Slice of Life - Libraries and History

Yesterday was another day filled with libraries and a bit more.

I started by going to another library in our county that I hadn't ever been too. It was a nice space, but I realized it was near a wine tasting room that has a deli I have heard about. Of course, that's where I headed next. 

I stopped by the deli for lunch and it was such a treat and it got me out of the rain for a bit. The soup and fresh bread was really delicious. I didn't want to do a wine tasting, but they also grow olives and I did my first olive oil tasting. They let you taste four different oils and then a few balsamic vinegars and a honey. Yum. The bottles of olive oil and elderberry balsamic cost more than my lunch, but I know it will be fun to cook with them. The business is owned and operated by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation who have been on this land for thousands of years. 

Next, I headed to another library and a small history museum. I learned a lot about the communities near the city where I live. In one city there had been about 100 families of Japanese descent prior to Executive Order 9066 that resulted in their internment. After that time of incarceration, only six families returned. 

I also found out about a city that no longer exists. There is a dam and lake nearby where a city used to be. The town was dismantled and everything was removed or burnt before they built the dam. It reminded me of the picture book by Loren Long called The Yellow Bus. In part of the book a valley gets flooded. The first time I read it, I wondered about the dam near us and if the land under it had been inhabited before it was built. 

Then, the person who had been sharing about these early communities let me know that there was yet another history museum in another small town nearby and I found out that they had a library there too. Happy day. It was another informative place and had even more information about the Wintun people.

There are so many things to learn about the land that we inhabit and who and what has been here before us. We moved to this area almost three years ago and I feel like there is still so much to learn. As an elementary school teacher it seems like these are really things I ought to know so that's how I've been spending a lot of my spring break days. I'm trying to get to know the backstory of this community and the land around it. Some of the history is good, like the way the local Native nation has found a way to diversify and make an amazing company that creates excellent oils and foods. Other history shows the way that humans have made others suffer. I look forward to meeting more people in the community and learning how to work together towards a future where we value each other and the other living and nonliving things in our community. 

Slice of Life - Beautiful Designs & Lovely Memories

Last week a family friend mentioned that his mother, Birgitta Olsen, had designed the logo for the independent bookstore that I visit multiple times a month. He mentioned that there is also a tapestry of hers at the city hall. I knew it would be something special to see.

A few days later, I stopped by city hall and asked when it was possible to see inside the council chambers. Generally it's not open to the public outside of council meetings or events, but someone had a moment and took me over to see this lovely piece of art. Our community is surrounded by farmland, wetlands, and mountains in the distance so this really seems a perfect fit. I've seen many of her tapestries and we even have one in our home that I love to look at. Almost all of the pieces that I've seen have nature involved. Here's a link to an exhibit with more of her artwork. I still remember seeing work on her loom in their home years ago. It was so nice to see this one that I hadn't known of before. I could hear her voice and see her smile as I stood looking at this view. 

And while writing this post, I was happy to find a video about her work along with that of her husband Helge Olsen.

Since I had a little time, I also rode over to the bookstore to look at her logo. I'm so glad that now I can think of her when visiting the store. I've also discovered that there may be another tapestry in one of the halls at the university so it looks like I have at least one more place to visit. 

Slice of Life - Sunlight

I'm so thankful for the sunlight streaming into our office. 

As I sit at the computer with thoughts of heading outside, 

I'm glad that we can at least enjoy the sun beaming in when we are at the desk busy with tasks. 

The shadows from the blinds, the bushes outside, and the delightful mobile that hangs within are also entertaining. 

Without the sun, there would be no dancing shadows. 

Slice of Life - Dashing Out

Dashing out.

Line dancing calls.

I could stay to write a longer post,

But movement and music is pulling me away.

TTFN.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly blog hop hosted by Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers which focuses on sharing what we’re reading. 

This Kid Lit version of IMWAYR focuses primarily on books marketed for kids and teens, but books for readers of all ages are shared. We love this community and how it offers opportunities to share and recommend books with each other. The original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

The Kid Lit IMWAYR was co-created by Kellee & Jen at Teach Mentor Texts. 

I post about my reading here, at the YA blog Rich in Color and as crystalreading at Storygraph. 

The Past Week: I just finished two books for the Trans Rights Readathon. Lunar Boy by Cin & Jes Wibowo is a lovely middle grade sci-fi graphic novel and Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa is a young adult Pride and Prejudice retelling. They were both great and I'm glad that books like this exist.

