Later in the year, the library will host Make-It Mondays for interests as diverse as knitting and costuming.
There's a good chance that you're sitting while reading this... most likely in an office at work. (Don't worry, we won't tell your boss.)
There's also a likelihood that you spend a lot of your day sitting. You sit at your desk for eight or so hours each weekday, sit in a car and then you spend part of your evening sitting on a couch.
You're not alone. Sedentary lifestyles are common. But they're also not healthy.
That's why Dr. Misty Morris came to Mentor Library's Main Branch Thursday to offer some tips on how to put as little stress on your body as possible while stuck at your desk.
(By the way, none of this is a replacement for a healthy diet and regular exercise—both of which are highly recommended.)
Morris's first recommendation involves your office setup. You don't want a desk too high, a seat too low or a computer screen to close.
She recommended a desk height between 23 and 32 inches, a seat height from 14 to 24 inches, a computer screen 13 to 24 inches away from your eyes and a computer screen 10 to 16 inches above the keyboard support surface.
Morris, who has her doctorate in chiropractic from Life University, also noted the importance of body positioning. She recommended people:
take frequent change-of-position breaks
keep elbows at 90-degree angles
keep their head straight not tilted
use a phone headset
conduct meetings or hold conversations while standing
shift their eye focus from time to time and even close their eyes periodically.
Finally, Morris recommended certain stretches that people can do at their desk. You're welcome to try any and all of them.
1. While sitting in your chair, lean forward putting your chest to your thighs.
2. Clasp your hands behind your head. Now pull your elbows back, pinching your shoulder blades.
Is your kid a Batman fan? Wolverine? A Superman or a Spider-man? A Wonder Woman or a Rogue?
Do they watch reruns of Young Justice? Fill sketchpads with drawings of Finn and Jake? Snatch the comics section from the Sunday newspaper?
Our Comics Club is for any 8- through 12-year-old who likes to read, talk about or draw sequential art. (We're not just talking about superheroes either. We love everything from Amelia Rulesto Bone.)
Abby draws a comic with characters she created.
Our Comic Club meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at our Main Branch.
“We often have children who visit our department looking for books about their favorite superheroes and cartoon characters. Many enjoy cartoons and comic books so we thought that we would start a club to bring together children who read graphic novels and comic books and enjoy drawing,” said Judy Schulz, who runs our Comics Club with Marilyn Weiss.
At a typical meeting, the kids talk about a special theme. For February, it was sidekicks. Then Weiss and Schulz introduce the kids to graphic novels and comics that can be found in the library’s collection.
They close out each meeting with free time for the kids to draw.
“Their favorite part of the night is drawing time,” Schulz said. “We use templates that resemble comic strips and comic-book pages, so the kids can do short 3-panel or longer stories. Some have created their own characters that they revisit every month while others draw something new every time.”
The next Comics Club meeting will be at 7 p.m. on March 4 at the Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch. The theme will be “the funnies.”
To register a child for the Comics Club, call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.
Everyone who came to the workshop also got a free copy of Canary.
Alpine’s book tells the story of Kate Franklin, a teenage girl who is sexually assaulted by a popular student-athlete and then told by her father to keep it a secret.
In this video, Alpine talks about Canary and what advice she would give to young writers.
They'll be discussing Canary and Alpine is coming to the meeting, as well.
Our 20/30 Book Club will be meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 26 at the Don Tequila in Mentor. Click here or call (440) 255-8811 ext. 215 for more information on how you can join the fun.
Need something to keep you spellbound, enthralled or maybe just entertained on those cold winter evenings?
May I suggest a book?
From Feb. 1 through Feb. 28, you can check out one of Mentor Public Library's "Blind Date" books; and, if you rate them, you could win dinner and a movie for two.
And how will you recognize one of our Blind Date books?
They're not subtle. They're wrapped so you can't see the title—they are Blind Date books, after all—but you can see a short description.
Mentor Public Library has several tax forms for your convenience and will be receiving more as tax season progresses.
Other forms are available online.
Here are a list of forms we've received and another list of forms we're expecting.
Even if you see the form you need listed here, you might want to call the library branch before you go there to pick it up. Because we only have a finite amount of each forms, and you will want to confirm that we haven't run out of what you need first.
The phone number for the Main Branch is (440) 255-8811 ext. 215; for the Lake Branch, (440) 257-2512; for Headlands Branch, (440) 257-2000.
Without further preamble, here are the forms we already have:
Form 1040
Form 1040 A
Instruction 1040 A
Form 1040 EZ
Form 1040 SCH A
Form 1040 SCH B
Form 1040 SCH C
Form 1040 SCH C-EZ
Form 1040 SCH D
Form 1040 SCH E
Form 1040 SCH EIC
Form 1040 SCH R
Form 1040 SCH SE
Form 1040-V
RITA forms
Here are the forms we expect to receive sometime in February:
Instruction 1040-ALL
Instruction 1040 EZ
Form 1040 SCH 8812
Instruction 1040 SCH 8812
Form 1040 ES (2014)
Form 1040 NR
Instruction 1040 NR
Here are tax forms that you can find online and print yourself:
If you are 60 years or older and a middle- or low-income taxpayer, you can get help from an AARP tax aide volunteer at Mentor Public Library on Tuesday afternoons in February, March or April.
Call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 215 to schedule an appointment.
You'll need to bring your completed tax forms from last year and a valid ID to your appointment.
