Monthly Archives: April 2020

Checking in with Frau Connor

Posted in Adventures of Max and Calvin, Guest bloggers, Uncategorized by

It’s fun when your cat has friends you didn’t know about. Frau Carol Connor, the librarian at Fairview German Language School, reached out to me that she knows our cat Freddy.

(If you’re wondering if this blog is starting to be a book/cat blog…who knows!?)

Frau Connor volunteers at Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay & Neuter Clinic (OAR) and saw that we had adopted Freddy. (She also knows Max and Calvin from school.)

“He’s special and a snazzy dresser,” she wrote. (Freddy used to wear a sweater due to his neck wounds.)

I had to take the opportunity to connect with her about cats, books and missing her students.

What are you missing about your library right now?

I am missing seeing 733 faces a week! I miss the regular students who come into the library every morning before school and exchange books.

I miss reading books to kindergarten and first graders and hearing them laugh.

I miss connecting students with books I think and hope they will love! I miss teaching students how to find books, use books for information, connect books to other aspects of their lives and I miss sharing the love of books with anyone who wants to come into my classroom. Gosh, right now, I even miss re-shelving books! Well, maybe not…

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Frau Connor’s cat Oliver is 14. He’s handsome!

Any reading suggestions for students?

Keep reading! Many students have books checked out from my library and I encourage them to read them again or read them to a sibling!

  • They can access ebooks that we have in our collection as well as many more from the public library.
  • Students need to check the various platforms their schools are using; Schoology, Google Classroom, Class Dojo, etc., to find all kinds of links or postings of these sites as well as sites where authors are reading their own books. I hope to record myself reading and then post those too!
  • April is National Poetry Month and I have been posting poems and encouraging students to write poetry. What a wonderful way to express our feelings and emotions about this trying time with poetry. Poetry is a way to share a good laugh with poets like Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein.

Just know that your teachers and librarians are working so hard to ensure that you are connecting with them and continuing to learn and grow.

We care about you so much and want to make sure we are enriching your lives as much as possible even though we are not together face-to- face.

 

Maggie is 13.
Waldo is two.

 

Why did you become a school librarian? How long have you been a librarian?

Fourteen years now.  Librarian is actually my second career. I worked in engineering for a large utility company until I married and started a family. While at home with my three kids, I earned master’s degrees in English and education and started teaching part time at a couple of universities in Cincinnati.

I absolutely fell in love with the library at Xavier University and made many friends there. I decided that I  wanted to be librarian and my friend told me how. It was another master’s degree (!) but I went back to school once more. I started working at a public library as a children’s librarian and loved it. I found myself visiting schools and supplementing the need for librarians, as the need for school librarians was at an all-time high. I was able to secure a position with Cincinnati Public Schools and now have a wonderful career at a school I love.

Please name a couple of your favorite children’s books. 

Wow, that’s like naming your favorite child!

  • My all-time favorite book is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
  • A close second (because it mirrors the first) is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.
  • I’ll name some favorite authors/illustrators – A.A. Milne, Sandra Boynton, Mo Willems, Eric Carle, Chris van Allsburg, Kadir Nelson, Jerry Pinkney, JK Rowling. Smile

Let’s talk about your love of cats – how long have you been volunteering at OAR?

I started volunteering at OAR in September 2019. I have a good friend that has volunteered with them for years and she would reach out to me if they needed supplies, towels for surgery or food. I gave when I could or donated through Amazon.

This past fall, all of my children were off to college or on their own and I found that I had time to really contribute to OAR. I decided to start small with cat care,  a once-a-week cleaning opportunity. We have a set team each Sunday morning and a great leader, Liz. I love to sing to the cats as I clean their rooms and then cuddle and play with them afterward.

I feel it’s important to reassure them that they are in a place that is safe and where they are loved.

I also volunteer as an Adoption Host, which means you work at the shelter during adoption hours and talk about the various cats and try to match potential new owners to the perfect cat for them. It is so wonderful to see cats that may have been abandoned, stray or once feral, or sent to shelters for possible euthanasia, find a perfect home where they can feel safe and loved.

How did you start volunteering? What are the names of your three cats?

My friend encouraged me to start volunteering and I am so glad I did. One danger is that you want to bring home every cat you work with. I am so happy to see my little friends get adopted but have cried many happy tears when they leave the shelter because I will miss seeing them. I have always had a cat since I was seven years old. I am very partial to black and white cats because that was the color of my first!

  • I have had many cats in my life and currently have Oliver, 14, a big grey tom, who was dumped off with a litter at my veterinarian’s office.
  • Maggie, 13,  adopted me as a kitten when she walked into my daughter’s school while I was hosting the book fair. Maggie loves my computer and often joins me in my virtual meetings with other teachers and librarians.  She loves to play the virtual cat games on my Ipad.
  • A solid black grand cat, Waldo, 2, who was found in a Walmart parking lot as a tiny kitten.

Thanks, Frau Connor. Stay safe.

Now for the books

Back when my kids were in first grade, I wrote about volunteering at the school library. (It’s a pandemic – I’m trying to keep you entertained!)

My book club

My book club met virtually last night to discuss The Glass Hotel (thumbs-up). We had a surprise guest – our friend, Claudia, who moved to Woodstock, NY two years ago. A bonus of the pandemic? Claudia is picking our next book and joining us again on Zoom. It was fairly easy to pick a date this time – our calendars are open. 😉

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Fear and gratitude

Posted in Adventures of Max and Calvin, Uncategorized by

A friend shared with me the idea that fear and gratitude can’t exist in your mind at the same time. I’ve been trying to hold on to this as I keep my “monkey mind” and anxiety under control.

