Browser Library Lore May 2006

Isn’t spring a lovely time of year? I can be outside eating grasshoppers and visiting my four legged friends including Beau from Gardiner’s Hardware. (He’s nice enough, but he is a dog, after all.) Muriel has been asking me to sit down with my co-scribe and write a column for you. Lazy me! I’d rather lie in the sun.

Meantime, the library has a wonderful exhibit of kites hanging from the ceiling. I’d like to take one out for a spin, but Muriel worries I’ll scratch holes in it. I wouldn’t do anything like that, honestly. The word ‘kites’ is taken from the name of a hawk-like bird noted for its graceful soaring and balancing flight. Kites were probably invented in China or Southeast Asia around 1000 BC. That isn’t “Before Cats”. We are much older as a group, living with our bi-petal friends for more than 5,000 years.

Though it is still spring, it is nearly time to begin our Summer Reading Program. This used to be limited to the shorter of your species, but we have extended the program so that teenagers can get in on the fun. Some of you teenagers, I know, have been coming into the library for a very long time, participating in the Summer Reading Program, since BB. That would be “Before Browser”.

The groups are divided thusly:
Ages 5 – 12 for the Children’s Summer Reading Program
Ages 13 – 18 for the Teen Summer Reading Program
Sign-up begins the week of June 5, and the program runs from June 12 – August 5.

Our friend, Jack Pearson, is returning to the library very soon. Jack, if you will remember, is a singer and story teller. He calls himself “Mr. Song-Strummin Storyman”.(I call myself “Mr. Satisfied Cat”.) June 13 at 2:00 PM is the time for this festive occasion. Plan to attend. Fun for all ages, large people and small people. Well, I’m going back outside.

Until the next time, I remain,
-Browser, the library cat

Browser Library Lore July 2004

Hello friends!
June is gone with a mighty flourish. We had our book sale. It was a magnificent success. Thank you to everyone. The library salutes you. Thank you as well to all the wonderful volunteers who helped to “man” the sale. It wasn’t exactly toasty warm, but you persevered, wrapped in down, drinking hot coffee, looking as cheerful as was humanly possible. I, since I am not human, did not have this issue. I already have a fur wrap.

Children:
If you are involved in the summer reading program, keep reading. For those of you who are intermediate readers, I have a suggestion. One of my friendly keepers read aloud today a book called “The Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” by Dr. Seuss. It was an exciting read. This book was written in 1938 when children’s books had meat in them – probably not tuna, but meat none the less. Grownups: If you have not read this book, give it a try. It’s full of little lessons and big lessons and a wonderful plot. Dr. Seuss at his early best.

There is some guy digging in the dirt outside. I am told it has something to do with a watering system. I think this could be dangerous for me. I walk around out there all the time and am likely to get very wet. Our grass and plants and flowers will also get wet, though, which is good for them. Since I chew on them from time to time, I suppose I should be grateful. Muriel asked that I suggest to all my friends out there that if you have any plants and shrubs you wish to donate to our current landscape project, let us know. Beautification is an on-going thing here at our library. This particular beautification project is in the cooling shade. Is that pertinent? I have no idea, but you might know.

As Ogden Nash(1902 – 1971) wrote:
My garden will never make me famous
I’m a horticultural ignoramus,
I can’t tell a stringbean from a soybean,
Or even a girl bean from a boy bean.

That pretty much sums up my knowledge of gardening.

Have a lovely rest of your summer. I’ll be talking to you soon again.
-Browser

Printed in the Pine River Journal July 2004

Browser Library Lore March 2004

Well, friends and neighbors and fellow dwellers in the library, the dust has settled on a number of things. The new hours have just taken affect.

I certainly hope you can find some place in those hours to visit to me. I wait impatiently for my visitors. They, apparently, wait patiently for me as well, since at the Mardi gras party someone asked for me. I was very flattered, though I was unable to attend due to a prior engagement. I had to watch the library.

The Mardi gras party, I am told, went very well. So well, in fact, that the movers and shakers of the Friends of the Library are planning a repeat for next year. The silent auction was very successful. Thank you to everyone who donated items for that. The winner of the quilt was not me, sadly. It was, though, a very good friend of mine, Silvia Masters creator of the cross stitch of me hanging behind the library desk. Three cheers for Sylvia.

