Columns

For the third time in 10 minutes, I put down my coffee and looked at my watch: 9:07. I was feeling a bit uneasy. The July children's program at the Orr's Island Library was due to start in under an hour. The planning of the presentation was not my responsibility, but board presidents fuss about such things.

During a recent trip to Las Vegas to visit family, one thing stood out to me: convenience. Food is available at all hours of the day: coffee, snacks, full meals — all ready for your consumption and rarely more than a short walk or drive away.

As kids, we didn't have much choice about what to do during February. Extracurricular activities were limited, as we lived in a rural area. Besides sledding and ice skating, there wasn't much to choose from when it was cold outdoors.

A survey of our patrons shows respondents have an average of three library cards. A deeper dive tells us they often use the Brunswick or Portland libraries for digital materials, like audiobooks or streaming, while they use our library primarily for on-site book selections and programs. With so many choices available, what does Cundy's Harbor Library offer to Harpswell?

Happy New Year! If your New Year's resolutions include giving back to your community, there are many organizations looking for volunteers. Our fire departments always need volunteers. There are opportunities with Harpswell Aging at Home and many more organizations.

In the past few years, it has become tradition to build a vision board with my friends. Together, we cut out pictures from magazines, organize them in a meaningful way, then glue them to poster board. This creation represents how we want our lives to look for the upcoming year.

Well, it's that time of year — time to set goals for the new year and promise ourselves we'll see them through. We all do it. We often set the bar too high. We promise to eat healthier, exercise more, perhaps read more books or take a class to enhance a skill.

It is curious how we develop affection for certain species in the natural world. Whether flowers, birds or butterflies, we all have our favorites. As with Daniel Boone long ago, I have a warm spot in my heart for a long-lived, slow-growing giant that enhances the character of eastern forests: the American beech.