Chance's Corner: Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday is coming! Not to be confused with our after-school program, Marvelous Monday, Super Tuesday is one of the most important days of 2016! It's the day you need to go vote!

It's been a neck-and-neck race between candidates on both sides of the political spectrum, but March 1st (Super Tuesday) could very well be the deciding factor on who will be officially running for President of the United States. Why is it called Super Tuesday in the first place? While Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Nevada have their caucuses spaced out from each other, on March 1st, Texas as well as several other states will hold their primaries on the same day.

When you vote on Super Tuesday, you'll also be voting on the state and local level, including ballot propositions, state representatives, and even a new county commissioner if you live in Precinct 1 & 3 of Franklin County.

The big question is, where do you need to go vote?

Precinct #101 - Franklin County Multi-Purpose Center

                          208 Taylor Street

                          Mt. Vernon, TX 75457

Precinct #102 - Hagansport Community Center

                         10284 Texas Hwy 37 North

                         Talco, TX 75487

Precinct #201 - Franklin County Annex East

                          502 East Main

                          Mt. Vernon, TX 75457

Precinct #202 - Denton Baptist Church

                          1113 Holbrook

                          Mt. Vernon, TX 75457

Precinct #301 - Prosperity Bank Community Room

                          539 I-30 Frontage Rd

                          Mt. Vernon, TX 75457

Precinct #302 - Franklin County Building

                          1013 N. Main Street

                          Winnsboro, TX 75494

Precinct #401 - Lake Cypress Springs Baptist Church

                          6611 FM 115

                          Scroggins, TX 75480

Precinct #402 - South Franklin Community Center

                          3150 FM 1448

                          Scroggins, TX 75480

I don't care who you're voting for, just vote, vote, vote! Just remember that if you don't vote, then you can't complain!

Source:  http://nopizzaaftermidnight.tumblr.com/post/109587955740

Tom's Two Cents: Harper Lee (1927-2016)

One of America's most distinguished authors passed away in her sleep last eve in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, where she had lived most of her life.  Harper Lee was 89 and had been in poor health after a stroke some years back.  Her devoted older sister, Alice, passed away last year at the age of 103.

Like Margaret Mitchell, who was equally famous, but who died at a much younger age, Lee was known for only one novel: "To Kill a Mockingbird."  Unlike Mitchell, who never wrote a sequel to her famous "Gone With the Wind," Lee did produce what turned out to be a sequel to "Mockingbird," though it was actually written first.  "Go Set A Watchman" was published only last year and set off something of a controversy.  Like it or not, the novel was certainly no "Mockingbird," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961.

Again like Mitchell, Lee was a unique Southern woman writer, who spoke for her region and her state (Mitchell's was Georgia) and who never allowed her personal lifestyle to be affected by fame or fortune.  Neither woman anticipated that her respective book would sell millions of copies and appeal to people all over the world, or that the film versions of their books would become classic pieces of film making. Yes, America has produced many other writers more critically praised for their work, but none, with the possible exception of "Huck Finn", that has touched such a deep chord in the American psyche.

For much of her life Lee was a close personal friend of Truman Capote, an author whom the critics took more seriously, but who never won a Pulitzer.  Indeed, it has come to light only in recent years how much Capote was indebted to Lee for the early stages of development of his crime masterwork "In Cold Blood."  Capote was an ungenerous, complicated person; Lee was not.  She spent most of her later life in Monroeville with her sister, Alice, who never married either, doing the kinds of things that most small town people do, except that she read more and thought more.  The South has produced a host of fine women writers--Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, Katherine Anne Porter, Margaret Mitchell -- and Lee was one of them.  It is to her everlasting credit that fame and fortune did not change her and that she remained true to herself and her native region to the very end.

Tom's Two Cents: Lady in the Van

Those of us who are devoted Maggie Smith fans (and we are legion in number!) probably haven't missed an episode of "Downton Abbey" in six years.  Now with the PBS series winding down--this week the Dowager Countess Grantham made an unexpected exit to the south of France (dare we suggest that she won't return?)--Maggie Smith fanatics are turning to her latest film for solace.  "Lady in the Van," based on a true story written by Alan Bennett, was adapted into a dramatic vehicle for Smith and released early this year as a film.  As a film, it employs the liberty of multiple locations, but it still centers on a beautiful Georgian London residential neighborhood, where an eccentric old bag lady squats in her bright yellow van in front and later the drive of the home of an aspiring young writer, played by Jim Broadbent, whose love/hate relationship with her continues for fifteen years.

