I know I haven’t been very active over the last year, but that’s a story for another post. The overview is that my husband had cancer surgery last September, and we have been through quite a year since then.

But I can see that fall is coming – not only the obvious nature signs, like leaves starting to turn, and the pecan trees are full; if you get up early enough, you can also feel it in the air.

My two favorite things about fall are also coming up- The World’s Largest Peanut Boil is starting next week and will run through Labor Day or until they’re all gone. The local Shriners get together, along with other volunteers, and boil and parch tons of peanuts, and people comes for miles away to get some. All proceeds go to the Shriner’s Hospital so it’s a very worthy cause.

And then in October – the Treat’s on Us will happen once again. Merchants and families get together in Luverne to hand out candy and let kids visit for a fun evening. In years past, there has been a costume contest and other games; since the virus is still in force, we may have to make some adjustments, but we still plan on celebrating. For the last two years, Randy and I and our friends have cooked and given away hot dogs- the first year, it was 300 and last year it was 500. Not sure how many we will do this year, but we will be there if the good Lord is willing (and the Creek don’t rise!).

So make your plans for both of these great events – you will not be disappointed.

This is a list of on-line resources available to everyone while we are restricted from our normal routines. I believe they are all free. If you know of any please send the links to me through the Library’s messenger so I can add them to the list.

Through the LPL:

• Camellia Net: See this note on how to sign in and search. Feel free to call the library if you have any questions or need help
• Mango Languages: Take this time to start learning a new language.
• TumbleBooks: The LPL’s TumbleBookLibrary subscription includes unlimited and unrestricted access from the comfort and safety of your own home, 24/7. If you use the app (found at the Play and Apple stores) you will need to use the username luvernepl and the password libra. To navigate through the applications see here for a tutorial.
• Alabama Virtual Library: If you do not already have an account please contact the LPL and we will create one for you.
• EBSCO Learning Express: Find Tests, Tutorials, and eBooks
• Library Spot: Find the best library and reference resources at LibrarySpot.com, including top dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, maps, quotations and much more.
• BSW Education Consulting: Free Test Prep & College Admissions Guides

Crenshaw County 4-H

• Penny Walk
• Positive Affirmations
• Edible Slime
• 4-H Scavenger Hunt

Genealogy

• Ancestry.com: In light of concerns about COVID-19 and the closure of many libraries around the state, Ancestry and ProQuest are offering temporary
  at-home access to Ancestry Library Edition for Alabama residents. Please note that at-home access is available on an temporary basis. until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Once they have you can come by the library for free access until the end of this year.

Adult Resources

• Here are 450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free
• How to talk to your kids about the Coronavirus
• Food Depot/Superfoods online shopping and curbside pickup
• 10 Historic Homes You Can Virtually Tour
• Online AA Meetings During COVID-19

Virtual Tours

• Paris Museums Put 100,000 Images Online for Unrestricted Public Use: Paris Musées, a collection of 14 museums in Paris have recently made high-res digital copies of 100,000 artworks freely available to the public on their collections website. Artists with works in the archive include Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Cézanne, and thousands of others.
• Over 30 virtual field trips with links
• You Can Virtually Tour A Whole Bunch Of National Parks From Your Couch
• Virtual Farm Tours: Three age categories are available: 4 – 9, 10 – 13, high school
• 20 Virtual Field Trips (via Crenshaw County 4-H): Virtual field trips are a great way to expose kids to new places all from the comfort of home. In this age of technology, so many museums, zoos and aquariums have set up virtual tours and webcams of their facilities. Now more than ever, is it easier to visit destinations around the world from the comfort of your couch
• The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections
• Five Gardens You Can Virtually Tour, Just in Time for the First Day of Spring

Computer:

• Coding For Kids: Free Classes, Websites, and Apps

The Arts:

• 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Homeand where to find them
• Cleveland Inner City Ballet Online Ballet Instruction Program
• Engineering Activities
• The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues

Creative Art

• Mo Willems Is Hosting a Livestream Doodle Every Week, Starting Today
• Art Classes with Jarrett J. Krosoczka
• Free art lessons from Make
• Free colouring books from 113 museums
• 12 Art Lessons on YouTube Your Kiddos will Love!
• Happy Turtle Draw & Painting Project
• Art For Kids Hub

Science & Math

• Science Mom and Math Dad
• Mystery Science: If you’re dealing with school closures, we’ve gone through all our elementary science lessons, pulled the easiest ones to do from home, and put them up on this link for free. No signup required, no student login
• NASA: Is making their entire media library publicly accessible and copyright free
• 60+ Awesome Websites for Teaching and Learning Math
• The Georgia Aquarium Has Live Cams So You Can Go Under The Sea At Home
• 16 Card Games That Will Turn Your Students Into Math Aces

Reading:

• Scholastic releases free daily courses for kids stuck home amid coronavirus school closures
• Operation Story Time on Twitter: Join us on Instagram every week day at 11am EST for a LIVE Story Time Read Aloud! #OperationStorytime
• The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities
• You can now download over 300,000 books from the NYPL for free
• Junior Library Guild: Looking for activities and resources to keep students engaged during this new-normal of school closures and social distancing? As the collection-development partner for school and public libraries across the nation, it’s our honor to offer you these free resources to help keep students’ brains busy and blossoming. In the true spirit of our beloved libraries, these resources are available to ALL!

