Festival of the Floaty Book Sale, Part 2

Oh my. Let's see where I was in recounting Festival of the Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week.

I remember. . . I was getting ready to tell you about the creation of the Stolen Float!

Well, my staff got all excited about another library's parade float. Mooresville Public Library, home of Roving Reporter extraordinaire Cauli le Chat, used the theme "Are YOU Evergreen?" for the Old Settlers Parade. Evergreen refers to the Evergreen Indiana Library System. Over 90 libraries in the state of Indiana use the same system to check out books and dvds and things, so when you search our online catalog, you can also search the library catalogs of all those libraries. Library users are able to use their Evergreen cards at these other libraries, and they can place holds on items that other libraries own. . . it's a pretty cool thing.

So I guess my staff figured since we share books & things, why not share a parade float? I suppose it's good that they at least MADE the float by themselves (but that's probably only because a Stolen Parade Float probably wouldn't hold up well on the interstate).

So here's what happened:

First they found an Evergreen tree and decorated it. (This is NOT a Christmas tree. It's an Evergreen tree.)


Then AB Karen saw it, said it was boring, and it needed more stuff.

Here is a shot of me with the tree in the background. I'm Investigating the scrapbooking things in the tote:


The Float-to-be arrived in a very unFloatlike state, so the staff and some very nice Volunteers got to work adding petal paper. This was fun for the first hour:


Notice all of the green grassy stuff. Please join me in hoping that next year's Festival of the Turning Leaves Parade theme is something like "Putt-Putt" or "Lawn Maintenance is Good" or "What's Your Favorite Color?" or something.

The library staff working on the Float cried big crocodile tears because they missed out on helping to move all of the furniture in the library. Luckily the sunshine and fresh air dried their tears quickly.

I helped with the furniture moving by staying out the the way. I was very Upset when I learned that my toilet was moved into a public area, but at least furniture moving gets done lastly before closing for the weekend.

It was decided that the Evergreen tree should stay inside, and that it would be added to the Float in the morning.

In the morning, the staff put the tree on the Float. Just when everything was arranged perfectly, and AB Karen was expertly fluffing the tree skirt, and AAB Christine was standing back to take a picture. . .

. . . the tree broke and fell down.

With that cliffhanger, I must relax my paws for another evening. I hope everybody can sleep tonight with all the suspense!

I will sign off with a special picture for my special girlCat, Miss Ali Zophia:


AAB Photographer thinks that this is a particularly good picture of me. I hope you like it!

Who knew a Float Story would take so many words?

Tober

This week.

The Library has been broken this week. Our Evergreen library system--the book/DVD/magazine checker-inner and checker-outer we use--has been on the fritz. So the library ladies have been wearing their pencils to the nubs writing barcode numbers down so that people can still take things out.

The Evergreen thing is also how they catalog all the new books that come in the library. And it's how they issue new library cards. And it's how they FIND the books in the library. And it's how they assign call numbers to put stickers on the books.

So pretty much the ladies have been confused and helpless all week. Luckily they have had ME to keep them busy working.

In my office there is a big bag of kitty litter. It's not my usual stuff, so it's just been sitting propped up against the wall.

I thought I'd give somebody something to do, because that's the kind of Thoughtful Cat I am:


That took up a whole five minutes or so of down-time! They had to get the little broom and dustpan, and then the DustBuster, and then bag the kitty litter in a trash bag--I'm so glad I got to help out!

Here I'm admiring my handiwork:


Today they got Evergreen fixed, but then it broke again. Then they fixed, and it broke again. Then they fixed it again, and I think it might keep working but I'll keep my paws crossed. Having a broken library catalog really keeps everybody's brains working overtime. I was on hand to let people know that 636.8 is the Dewey Decimal number for Cat books. I let my staff handle the rest.

World's Most Helpfullest Boss,

Tober

Update on my Toenails

Most of you probably remember the horrible Accident that I had a few months ago in which I lost my precious Toenails. My left foot got infected and was stinky, but Dr. Jon at the Thorntown Veterinary Clinic gave me Medicine and said that I would get All New Toenails someday.

Well, I'm here to inform you that they're here! The new ones aren't very impressive just yet, but I have nubby little Toenails on my left foot! One of my Assistant Assistant Bosses discovered them this week, Upside-Downed me, and announced my Big News to the Staff. I was hoping she would wait until they were full-sized and Razor sharp, but it doesn't take much to get the People excited around here, and I like to let them have their fun. It is part of my Management Style.