I read a picture book called Cosmic Wonder: Halley's Comet and Humankind by Ashley Benham-Yazdani. It shows the comet and what was happening in different locations during the various times that it has come near the earth. There is a lot of history in the book and the night sky is beautiful. I'm very excited because the author/illustrator may be visiting at least one of my schools this spring. 

I read two nonfiction adult books. One was Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future by Patty Krawec. It's a really good look into the past and how to be in right relationship with the land, our world, and each other. 

The other nonfiction books was Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal which I listened to. It was a nice self help book that had a lot of good advice, but I think I missed out on the drawings. He did describe them, but I kind of want to see a physical copy of the book sometime. 

I read an adult Pride and Prejudice retelling called  A Second Look by Hannah Matus. The main characters are Muslim and have Libyan roots. It's set in the current day and was pretty satisfying. I read it for the Ramadan Readathon. I was happy to give another Austen retelling a try. 

Have a great week!

Slice of Life - Libraries & Books

Libraries are generally places of wonder, exploration, and all kinds of loveliness. Today, I started off my day meeting someone at the local university library for a guided tour. I had been there a few times before, but hadn't been back in a few years. Now I know where the children's, YA, and graphic novels are and have found some places to read. I renewed my library card and was set to go on my next adventure. 

Next on my list of things to do was visiting an exhibit that is only open when I am usually working and ends after this week. I went to the design building to look at the travel journals that students made while on tour in Europe. What kind of amazing class is this? They were to look for designs as they traveled and record them in these amazing art journals. So fun. I have only kept a travel journal a few times that included art and it was very fun so now I want to go on a trip and try this again with their inspiration. 

Next, I went to a middle school in the next school district over to visit their Native resource room and it was really nice. They have a great collection of books and realia. 

My final library/display type place for the day was a small library on the outskirts of our county. It has a beautiful mural outside and it is a cozy little space. 

To top off this day of libraries and books, I went to the local ice cream shop and got a cone to eat while I read a digital book. I did get a little reading done, but multiple students from one of my schools were there and wanted to chat so I did that too. The topic of books and libraries did come up. :)

  

Slice of Life - What's saving your reading life?

Inspired by Akilah--who was inspired by Elisabeth-- I will share some of the things that get me and keep me reading.

Reading Challenges: One of the big inspirations for what I pick up next is challenges on Storygraph (I"m crystalreading over there - let's be friends). I made the move from Goodreads to Storygraph near the beginning of the year and that's one of the things I love most. I am participating in the Onboarding Challenge that helps get you familiar with the format of the app. I also found the Decolonize Your Bookshelf Challenge hosted by the owner of an Indigenous bookstore called Paperbacks & Frybread. Currently I am also in a Ramadan Readathon and I am about to start reading for the Trans Rights Readathon. Yesterday I started gathering my books (the stack in the image at the top of the page) and today I have started reading. 

Book Clubs: There is an amazingly awesome book club here in town that has mostly people who were teachers or librarians or still are. We meet at the home of a woman who doesn't really eat sweets, but loves to bake so she makes lovely desserts for us every month and there is always enough that we can take some home to our loved ones too. We read YA or Adult fiction and nonfiction. Another one here in town is hosted by the indie bookstore and a local organization that works to fight intolerance and prevent hate. These two groups help diversify my reading and I love chatting about books with them. 

Libby: Here in California libraries in almost all cities allow state residents to get a library card. Some people collect them like Pokemon cards or baseball cards. I strategically collect those that have robust digital collections and add them to my Libby app. It makes it easy to get those books that the library may not have on hand yet or those that have a long waiting list.

Libro.fm: As an educator or librarian (or media reviewer or influencer), there are free audiobook ALC downloads available every month. It's awesome and I usually have one going so if I am caught without a book to read, I at least have something to listen to. I also use them on long drives. 

My students: I'm a teacher librarian in two elementary schools and sometimes my students recommend books or I read books so I can recommend them to my students.

Colby Sharp: Colby is so excited about books. Every time I watch one of his videos, I add books to my TBR. His enthusiasm is incredible and he is great at book talks. He's a fifth grade teacher and I often neglect reading middle grade so he helps me keep up. 

It's Monday! What are you reading?: This group of bloggers also makes me add books to my TBR. They share so many excellent titles every week. 

What keeps you reading?