Misc. Resources

• Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings (Updated) : Amazing Educational Resources
• Here’s The Entire List of Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings
• Coronavirus Relief Packs are now available for Preschool through 5th Grade: Each download includes worksheets, activities, songs, and videos for all subjects. IMPORTANT: The download is a .zip file. You must be on a computer or laptop to save it. Thanks!
• Walt Disney Imagineering Partners With Khan Academy To Bring You ‘Imagineering in a Box’

High School Student Resources:

• How Fiveable Can Prepare AP Students During School Closings Due To COVID-19: Fiveable was started by an AP World teacher that streamed live reviews to students on Friday nights. Since then, we’ve expanded to 15 AP subjects and bring students and teachers together to learn in interactive ways

Mixed Educational sites:

• 45+ Free Educational Websites for Kids from ABCs to ACTs
• HomeSchoolCEO Free resources links
• Free Educational Sites Graphic
• Free live online classes to support public school families affected by closures in the wake of COVID-19

For Fun:

This is a list of on-line resources available to everyone while we are restricted from our normal routines. I believe they are all free. If you know of any please send the links to me through the Library’s messenger so I can add them to the list.

Through the LPL:

· Camellia Net: See this note on how to sign in and search. Feel free to call the library if you have any questions or need help· Mango Languages: Take this time to start learning a new language.· TumbleBooks: The LPL’s TumbleBookLibrary subscription includes unlimited and unrestricted access from the comfort and safety of your own home, 24/7. If you use the app (found at the Play and Apple stores) you will need to use the username luvernepl and the password libra. To navigate through the applications see here for a tutorial.· Alabama Virtual Library: If you do not already have an account please contact the LPL and we will create one for you.· EBSCO Learning Express: Find Tests, Tutorials, and eBooks· Library Spot: Find the best library and reference resources at LibrarySpot.com, including top dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, maps, quotations and much more.· BSW Education Consulting: Free Test Prep & College Admissions Guides

Crenshaw County 4-H

• Penny Walk
• Positive Affirmations

Adult Resources

· Here are 450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free· How to talk to your kids about the Coronavirus· Food Depot/Superfoods online shopping and curbside pickup

Virtual Tours

· Paris Museums Put 100,000 Images Online for Unrestricted Public Use: Paris Musées, a collection of 14 museums in Paris have recently made high-res digital copies of 100,000 artworks freely available to the public on their collections website. Artists with works in the archive include Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Cézanne, and thousands of others.· Over 30 virtual field trips with links· You Can Virtually Tour A Whole Bunch Of National Parks From Your Couch· Virtual Farm Tours: Three age categories are available: 4 – 9, 10 – 13, high school· 20 Virtual Field Trips (via Crenshaw County 4-H): Virtual field trips are a great way to expose kids to new places all from the comfort of home. In this age of technology, so many museums, zoos and aquariums have set up virtual tours and webcams of their facilities. Now more than ever, is it easier to visit destinations around the world from the comfort of your couch

The Arts:

· 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Homeand where to find them· Cleveland Inner City Ballet Online Ballet Instruction Program· Engineering Activities

Creative Art

· Mo Willems Is Hosting a Livestream Doodle Every Week, Starting Today· Art Classes with Jarrett J. Krosoczka· Free art lessons from Make· Free colouring books from 113 museums

Science & Math

· Science Mom and Math Dad· Mystery Science: If you’re dealing with school closures, we’ve gone through all our elementary science lessons, pulled the easiest ones to do from home, and put them up on this link for free. No signup required, no student login

Misc. resources

· Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings (Updated) : Amazing Educational Resources· Here’s The Entire List of Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings

Reading:

· Scholastic releases free daily courses for kids stuck home amid coronavirus school closures· Operation Story Time on Twitter: Join us on Instagram every week day at 11am EST for a LIVE Story Time Read Aloud! #OperationStorytime

High School Student Resources:

· How Fiveable Can Prepare AP Students During School Closings Due To COVID-19: Fiveable was started by an AP World teacher that streamed live reviews to students on Friday nights. Since then, we’ve expanded to 15 AP subjects and bring students and teachers together to learn in interactive ways

Mixed Educational sites:

· 45+ Free Educational Websites for Kids from ABCs to ACTs· HomeSchoolCEO Free resources links· Free Educational Sites Graphic· Free live online classes to support public school families affected by closures in the wake of COVID-19

Just For Fun:

