The Key to the Literary Kingdom

Behold my very first library card:

Vintage.

I haven't traded this card in for a newer version because of sentimental attachment. Also, I'm curious as to how long my hometown library will let me keep this one before it becomes too antiquated for their computer system to handle. Could I really still be successfully using the card I got when I was four at age 92? Guinness doesn't appear to have a world record for that kind of thing.

(But if you happened to be wondering what the largest library fine ever paid for an overdue book is, it's $345.14.)

As a lifelong library frequenter, one of the first things I usually do when I move to a new place is get a local card, so I ventured over to the Steele Memorial Library to see what it's all about.

Here are a few of the things that I particularly enjoy about this library, aside from its obviously vast reading selection:

1. There is a giant chess set. I was jazzed enough to come about this close to playing a game against myself on it, but that'd look weird, right?

2. Art. There are several unique pieces and collections to check out.

3. It's easy to find stuff to do. There's a multitude of family and children's events, clubs (Scrabble!), films, book discussions and computer classes going on within the Chemung County Library District, and they're all continuously listed on its Facebook news feed.

4. Film selection. I am a movie junkie.

I mean, take a moment to appreciate the sheer range here. You've got Brando (The Wild One), indies (Junebug), blasts from television shows past (Murphy Brown and The Waltons), teenybopper fare (John Tucker Must Die), sports tales (We Are Marshall), musicals (Jesus Christ Superstar), eighties classics (Labyrinth), and eighties movies that traumatized you for life even though you didn't watch them until you were in college (The Dark Crystal. Frightening, frightening muppets. For real. Check it out.). In short, something for everyone.

5. The map in the Children's Section. It highlights current world conflicts, so kids can be aware of where the events they're hearing about are happening, which I just thought was a good idea.

6. Local history info. Want to know who was living around here in, say, 1938? You're covered.

7. It's got a GREEN roof.

Yes, that is actual plant life up there.

Since this is a little newer than I like my library cards, guess I better start breaking it in, eh?

                                                      

Steele Memorial Library, 101 E. Church St., Elmira, NY 14901

(607) 733-9173, http://www.steele.lib.ny.us/,

http://www.facebook.com/chemunglibs

"Where are the TURTLES!?!?"

I am a huge, huge fan of "The Office," and though Michael Scott has freaked out about a lot of things over the course of the show, this is one particular meltdown that stuck with me, both because it was amusing and because I didn't fully appreciate its meaning at the time:

What the heck are Turtles? That's what I remember asking myself.

Little did I know that moving back to Chemung County is what would end up answering that question for me. Because it so happens that this is their point of origin, since we're home to the DeMet's Candy Company factory that makes them:

The factory churns out several different kinds of Turtles (including sugar-free and ones with various types of nuts), and millions of pounds of them, a year.

 One guess what this dapper fella's name is.

    Yup. He's Mr. Turtle. 

I found out that you can't tour the inner workings of the facility; you CAN, however, go take a spin around "Turtle Circle." Which, for someone who once trekked to Rayne, La., the "Frog Capital of the World," was plenty entertaining.

 Just to be clear, no turtles are hunted on this circle.

So, if you want to support a locally produced product and simultaneously indulge in the cute, chocolatey deliciousness that inspired such an "Office" moment, you're good to go. Mystery solved!

DeMet's Candy Company, 1 Turtle Circle, Horseheads, NY 14845

(607) 562-8600, http://www.demetscandy.com/

A View From the Top

I've always enjoyed the Irish connections that are drawn from my first name. Not only does it give me a ton of opportunities to talk about "Gone With the Wind" (which I've seen an almost incomprehensible number of times for any film, never mind one that's four hours long), but once I even ran across an older gentleman who had been to the actual Hill of Tara in Ireland:

                                            

I haven't yet visited Tara, but I did get to experience plenty of Irish spirit on top of a much closer hill during The Hill Top Inn's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. 

Hill Top offered a convenient shuttle from the Sts. Peter and Paul Church parking lot, and the weather ended up being great for taking in the beautiful view: 

Not to mention the view of a huge sea of green. I'm not even going to try and describe all the ways that people expressed themselves in shades of green. I just won't do it justice.

 

 

I went during the time that Pat Kane was performing, who was fantastic. Having never been to what I'd call an actual St. Patrick's Day party before, the most interesting thing for me to observe was how everyone sang and clapped, as well as danced along with the songs. From my perspective, a pretty stirring display not only of people having a good time, but of unity.

Plus, any establishment that has a Leprechaun Door is more than worth visiting in my book. (I put the door to the test to see if its sign possibly could have read "Leprechauns and 5'9'' Ex-Basketball Power Forwards," but as it turns out, the sign meant what it said.)

And now I can say that I've experienced a real St. Patty's Day shindig.

The Hill Top Inn, 171 Jerusalem Hill Road, Elmira, NY 14901 

(607) 732-6728, http://www.hill-top-inn.com/,

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hill-Top-Inn-Restaurant-Banquets-Catering/46353618662

Thinking Spring

It's the Ides of March, or the time of year during which I start to twitch every time I see more snow. Particularly this year, because the day I moved also happened to be the day we got socked by a particularly nasty late-winter storm, thus resulting in Elmira looking something like this when I arrived:

Only a slight exaggeration of what Elmira, NY, looked like on March 6, 2011. 

Since nothing will inspire you to attempt thinking spring more than your father having to take a hammer to the padlock on your U-Haul because it had frozen, I decided to visit Nectar Floral Studio, where owner Suzette Morgan let me observe her in creative action.

The studio's been in operation for a little over a year and is a one-woman show. Suzette has more than twenty years of floral design experience, is extremely kind and approachable, and shared a lot of engaging insight into her line of work. She mentioned how she had wanted her studio to be not just a business but a haven for people to enjoy, and based on the incredibly comfortable ambiance in there, I think she's more than accomplished that.

The bouquet I observed is made of seeded eucalyptus, hybrid delphinium, stock flower, roses, lillies, heather, and waxflower (which, incidentally, has a really nice, almost citrus-like scent). And I correctly identified them ALL. Or two out of seven. Your call.

Suzette indicated that she left the stems longer than she normally would because her customer was looking for a more dramatic statement:

I also happened to be there when a supply truck rolled up outside; I wasn't aware that such a type of traveling shop-on-wheels existed, so it was pretty cool to get to hop in:

The studio hosts classes (both public and private) if you're interested in trying your hand at floral design, and sells some unique, locally made jewelry and candles as well.

I was, for sure, in a better seasonal state of mind for having stopped by.

Nectar Floral Studio, 217 W. Water St., Elmira, NY 14901, (607) 271-9080

 www.nectarfloralstudio.com and http://www.facebook.com/NectarFloralStudio