Here is information – or lack thereof – for all my Storytime friends. The Storytime hours are a bit on the sketchy side at this time. Muriel told me to tell you to call the library for times. If you call during open hours the phone will be answered by a person. If you call during closed hours you will wake me from my nap. Nobody will answer the phone, because I refuse to take calls. If I take even one, everybody will be calling to talk to me and I’ll never get any sleep.

And as Milton so aptly put it in Paradise Lost, “…His sleep was aery light, from pure digestion bred…”

Until later, your friend,-Browser

Printed in the Pine River Journal March 2004

Browser Library Lore April 2004

“A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King.” Emily Dickinson
That would be me! I can finally go outside and hide and if they don’t find me by the time the library closes, well… I know they are thinking of raking the grounds of our library, but I hope they take their time, because I do so enjoy playing in the leaves. I have noticed that there are flowers coming up out there, though, so I guess my fun could be short-lived.

The ladies of the pictures, known to people as The Pine River Art Club, have put up more scenes of outside and other things. There are some birds included in this offering. I would rather wait in the bushes to see birds, but each to their own.

Come to the library. We have books here. We have videos here. We have music and toys and me here. It’s a great place to visit, but it’s a better place to live.

-Browser, your library cat

Print in the Pine River Journal April 2004

Browser Library Lore Column from May 2005

Have you ever seen this particular content in a letter?
“How are you? I am fine.”
Well, thanks to Dr. Adkins I am fine. I truly appreciate all the inquiries about my health, and especially I want to thank the Gordon Family for taking such good care of me during my recuperation.

Now on to the events related to the library. This coming week, or more specifically Friday, May 13th, Michael Dahl, author of over 50 books for children and young adults, will be at the Pine River/Backus school during the day to give his talk to the 5th grade classes and at the Community Resource Center meeting room at 7:00 pm for the general public. This event is being sponsored by Pine River Friends of the Library Foundations and there will be no cost to attend. Thank you again, Friends.

Speaking of the Friends, maybe you would like to join this fine organization. Contact your library and find out how you can join and how you can help bring fun and information to the citizens of our community.

Thank you,
-Browser

Printed in the Pine River Journal May 2005

Winter and Browser

Cats and Libraries

Cat have been in libraries since the there have been books in libraries. Mice will get into library buildings and chew on the paper that make the books. Cat were used to keep the mice down. There are 680 known library cats around the world. The USA have 552, 181 (includes 29 Permanent Residents:21 statues,3 virtual library cats,2 stuffed lions, one stuffed Siberian tiger,one stuffed cheetah, and one ghost cat) You can find a list of libraries that have cats at www.ironfrog.com

Browser has gotten emails from as far as Croatia and China. He has been featured on the local PBS station when the library first adopted him. He's the most laid-back and friendly animal anyone has ever seen. Even dog lovers have to stop to pet him when they come to the library. He will sit with a person while they read a book or work on the computer. He greets each patron that comes through the door.

Browser helping at the library

Browser likes to be the center of attention and
tries to help out whenever he can.

Pictures of Browser at the library

Browser enjoys posing for the camera!


















He is always looking for a lap to lay in!

About Browser the library cat

Browser was a stray cat that came to the library in Pine River when he was about 9 months old. This was the spring of 2002. He was quite a friendly cat. One of the staff members at the library decided to feed him tuna which he loved and started coming back to the library every day. He would be sitting at the back door every morning waiting to come in and get fed. When the library moved to it's present location, the kids helped move Browser along with the books. This is when the staff decided to keep Browser on as the newest member of the library family. The move was completed July 2002.

His first visit to the vets, he tested positive for feline leukemia. The staff had to wait 6 weeks to re-test him. The second time was the charm and there was no sign of it again. He gets free health care from the local vet which he has used a few times. The patrons donate money towards his care and he loves all the attention he can get.


If you had chance to meet Browser in your travels please leave a post. He loves to hear from everyone.