It’s New Year’s again- so many folks making resolutions for this year… I’d like to share some of the best advice I ever got; maybe it will help you stay on track with your goals.
When my older daughter was born, her dad and I spent the first few days after the hospital at my folks’ house. All I had to do was take care of that precious baby and Mama took care of cooking, laundry, etc. She helped me learn how to give Mary Beth a bath, make sure her bottles were the right temperature, and everything else that came with taking care of a new baby.
Then when it was time to take her home, while Tommy and Mama packed the car, I sat in the porch swing with Daddy and held her. I started crying and Daddy wanted to know why – so I told him I was scared to death. I wasn’t sure I could do it- all the things that go with taking care of a baby! So many things to remember, so many things to be careful about- sticking her with diaper pins, having the milk too hot, diaper rashes… the list just went on and on.
So Daddy said, ‘What’s the very first thing you’re going to do when you get home?” I told him I would fix bottles for the next 24 hours; then he said, “then what?” so I said, “wash some diapers and get them ready.”
Then he said, “Don’t look past that- just get those two things done, and then figure out the next thing. Don’t think of everything you’ve got to do, just the next thing.”
And somehow that lifted the whole burden off me. I didn’t have a hundred things to do next, just one or two.
So as you’re working through the next few days, getting your goals in mind, don’t try to make yourself eat right, or study more, or work harder for the next 365 days. Just take today and do what you can today- and when tomorrow comes, do it again.
Happy New Year’s!

This collection of poems spans the life of Bob Perdue. Poems that mourn lost friendship, celebrate family members, and friends, speak of the joys of everyday life: work, talking with friends, fishing, just living life. The book’s final poem is “The List”, which is an ongoing tribute to the Luverne Class of ‘68 and the members who have passed away.

This book can be purchased in paperback through Amazon at this link.

The Cloud Riders by Donnie R Griggs is the first book in a series about  a friendly, peace-loving people who live among the clouds. They build their homes, gather food from the mountaintops and take care of each other. This title includes two stories: “Introduction of the Cloud Riders” and “A Day with the Cloud Riders”.

This will make a great gift for any kid, especially those who love to imagine things and watch the skies for interesting stuff.

It’s available on Amazon here.

 

 

 

The good folks at the Shrine building would want me to invite you over for some boiled peanuts… every year on Labor Day, they put on the World’s Largest Peanut Boil – this year they’re got 27 tons to boil and parch.

All proceeds go towards the Shriner Children’s Hospitals. What a great way to raise money for such a great cause!

Come out and join us for some “goobers” – and while you’re here, thank the kind people who have given their time this long holiday weekend to work so we’d have these delicious snacks.

Grab a few extra bags- they will freeze and will taste fresh when you boil them just a few minutes.

Yummy…

Birthday Surprise, a labor of love by author David Tadlock and artist Kayla Landrum,  is almost done! Within the next week, the soft cover book will be available on Amazon, and soon after as an ebook; we are also looking at the possibility of a hard cover version. (Edited: the book can now be purchased here in paperback. Hardback copies will be available shortly.)

I think two of the reasons I’m so excited about this project is that David and Kayla are good friends of mine- it’s so good to see such a sweet book come to life. The other reason- David and Kayla both have donated their services so proceeds from the sale of the soft cover will support the efforts of the Crenshaw County Animal Society.  You just can’t ask for a better blessing than to be a part of such a great effort.

Be watching in the next few days for links to purchase the book!

Save

How have I not told you about this book already?! Seven Little Postmen is the story of a little boy who mails a letter to grandma. What happens to the letter along the way? You’ll need to get it to see what happens.

I had never heard of this book until my own kids were grown and I had grandkids. In fact, I happened across a copy in a bookstore soon after my husband started working at the post office. I bought that copy then, and I’ve purchased several more for other grands since then.

A cute story with wonderful illustrations; I’ve often wondered why the post office doesn’t market this book and sell in local post offices since they sell other merchandise… they’re missing a marketing idea!

In case you don’t know it by now, I absolutely love books- I am continuously finding books that I want to read, especially if I find a bargain bin somewhere.

So when my friend Judy gave me Fervent,  a book on prayer, I was so grateful. I’d had a rough week, and was beginning to think that the things I’m doing aren’t making a difference to anybody.

And then at our Bible study lunch, she gave me this lovely, strong book. Which was awesome.

Since we were studying I didn’t really get a chance to look at it until I got home, and then I found the real gift. Because Judy had inscribed it to me- she told me how much she appreciates the things I do for our study group, and that she loves me…

Isn’t that a great gift?

Inscribing a book is as wonderful a thing as a hand-written note. Try it- you’ll be surprised at how well it’s received!

Debbie and Me is one of the sweetest little books you could get anyone you consider a friend.

It tells the fictionalized account of the friendship between the two authors. It might seem like an unusual friendship but after you read it, you’ll see they have much more in common than they do differences- and aren’t we suppose to celebrate the differences anyway?

The book can be purchased on Amazon at this link; you can also purchased signed copies locally by contacting either of the authors on Facebook.

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