For those of you who don't know, Upside-Downing is this horrible thing that some Staff members like to do to me. They scoop me up (usually from a Nap, when I'm all Soggy and warm) like a Human baby and carry me around with my Feet in the air. It's a bit humiliating, by my Tummy does get rubbed quite a lot when they do it to me.

You cannot see my new Toenails in this picture, but you can see that I have strong, manly Feet:


This has been a Very Busy Week. I was beginning to feel Neglected, because everyone was so excited about the new Plastic-Scented Evergreen Library Cards that they almost forgot to give me Dinner a few times.

Usually my dinner is prepared while I am Napping, and a Staff member comes to notify me that it is ready. Sometimes, because I am still sleepy from the Nap, they carry me to my Cafeteria and set me directly in front of my bowl. (This is a Very Nice Thing to Do.)

Lately I have been waking from my Nap, going to where my dinner should be, scowling at the crusty bit of breakfast left in the bowl, and yelling at the nearest Staff person. Then they go "Oh, Tober, you need dinner!" like it's a big surprise or something!

On the flip side, I did learn something very valuable this week. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, when the Library is open until 8:00, the Staff still feeds me at 5:45, so I don't get Upset by a weird change in my schedule.

Well, if I eat my Dinner really fast when Assistant Boss Karen isn't looking, there is a chance that she will feed me again, thinking that I missed Dinner!!!!

The Library Staff has been very generous with the Treats and the Catnip this week. When they get Stressed Out from all of their Very Hard Work, they talk to me and I make them Happy again. Lucky for me, the Giving of Catnip seems to make them Happy, especially Bonnie, who always caters to my need for a nice roll in the floor.

Here I am appreciating all of Bonnie's hard work and Catnip-giving:


If you click and make this picture Big, you will see that I have many, many pieces of Catnip stuck to my fur.

I also had my picture taken while I was lounging near the water fountain one night. I do not usually let people take a lot of pictures of me (especially with the flash on), but I was reminded that many of my Adoring Fans can't make it to the Library to see me in Person. I wouldn't want them to suffer because they live lots of miles away! I will try to be better about picture-taking in the future--unless I am cleaning myself at the moment. These pictures really capture my Irresistability.

Here I look like I am waving. "Goodbye, Photographer, I am trying to Sleep!"


Here I am Just Plain Adorable:


Now I have Updated you on my Week. I will try to write more often, but it is very hard for me to get on the Computers here, since the Staff is hogging them all. I think I need to remind them of the Importance of my Job.

Your Newly-Toenailed

Tober

The Evergreen cards are here! Hooray!

Hi everyone! This is a Very Special Blog Post to let all of my Wonderful Customers know that the Evergreen Indiana cards have arrived at the Thorntown Public Library.

I have inspected them, and found them to be quite Green.

Here I am sniffing one:


I had requested Catnip-scented (to go with the Green), but apparently this holds no appeal for most Library customers. These smell like plastic.

The Evergreen Cards will give our Thorntown Public Library customers the Super-Powers to visit places like Lebanon and Zionsville to check things out! To see a list of Libraries participating in Evergreen Indiana, visit my Library's website.

See you soon!

Tober

PS--My Staff is Excited about these new cards, too. Which I think is a little strange, since they see Library cards every day.

Oh what a week!

I am very, very Sorry that I haven't had time to post in the last week. It has been very busy at the Library, and the Staff has worked hard to prepare for the new Library system. They all did Training so that they can be Very Good Library Staff when we open at 2:00 on Monday.

They have asked me to relay a message to our Wonderful Customers: "Thank you for being very patient with us and for making the effort to return most of your items by this week-end. This will make the transition easier for all of us, and we can't wait to see you again when we have our new Evergreen system up and running!" Or something like that.

Monday they had a Staff Meeting which I attended. I have learned that I should be present for Staff Meetings, because when I roll over in the center of the table, anyone within reach is unable to resist my remarkably soft belly-fur.

They worked hard with this Evergreen thing. . . so hard, that at first I thought the attentions to ME were going to decline. This was not the case. I got Catnip every day. I usually don't get Catnip every day, but I think they felt Guilty because they were focused on Other Things.

