Fremont’s Greatest Strength

In an open letter to the community, the City of Fremont calls diversity its greatest strength and reaffirms its values of being a compassionate city:  http://bit.ly/2fFFRzV

And from the people of Fremont comes a resounding echo!

Find Bruce Beasley’s “Unity” at the corner of Stevenson Blvd. and Paseo Padre Parkway, just outside the grounds of the Fremont Main Library.

 

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The Next “Wimpy Kid” Is Soon to Be Born

If you are one of the millions fans of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, here is the exciting news.  The eleventh installment is going to be out on Nov. 1, 2016.

The waiting list is growing now, so why wait?  Be the first ones to read it.  Click here to reserve your copy.

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Fun February Facts!

Hey, trivia lovers!  How much do you know about the month of February? I found the quiz below on a web site called Trivia  Champ, http://triviachamp.com . Have fun and see how much you know about the shortest month of the year.  Answers are at the bottom. 

1> February was called Solmonath by the Anglo-Saxons.  What does this mean?

a. Mud month

b. New Year

c. New Beginning

d. Winter End

2> What is the birthstone for February?

a. Amethyst

b. Sapphire

c.  Emerald

d.  Ruby

3> If you were born on February 6, what would your zodiac sign be?

a. Aquarius

b. Taurus

c. Cancer

d. Leo

4> What is the flower for the month of February?

a. Violet

b. Gardenia

c. Lily

d. Sunflower

5> Which  awards show normally occurs at the end of February?

a. Tony Awards

b. Academy Awards

c.  Grammy Awards

d.  Golden Globes

6> Which legendary character is recognized on the 12th of February?

a. Paul Bunyan

b. Johnny Appleseed

c. Peter Parker

d. William Tell

7> If you were born on the 24th of February, what would your Zodiac sign be?

a. Cancer

b. Pisces

c. Gemini

d. Libra

8> Which of these famous rockers was born on the fourth of February?

a. Paul McCartney

b. Alice Cooper

c. Eric Clapton

d. Sting

9> What animal predicts the weather on February second?

a. Groundhog

b. Spider

c. Rattlesnake

10> What huge celebration occurs in Brazil in February?

a. Independence Day

b. Mardi Gras

c. New Years

d. All Saints Day

Answers: 1> Mud Month, 2> Amethyst, 3>Aquarius, 4>Violet, 5>Academy Awards (this year it’s March 2, so it would not interfere with the Olympics). 6> Paul Bunyan, 7>Pisces,  8>Alice Cooper, 9> Groundhog, 10>Mardi Gras

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Get Ready for the New Year!

The hustle and bustle of Christmas has just passed. The presents have all been unwrapped, and a lot of good food has been eaten. Now it’s time to look forward to a new year. A new year brings with it a gift of promise.  Twelve months that are as yet unknown, but like a fruit tree. ready to be picked, and we hope that the fruit is just right, not too hard or too mushy.  If you are so inclined you may want to make resolutions for the upcoming year.  If you are like me you won’t keep most of the them, but sometimes something sticks and we make a change hopefully for the better

I found the following poem online which seems to sum up what a new year means to most of us.  I wish you all only the best that life can offer in the new year.

What can be said in New Year’s rhymes,

That’s not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that’s the burden of a year.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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On Eating Ajos And Giving Tiempo

Decades ago, in another century and in another country, I had to take Spanish language classes in school.  Ostensibly this was to enable us, members of younger generations, to appreciate the country’s history and literature.  Critics, however, saw this as a continuing reminder that Spain had ruled the Philippines for 400 years and kept the natives in the dark, maintaining educational institutions solely to benefit the peninsulares and the insulares–Spaniards from the mainland who lived in the new colonies and the full-blooded Spaniards born on the islands.  With typical youthful shortsightedness, I saw my Spanish classes only as requirements to meet in order to graduate high school, then college.   Since then, here as an adult in our diverse community, I have been taking lessons off and on, trying to learn the language.

I do remember some things of my college Spanish classes.  One professor, in particular, required the class to memorize sayings, and for our final exam we had to write down as many of those observations on life that we could remember.  Two adages have stayed with me all these years:

El que se pica, ajos come.   I admit I have used or been reminded of this saying at times, especially on occasions that prompted thoughts of “if the shoe fits…”  as well as “serves you right.”  After all, he who feels the sting most likely bit into the garlic, right?

Hay que darle tiempo al tiempo.  This one appears to be meant for anyone expecting something.  Researchers perhaps?  In this age of instant gratification, one is told to be patient, to wait and to allow things to happen in due time.  Be that as it may, I say now is the time to wish one and all:  Feliz Navidad, prospero año y felicidad!

Explore the Library’s language learning resources.

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You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

I love finding unusual facts about the many months of the year, and all the variety of things we as a country celebrate.  Of course we know July 4th is a big national holiday that celebrates our independence from Britain, but it is also usually a very warm, if not hot, month all over the United States.  And guess what? It turns out July is also National Ice Cream Month.  Yes, it was declared to be National Ice Cream Month in 1984 by our president, Ronald Reagan, and the third Sunday of July, this year the 21st, is National Ice Cream Day.

According to a website, ice-cream recipes.com,  http://www.ice-cream-recipes.com/ice_cream_month.htm, folks in the United States eat more ice cream than any other country in the world.  Also, according to this website, ice cream goes all the way back to 200 BC. in China.  It is reputed that Nero had ice brought down from the mountains to freeze his favorite drinks.  It is also said that Marco Polo came back from his travels to the far east with a recipe for sorbet.  Who knows?  Some if not all of this could be folklore.  If you get a chance to visit this website you will find some fun ice cream recipes.  The website even has an article about Fried Ice cream, and how it is made!

I do enjoy ice cream every now and then. However,  I’ve discovered you can eat too much of a good thing!  My favorite flavors are rocky road and cookie dough.  What are yours?  I’d love to hear from you.

Check out our Alameda County Library Catalog for the many books we have about ice cream for both kids and adults. The one I have pictured here is written by Pippa Cuthbert & Lindsay Cameron Wilson.  So enjoy the hot days of July and eat an ice cream dessert.  Just don’t eat too much and get a tummy ache! Happy National Ice Cream Month!

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Art programs for kids at the library

We have two art programs returning to the library in February and March. The first is Book Party, which was a successful storytime and craft program that ran last year during the spring, and is returning February 20th. Our first session was actually yesterday, and participants had a great time hearing two of Mo Willem’s pigeon books (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy).After the stories, each child made a set of fingerpuppets (a pigeon, duckling and Mad Cow) from the new activity book from the series: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Pigeon-Finish-This-Activity/dp/1423133102/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358462532&sr=8-1&keywords=dont+let+the+pigeon+finish. The kids had a blast coloring in their puppets and making them as “crazy” looking as they could.

Upcoming dates for future Book Party programs are: February 20th, March 20th, April 17th and May 15th. We meet in Fukaya Room A (with the exception of March, when we will be in the storytime theater). Program meets from 4-5 pm. All ages are welcome, but the stories and crafts are geared towards children ages 5-7 years old. Young children should have an adult helper present.

Our other returning program is Fun with Origami, run by our teen volunteer, Vanessa. Vanessa prepares two-three new origami projects each session and shows the kids how to fold them. Beacuse of the limited supply of paper, classes will be limited to 20 students, ages 8-10 years old. There is no registration for these classes, but you must pick up your free ticket at the Children’s Desk beginning at 3:45 pm the day of each program.

Origami Classes are on Thursdays, February 7th & 21st and March 7th & 21st. Classes are 4-5 pm in Fukaya Room A.

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