For the sake of Librarianship

5:00 AM alarm, it doesn’t come easy, I know this. Many can confirm this?

harrybrake.com/2022/12/06/for-the-sake-of-librarianship/

As I rose to ready for traveling to?Festival of Words?with Woodbridge students, I fell/stumbled into my routine- downstairs, rouse the dogs, put a load of clothes into the dryer, one load in the wash, latch the leashes to canines, out we go into the cold, lap around the neighborhood. Coming back in from the cold, grateful for the warmth of a wood burning smell. Lay out food for the canines, and let them out the back yard. Ten minutes go by, slide door in, two canines back – the third? – Dallying in the back yard? Nope – nowhere in sight – on the loose –

this changes the game a bit. With having to be at the high school to meet students at 7:00 AM, looking for a lost dog in the neighborhood is a liability at the very least regarding time – however, the larger worry is living close to a majorly travelled road, and having that same lost canine.

Spending 45 minutes circling the neighborhood, looking for the canine – and unusually, nothing. Whistling, clapping hands at 6:50ish AM in the morning, I am sure neighbors appreciates this *shaking my head). The last lap of the search, as I was pulling in, I opened the door of my vehicle, while still driving in slowly to the driveway, and my car alarm via loud loud horn sets off.

And does not stop.

Remember, this is about 6:10 AM now, and the car is deactivated, but the horn is very well alive, as the neighbors are becoming well familiar with. Sigh. Great GREAT opportune time for this to occur.

I run around and deactivate the cables from the battery- and despite everything, the alarm does not turn off, and I am stuck with no operating vehicle, missing dog, and – who knows what next. I call my Mom, she arrives so minutes later, we circle the neighborhood several times to no avail, letting my one awake neighbor (maybe more now due to the horn) aware of my missing canine, and as we drive back in, there is Dane, standing in the driveway- safe but anxious wondering, where I have been...

Getting the dog into the house, locking all up, I spy the hole he dug under the fence to get to the cats that he had discovered in their back yard, note to fix that immediately. I throw a tarp over the vehicle as the windows of my vehicle are open from my failed search and rescue mission, it is raining, so it is the best I could do in a time pinch.

I ask my Mom, with the only working vehicle now, to take me to the school, as I have only 20 minutes to meet students at 7:00 AM.

In my pajama flannels. GREAT.

I get to the school about 5 minutes late, calling ahead to let one student know to let others know I am on my way. I go car door to car door, explain my appearance, my dilemma, colleting permissions slips, and thinking, parents are thinking, I am letting my son/daughter go with him? ! – I inform all we will plan to stop back at my house, if okay with them, to grab loads of books we are taking as well as so I can change into something other than PJ’s- excellent morning, especially with the cold, drizzling rain.

We finally achieve all of the above, we are on the road and it is 8:10 AM – and we aim to not miss the first speaker at 9:30- in Middletown.

Some people had not had breakfast, so as a concession and thank you for their patience, I grab breakfast for all at McDonald’s. we are back off to our destination- amid the downpouring rain. I inform all, due to the way this morning has rolled out already, we are taking it slow, cautious, and careful – as this morning has been an indication of what can and will go wrong.

Despite all of the above, we arrive at 9:30, all are able to catch an amazing keynote by?Yamile Saied Mendez,

and all is well with the world- for now. Soooo…how did?Festival of Words?go?

What happened? Stay tuned and we will fill you in on quite a day.