Who is this mysterious, fascinating, hideous creature, where did she come from, and how did she get to such a disreputable state in life?  Her back story is tantalizingly thin, told in flashback snippets of her past.  Her youthful involvement in both classical music and the Catholic Church provides some of the most poignant and beautiful moments in the film, yet what carries it is the repartee between herself and her reluctant host, who himself is split into two characters,  the man he is and the writer he wants to be.  If the film is imperfect, as it is, (a bizarre and inappropriate ending jars the dark comic tone of most of it), it is still a beautiful and moving statement about the vulnerability and triumph of the human spirit against insufferable odds. 

That said, it is always a special pleasure to see and hear a great actress at the height of her form and fame, still plying her craft with subtlety and brilliance.  Dame Maggie has many superb moments in this film, but my particular favorite is her entrance into a senior citizen's center (an abandoned church) for tea and cakes, where, after stuffing her pockets with the latter, she takes another in her mouth, sits down abruptly and chews, staring, mesmerized at the young female pianist at the front of the church, who is playing for the group.  For what seems a monumental eternity, Dame Maggie simply chews and stares.  The look on her face alone is quite beyond the price of admission.

"Lady in the Van" is playing in Dallas at the Angelica Mockingbird Station and Plano.  I regret to say it will probably not play here, though it might later open in Greenville and Tyler.  It's worth the trip!

Poet's Perch : Better Than Gold

Better Than Gold

Better than grandeur, better than gold,

Than rank and titles a thousandfold,

Is a healthy body and mind at ease,

And simple pleasures that always please.

A heart that can feel for another's woe,

And share his joys with a genial glow;

With sympathies large enough to enfold

All men as brothers, is better than gold.

Better than gold is a conscience clear,

Though toiling for bread in an humble sphere,

Doubly blessed with content and health,

Untried by the lusts and cares of wealth,

Lowly living and lofty thought

Adorn and ennoble a poor man's cot;

For mind and morals in nature's plan

Are the genuine tests of an earnest man.

Better than gold is a peaceful home

Where all the fireside characters come,

The shrine of love, the heaven of life,

Hallowed by mother, or sister, or wife.

However humble the home may be,

Or tried with sorrow by heaven's decree,

The blessings that never were bought or sold,

And center there, are better than gold.

Abram Joseph Ryan

Picture from: http://artofthesouth.com/ianparrott/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Welcome-Spring.jpeg

Chance's Corner: Spectre Review

Cue that James Bond Theme! The 24th installment in the 007 canon, Spectre, has been released on DVD and Blu-ray this week. 24 Bond films, can you believe it?

Spectre marks the official return of evil organization SPECTRE, which stands for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. The organization has been lurking in the shadows since Casino Royale, but thanks to the studio re-acquiring the rights, Bond and company can finally utter its real name (and resurrect a notorious villain).

Spectre starts off strong with a traditional, exciting opening sequence. Bond is sent careening through the air in an out of control helicopter during the Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico City. It's some real edge-of-your seat stuff. Sam Smith's contributed theme "Written on the Wall", while emotional and vulnerable, is a little "eh" to me. It feels like an Adele re-hash.

Daniel Craig, into his fourth 007 outing, is still full of youth and can pack a serious punch. He's the most physical Bond there has ever been. The infamous Bond Girls are played by Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci. Léa is the main love interest, and she can handle herself. Monica, the oldest woman to play a Bond Girl, is seriously under-used. She's merely a sacrificial lamb, without the sacrifice. The villain is (unsurprisingly) expertly played by Christoph Waltz, but he feels under-used as well. The evil plot is a little murky, and he just gnaws on the scenery instead of chewing it.

Interlinking the past three Craig films together, Spectre tries to bring the viewer an overall resolution to the Craig-era, but it only manages to feel like a set-up to something much bigger. Bond just can't drive off into the sunset and never pull another trigger. He's tried it before in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (even married!), and obviously that did not turn out well (e.g. the bullet hole above).

Overall, Spectre is still a strong addition to the Bond universe and well worth a watch. Spectre is available now at the Franklin County Library!

