I’m sitting on the reference desk.  Alone.  I have a four hour shift here.  Alone.  It’s my first experience alone here for any length and it’s a bit daunting.  But I have completed an hour and a half and so far it’s been fine.  I have looked up the function of specific cells in the pancreas and the specific date of death for Harpo Marx.  I have looked for books and found some and not located others.  I have had time to read my own book.

It’s Friday night at the library.  So far peaceful, quiet, sometimes boring, sometimes interesting.  Life should always be this good!

Early this morning I walked with the puppy.  The grass was wet, the air was cool and thick with spring fog.  The sun was barely touching the tips of the trees.  Suddenly I was transported back in time to similar moments when we camped as a young family on this Memorial weekend.  I could smell the wet canvas of our tent, hear the soft murmers of my parents outside, feel the scratchy sand-filled sleeping bags, knew the warmth of being loved and being exactly where I wanted to be.

This afternoon my husband and I will take his elderly aunt out to the cemetery where his parents are buried.  We will put flowers there, lupin and lilac, and the first rose to bloom from his mother’s rose bush that we moved to our yard.  We will remember them.

I don’t have a cemetary plot to remember my parents.  But I have memories as their monuments in my heart.  This morning Mom and Dad were right by my side standing in the damp grass watching the sun rise in the glowing tree tops.

Yesterday I worked all day at one of the branches of the library.  I had a great time learning new things, and helping patrons find the information they needed.  During the afternoon another librarian asked me if I had met a particular patron.   Turns out the “patron” I was introduced to was actually another librarian that worked in the branch; she was on vacation and visiting the library just for fun. 

I commented later to the librarian who had introduced us that it seemed strange to see someone come into their workplace during their vacation, just for fun.  She said she does it all the time, is constantly spending time at the library even when she’s not working.  I mentioned it would be unusual in my previous life for me to want to spend time at work when I was scheduled off.

Ah…an example of the difference between working where you heart is not invested and working in a place that makes your heart sing.

I think I am becoming a bad mother.  No, I don’t have children, but there is that puppy who appears to be an earlier riser .  She is awake and ready to play as soon as the sun comes up.  We go outside when she asks.  But then I really just want to read the paper.  She wants to play.  I’d rather eat my breakfast.  She wants to play.  I have emails to answer.  She wants to..well you get it.

So I have resorted to opening the sliding door in the breakfast room.  She sits on her “princess pillow” and gazes out beyond the screen at the birds on the feeder, the chipmunks scampering in the grass and the squirrels running around in the trees.  She will sit there enthralled for hours.  

Is this similar to planting a child in front of the TV?  Will she be scarred for life? 

Today I was left alone on the reference desk for an entire hour!  And the library did not crumble into dust.  In fact I was able (eventually and with some help from other friendly librarians across the floor) to answer all but one of the questions I received during that hour.  The question I didn’t get to (and which would have taken awhile) I gifted to the next librarian on the reference desk who is very into the history of Ann Arbor anyway.  The question?  Where was the house in Ann Arbor that was on the underground railroad?  The library has a big file of clippings and I found that there would be something there, but I’d have to FIND the clippings and the phone wouldn’t stop ringing.  It also has a local history room and I’m sure there’d be something in there, but again, that was away from the desk and the phone continued to ring constantly today.  So I don’t feel bad turning that one over to a more experienced librarian.  But I am curious about the answer!

I am still very awkward about using their computer system to find things.  Still uncertain about what to keep open, and even how to open it all.  But I’m sure with time that will all come.  I  hope I’m not left alone very often though, it was pretty stressful!  However it was VERY NICE to walk out of the library at 1 and be done for the afternoon!

I work on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday this week, I’m hoping it gets easier with each shift! 

Today is Saturday.  I’m making a strawberry pie, and while the pie crust is in the oven baking I stop to consider that for me, right now, today is no different than yesterday, which was no different than the day before.  I’m working a part time job, and this week only worked two days, so I have had a very long weekend.  Every day I have to think about what day it is.  No particular schedule.  A little yard work, an appointment here and there, lots of puppy play, naps, books, bird watching.  It’s all good. 