(Monkey mind is often used in yoga to describe a restless mind – something I struggle with all the time.)

I don’t know about you but I’m not my best lately. Fairly often, I’m cranky, scared, stressed. I’m eating a lot of carbs.

My writing teacher, Mary Pierce Brosmer (know by some as Mary PB or Mary peanut butter and jelly) would say, there is light in the shadow moments. Here’s what I came up with when thinking about moments of gratitude and light:

  • Several friends, neighbors and coworkers have sent tokens of affection: a dinner gift card, brownies, cookies, a ceramic 50’s cat for me, cute mugs for the boys. A neighbor gifted the boys his old iPods after a conversation about technology and the boys wanting my phone while I worked.
  • Spending time one-on-one with each kid is rare and something I savor. Max and I went on a bike ride. Calvin and I chalked the driveway. We keep visiting our favorite turtles in the local park.
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Calvin and I decorated the driveway with chalk.

  • We’ve been jumping on the trampoline. I very cautiously did a “butt bounce” today. “Mama, you’re pretty good for 50,” Max assured me.

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    The trampoline. Mama’s “butt bounce” not included.

  • Texts, calls and Zoom meet-ups have been fun. (My brother informed me his DNA is more Italian than mine! How can that be? I called him a meatball. Anyway, our Zoom call was good for my soul. I’m lucky my brother is also my friend.)
  • My 95-year-old mother-in-law, Martha Lee, made a homemade Easter card for the boys.

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    Easter card by Martha Lee.

“She’s going back to her roots as a child,” Calvin said.

“I miss Grandma,” Max added.

We all miss each other, don’t we?

Keep safe, people. Hoping you are keeping the “monkey mind” and fear away as much as you are able.

And now for the books

My book club’s April pick is The Glass Hotel,  not to be confused with the amazing The Glass Castle. Max has joined Calvin in reading the Amulet books. I’m attempting to do an interview here but Max is resisting…stay tuned.

A story about Freddy by Margot

Posted in Guest bloggers, Uncategorized by

Hey friends, my niece, Margot Mace, and I have a lot in common. We love reading, writing and cats!

She hasn’t met our new cat – Freddy –  but she did write this cool story about him.

(Scroll down to the bottom for book suggestions that some you sent me, thanks!)

Thanks, Margot! When social distancing is over, you and Freddy will have a playdate.

Freddy, a brave and loved cat

Hi! I’m Freddy. And this is how I became a brave and loved cat.

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I’m Freddy. When I arrived at the Mace/Rush house, I was sporting this sweater.

It was a day in December when I heard….“He’s got worms, so you won’t be able to adopt him, at least not yet.” A person said to a family with twin boys. This family was practically the only family that wanted me  I could tell that the mother kept eyeing me. And I was eyeing her. I really don’t know exactly where I was at the time, but I was sure it was a shelter. The people at the shelter called me Adam. But more than ever I want someone to take me home, like that family that had just been here and was probably coming back. Why I am called a rescue cat is because I was saved from a hurricane in Florida.

I’m missing teeth

I was in quarantine for two months because I had worms. Not to mention, they had to remove lots of my teeth and I have lots of scars. I looked a bit rough, but I was and I am a cute cat. By the way, the same family came two more times. But then the day I was waiting for came! They had taken me to their home that was now mine too. This was in late February. Once they had taken me home they decided to name me Freddy. Which in my opinion I think it suits me better than the name Adam. Speaking of names I quickly catched on to learning their names. The mom was named Julia and the dad was named Eddie. The twins were named Max and Calvin.

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Sometimes I get a little wild.

One day I made a terrible mistake. I was getting vicious (because cats can be savage sometimes) and I bit Calvin! I felt really bad and I’m glad he forgave me. So, then I decided why not be a bit wild, but this time not hurt anyone. I went to my litter box and after I was done doing my business I just started running around fast! I’ve got to admit, it was fun. Also, I got to meet some of their neighbors. And a very sweet lady named Martha Lee. This is Eddie’s Mother. I liked meeting all those people because what’s better than being the center of attention?!

My sweater

I wished these scars I have would go away! I had been wearing this sweater to make sure I didn’t hurt the scar on my neck by scratching it or anything. At one point Julia had taken it off of me, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to scratch my neck! Sure enough Julia had to put the sweater back on me. I mean I guess that was the right thing to do so I wouldn’t injure myself.

As you can see I love my new life. I can’t wait for what awaits for me in this luxurious house to live in. It is way better than a shelter full of cats. So this is how I became and brave and loved cat. Because I am Freddy.

By Margot Mace

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Margot and her cat Buzz.

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Margot and her cat Galileo.

And now for the books

Thanks to all of you who sent me what you’re reading. I’m almost finished with Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. Max has discovered Calvin’s collection of Big Nate stories. Calvin was last reading The MidWinter Witch. (I love this one too.)

Suzanne Fountaine suggests Pachinko and is rereading the Elegance of the Hedgehog. (I give both a thumbs-up!)

Myra Pucci is reading The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. She and Lisa Daumeyer are also reading The Dutch House. (Thumbs-up from me.)

Annette Christianson has read two young adult books The Poet X and On the Come Up. She’s also read the classic, Angela’s Ashes and some romance novels.

Abby Klare suggested In Five Years.

A request for my next post

Please send me any random acts of kindness that you’ve seen or received. Text, message, email me. Thank you!