Marvelous Mondays! : Butter

Although we don't post pictures every week, Marvelous Mondays! are still going strong.  Yesterday we made butter.  We poured heavy cream into two glass jars and shook it for about 10 minutes.

The kids didn't realize just how long 10 minutes actually is!  When we opened up the jars, we had a good amount of butter.

We had some crackers and everyone was game to try the butter we made. 

They all said that it wasn't quite like store butter, but they seemed to like it.  Everyone came back for seconds!

If you want to get in on the fun, we meet every Monday that school is in session at 4:15.  We do science experiments, crafts, and whatever other fun activities we can dream up.  We'd love to have you!

Julie's Journal: Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

It's been awhile, but occasionally I like to post a recipe.  This one is from a newish cookbook in the library's collection. 

If you're not familiar with The Pioneer Woman, she has risen to fame in the last few years.  She started out simply writing a blog for her family and friends, which led to her posting recipes, and now she is the host of a Food Network show on Saturday mornings.  "Dinnertime" is her fourth cookbook.  Saturday evening, I decided to give the Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce a try.  I was hoping it would be similar to chicken I had had once at a friend's house and I wasn't disappointed.  (My changes are in italics.) 

4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

3 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 cup Brandy (or White Wine If Preferred) (I actually used chicken broth)

1 Tablespoon (heaping) Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon (heaping) Grainy Mustard

1/4 cup (to 1/2) Heavy Cream

1/4 cup (to 1/2) Chicken Broth

Salt And Pepper, to taste

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have eight smaller, thinner chicken cutlets. Salt and pepper both sides.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets on both sides until nice and golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and keep on a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the pan and saute it for a minute, stirring to make sure it won't burn. Next pour in the brandy (or wine if using) (or chicken broth) being careful if cooking over an open flame. Then just let the sauce bubble up and cook until it's reduced by half.

Throw in the mustards and stir to combine, then pour in the cream. Stir in chicken broth, adding more if the sauce seems too thick.  (I didn't need any chicken broth at this point.  Maybe I didn't let it cook down enough in the last step.)  Taste sauce and adjust whatever you think it needs. Add chicken breasts back to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another few minutes, shaking the pan if needed to move things around.

I cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces on plates, and then spooned the sauce over them.  Served with green beans and a pasta salad, the chicken made a nice meal.  My husband really liked it too, which is always a plus!  There are several more recipes in this cookbook that I want to try.  If you try this chicken let me know how it turns out!

Find the recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website : http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/chicken-with-mustard-cream-sauce/

Julie's Journal : On Overdue Collection

My last two days have been taken up with working on overdue items.  Overdue collection is one of those library tasks that no one wants to talk about.  It's not particularly fun and people can get upset when we approach them about their overdue items.  I thought I would give a quick overview of our process.

Once a month (theoretically - sometimes not quite as often) we print out a list of all the items that we show are overdue.  We divide up the list and go all over the library looking for those items.  Occasionally we will find something that was returned, but somehow missed being checked back in on the computer before being re-shelved.  Those items get checked back in and any associated fines are erased.  We take the list that is remaining and send letters out to the patrons who have the items checked out.  The first month, a patron gets a reminder; the second month, a second notice; the third month, a final letter.  Most items get returned at the reminder or second notice stage and we never advance to the final letter.  If, after the final letter has been sent, we still have not received our items back, we send the account over to City Hall where they go through their own process to retrieve the items or payment for them. 

Now, you may be asking, "What's the big deal?".  Why does it matter if one patron doesn't bring an item back?  There are several reasons that overdue collection is important.  The most important one to my logical, mathematical brain is simply economics.  I ran the overdue report today and the value of the 253 items that are currently overdue is $4,426.54.  That amount is about 1/3 of our yearly book budget.  If we had to replace all the overdue items, the number of new materials we would be able to purchase for the library would be significantly reduced.  Since we are dedicated to bringing as much new and up-to-date material as possible to the library, we really don't want to have to spend money purchasing older items again.  We also want to be able to meet demand, and it is not fun to have a patron request an item and have to tell them that it was due 6 months ago and hasn't been returned. 

We love our patrons, and we understand that sometimes life happens.  We hope they understand when we send a friendly reminder about returning items!