Having a puppy who is almost housebroken causes a change in lifestyle to some extent.  We now live in a house with all doors closed so that she has fewer options in which to cause mischief.  Sometimes we forget, but she never forgets.  She must do hourly rounds of inspections because if we leave the laundry room door open there will soon appear on our living room floor underwear, socks or kitchen towels.  Sometimes these are clean;  sometimes they are not, she doesn’t seem to have a preferance.  If we forget and leave a bathroom door open within the hour there will be shredded pieces of toilet paper floating around our living space.  She never worries that sharing her creations may get her into trouble.

So.  We live in a house with all doors closed.   But she IS cute!

I have a cardinal that lives somewhere in my yard.  He sings to me every morning and evening from the very top of different trees in the yard.  Yesterday evening he was at the tip of an oak tree, gleaming in the setting sun, singing his heart out for me and Katie as we went for our evening stroll around the yard.  This morning he was in the very top of a pine tree out front singing to us as we went to the mailbox to get the morning paper.  He is bright red, very big and very proud of himself.

This morning as Katie and I were in the back yard looking for a suitable spot to do some business, four bright yellow finches chased each other past us and through the fusia redbud tree that is in full bloom.

And yesterday I got a quick glimpse of the hummingbird, back from his winter travels in Mexico!  Good thing I had his supper ready and waiting for him in the feeder next to the living room windows.

Katie, being the self centered puppy that she is, of course noticed none of these birds.  She is too busy eating grass and digging in the dirt.  She comes in each morning wet, muddy and covered in green grass clippings.  She is her happiest then, well…other than when it’s SUPPER TIME!! 🙂

I go back to Ann Arbor for my second day of work at the new job today.  Wednesday night I told my husband that I had fun at work and he said…”Well..THAT’S different!”

So I start my summer job on Wednesday.  Actually it’s not really a summer job, as it will continue until I graduate next April or until I walk away, whichever comes first!  I spent most of today in orientation and training.  Seems like a lot to remember; I had a hard time keeping up.  But I figure the best training is on the job training, and that starts day after tomorrow.

They seem to spend a lot of time focused on problem patrons and problem issues.  I can’t believe that there are that many problems.  It’s a LIBRARY for heavens sake.  I know it’s a public place, but geeze, I’ve worked in public places most of my life and people that are upset over their money or their loan approval would seem to me to be way more angry than someone upset over a book not being on the shelf.  But we shall see.  You never know about those retirees! 🙂

Puppy is asleep (FINALLY) on my feet tonight.  But then it’s almost midnight and she’s been chewing on my feet and hands and pant leg and hair ever since I got home around 5, so she’s pretty exhausted.  Me too.  She has lots of toys to chew on, but it’s oh so much more fun to chew on me.  This morning since I had to be in Ann Arbor by 9 I had to leave the house by 6:45, so I got HER up at 5:45.  Revenge is sweet.  Of course she got to go back to bed while I was driving in a really bad commute this morning, but it was still fun to wake her up for a change!

Obviously I have nothing profound to say.  I probably will after my first day of work when I find out what the reality of working in a public library is!

It’s been almost a week since I wrote last.  Could be that I’m so busy I don’t have time.  Could be that sleeping in and babysitting the dog have consumed my time.  Could be that I’ve become a sloth.  All of the above could be true as well.  Or is it A and B?  Or B only?  Or..?  WAIT…this is turning into an exam!

Surprisingly I did fine on the two classes I was so stressed about.  Others did better, some did worse.  But I did fine and I’m glad to move on.  Today was orientation for my “summer job” at the Ann Arbor District Library.  They spent quite a bit of time discussing parking.  It boils down to the fact that there is no parking and so I will resume my bus riding addiction.  Stay tuned for more bus stories.  (sorry!)

Puppy and I went to puppy school tonight, and she is suitably worn out.  We stayed and watched the grownup dogs during part of their session which is after ours.  She has a long way to go!  She is getting to like other people, but is still uninterested in other dogs.  I guess that’s ok, as there aren’t other dogs here!  Though I did toy briefly with the thought of getting an adult resuce dog after Katie is trained.  Toyed briefly with the thought and tossed it out!  One dog is more than enough!

Time to go relax.  What a wonderful luxury, to relax without any schoolwork waiting in the wings!  I must learn to enjoy this!