Messy Beauty / Fawn Who Came for Christmas

Featuring frozen bubbles, visiting fawns, and local library shenanigans. . . .

It was around 15 degrees F when I went out in the morning to make frozen bubbles. The conditions were just about right - cold temperature, very little wind - but the light didn't really show up at all, much to my disappointment.

I decided to try something new and began blowing my bubbles onto the spent monarda blooms in the meadow, and the results were interesting and messy. Above, you may see one of the outcomes of that experiment. (And you may find my canonical frozen bubble tip list here.)

In other news, the fawn came by to say Hello. Our neighbor had shared a picture of the fawn, taken on Christmas morning, eating from her bird feeder. So I knew that it was hanging out nearby. It is a fine, fuzzy fawn, well grown out of its spots, quite healthy looking. You may see my photo in the extras. Do you remember our fawn from that snow picture a few days ago?

In other news, our rural central PA township held a special hastily called together meeting on this night to discuss a recent proposal to pull out of an agreement and funding with the local library. Such a move would be "in the best interests" of the people of the township, so say the board of supervisors. What criteria and what matrix they use to decide what is in our best interests, none of us have a clue, as they did not share that with the residents.

Apparently, libraries are worthless public goods, as "they’ve never shoveled anybody’s snow and they haven’t saved anybody’s life" (a direct quote from a member of the board in a local news story). And the money would be better spent, so they say, on fixing roads and paying for emergency medical services. One of the supervisors indicated that he had not been inside a library since he was 10 years old; when he WANTS a book, he just BUYS a book. Simple! Right? Who needs libraries?

Many people from the township turned out face-to-face and online and spoke eloquently of the value of the library and the importance of its services to their families. I couldn't help but get a little happy glow, seeing how many smart, articulate members we have in our community. Yay, pro-library peeps!

My husband and I both grew up poor (and I'm talking Appalachian poor) in rural central Pennsylvania, and while our families also bought us books as they could afford it, we were both voracious readers of books acquired to a great degree at no charge from our local public libraries.

We are current heavy users of remote library services such as the Bookmobile (request a book and they send it to you on the Bookmobile - yes, BOOKS! - it's like MAGIC!!) and the local book drops, where we return them.

I read 58 books this year; all but a handful of them were acquired from the libraries via the Bookmobile, which stops at Way Fruit Farm on Mondays. Or did, until recently; they had mechanical problems with it and then our driver, Jacob, a fine young fellow, took another job. Pending repairs and hiring of a new driver or two, the Bookmobile will be back on the road soon, we hope.

The current library funding level costs about $24 per household, which seems perfectly reasonable to most of us. Defunding may result in loss of services, which might include access not just to books but to online resources and entertainments, IT help, the remote book drop boxes, and the book lockers at Way Fruit Farm.

However, in the end, after all of that feedback from the residents, much to my chagrin and to that of many others who attended, the board voted 3 to 2 to defund the local library starting in 2024. And no, I don't think this is the end of the issue. Not nearly the end.

Now, I said a few choice bad words to my husband when I learned how things turned out, but I'll spare you that kind of language, as I do my best to keep the posts and photos that I share online both upbeat and family-friendly. I'll end with this quote: "Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation." - Walter Cronkite.

I have two soundtrack songs, and I'm using up my very last extra photo for the year to show you the fawn who came for Christmas!  There are probably no more messy beauties than the Go-Go's, on the cover of their album Beauty and the Beat, so I'll pick a song from that: the Go-Go's, with Our Lips Are Sealed. And for the fawn, who looks so strong and well and fuzzy: Kenny Loggins, with I'm Alright.