Here I am loving my Catnip:


I am also learning that the library has many wonderful Sleeping Places. It has been warm here, and there are lots of things to watch out the windows as Spring comes. (I guess Hoodie-Hoo Day works, so I must be on the lookout for other Human Super-Powers.) I find that it is very Peaceful to take afternoon naps in the Adult Stacks.

Here I am hanging out in a Favorite chair by a Favorite window:


Can you see me?

On Friday I found something to Hunt in the Technology/Genealogy/Head Librarian/Cataloging Office (this office has a LOT of Staff in it). It was on Linda's desk, and I tried to rearrange things to get to it. It was very Exciting, although I never caught the thing:


Notice how very Serious my Assistant Boss Karen is in this photo. She and Cathie, Linda, and Christine were all very dedicated to the Hunt of the thing. My Staff makes an excellent Team when called into action. If the thing is still in the Library next week, we will undoubtably find it and give it a stern talking to. If I don't eat it first.

The highlight of the week was on Saturday when I was visited by a Celebrity. Big Red, a renowned Beanie Baby Bear, was driven to the Library by his Personal Assistant Judy Cox. Big Red is a World Traveler, and I was Most Excited to meet him. He is small in size but very big in Personality and Charm (kind of like me!). We had a photo session--with TWO photographers--which in my opinion is Very Big Doings.

Here I am posing with Big Red on my desk:


I even signed Big Red's autograph book and gave him the link to this blog in case he wants to keep in touch. I think I should have an autograph book, too, so I can keep track of all of the Very Important People I meet!

As you can see, it was a very fun-filled week!

Have a nice Sunday!

Tober

Staff Meetings.

Mondays are usually my most favorite day of the week. Although Assistant Boss Karen comes to visit me and cuddles me during the day, Sunday is always kind of lonely around here. Monday is exciting, because all of my people are back, and they make a big fuss over me. I get extra treats, I help do set-up in the morning, and extra-special (and much deserved) attention is lavished on me.

Well, this Monday was different. Apparently, there was a Staff Meeting. I did not authorize an 8:30 a.m. Staff Meeting. All of my people showed up to work early, which I thought was fabulous, until I realized that they did not come early to see me. Everyone crowded around a big table on the wood floors (which I do not like to walk on) and had a big talk. I have decided that I don't like Staff Meetings. When the staff members come in to work, they each have an assigned place where they are supposed to be. This makes them easy to find. When they clump together like that, it makes me nervous. It starts my day off wrong. In fact, since this occurred on a Monday, it started my week off wrong.

I tried to remind them that it was Monday, that they were in the wrong places, and that I was in dire need of attention, by standing on the carpet and yelling at them. The only one who cared enough to come to me was Assistant Boss Karen, and she made the mistake of assuming that I wanted to join the Meeting. She scooped me up and carried me to the table, and I promptly ran back to carpeted area and began yelling again.

I think if the Library employees have something very important to talk about, they can use the phone things (with the tasty cords) that sit on their desks. These seem to work reasonably well when they need to talk to people in other buildings, so why not use them for Staff Meetings? In this way, they can be in their assigned places when I need them. I need Karen to stay in her assigned place so that she can easily reach the Treat Drawer when I get the hungries. I need Bonnie to stay in her assigned place because she offers comforting words when one of the Mean Ones is forcing Medicine down my throat. Cathie needs to stay in her assigned place because she is Very Nice and fills my food dish. (She even warms it a bit when it's cold, and this makes her an A+ Person in my book!)

I am not a fan of Staff Meetings, but I later found out that it was a Very Important talk that they were having. On March 9, our Library will be using a new system called Evergreen Indiana. This is the system that helps the staff (and the customers) keep track of all of the books in the Library. Our customers will get new green cards beginning March 9, and there will be all sorts of neat things they can do with their online account. The people at the circulation desks have brochures that explain the changes that will take place when we get the new system. You should stop by the library and get a copy!

My foot is feeling like a normal foot now, but they keep giving me Medicine. I heard Karen and Christine saying that they had to give me ALL of the Medicine in the bottle. I wish I could dump the rest of it down the sink, but I don't have thumbs.

Fridays are now Popcorn Days at the Library. The nice American Legion Post #218 People are letting us use a popcorn popper, and we fire it up around 3:00 on Fridays! We are using the Youth Department Winter Reading Program, "Pop Open a Good Book," as an excuse to have yummy snacks on Friday afternoons.

Here I am sampling:


I love this place!

Tober