Wednesday, February 26, 6:30pm
Lincoln scholar Reverend Dr. Duncan Newcomer will share from his new book, 30 Days with Abraham Lincoln: Quiet Fire. The book consists of 30 meditations based on his WERU radio show, “Quiet Fire: the Spiritual Life of Abraham Lincoln,” for which he has hosted more than 200 episodes. In the book, Newcomer reminds readers of Lincoln’s belief that it is “not the land that makes us American. It’s a mindset. Americans are not a race or a tribe. To Lincoln, Americans are a people who have received a great gift: a free nation with self-government.” Books will be available for sale and signing. Continue reading

Monday, March 9, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Linda Tatelbaum, author of Carrying Water as a Way of Life : A Homesteader’s History, and her husband, Kal Winer, headed “back-to-the-land” in Appleton in 1977 to build an off-grid solar house and raise their own food.  Linda’s memoir portrays how she and Kal balance their idealistic values with the pragmatic demands of adult life. Her lyrical, wry, and feisty essays celebrate human effort while mourning the loss of wilderness and community.

Linda and Kal will be introduced by students from the Ecology Learning Center, a homeschool enrichment program in Liberty for students ages 12 to 15.   The students are reading Linda’s book and visiting the homestead as part of their shelter studies. They will see first-hand the solar panels, wood cook stove, and rock-walled spring from which Linda and Kal have been “carrying water as a way of life.”  Linda’s story is an inspiration to these young people as they study the environmental impacts of shelter designs, as well as sharpen their reading, writing, and public speaking skills. Join us for this unique intergenerational presentation by Linda, Kal, and students from the Ecology Learning Center.

The Sheepscot Valley Quilters are displaying their wall hangings at the library this month. The exhibit features a variety of quilts for every season. Be sure to come by and see their unique and beautiful handiwork.

The quilting group meets on Saturday mornings at a private home.  They are a small group of quilt lovers and makers – from beginners to advanced. Often they make a quilt that they donate to charity. Their meetings are low key and friendly and participation in projects is purely voluntary. Show-and-tell sharing always welcome. Call Jane Bourassa at 589-4433 or Kerry Black at 589-4033 for more information.

The National Digital Equity Center provides FREE Digital Literacy courses in all Maine counties. Interested in taking a course? Fill out the online survey which helps them determine which courses to offer and where. They will be in touch with you once a course is scheduled. Survey – https://survey.digitalequitycenter.org

March 1st ’til Completed   Sign-up by Feb. 29th
It’s that time of year when the library will host its own version of March Madness – the 4th annual Cribbage Tournament. Here is how it works:

About 35 years ago, Janet Heslam bought from an antique shop in Brooks four daily journals from October 1864 to October 1871.  It turns out they were written by a man in Montville who farmed, but he also supervised the one room school houses. At the end of the first journal, she found the signature of H. M. Howard. The other journals are not signed. Janet determined the journalist was 27, in 1865, and his daughter Eva died in 1864. Janet decided to transcribe these journals to share in her weekly letters to her grandchildren. She offered to share these transcriptions so they could be posted on the Library webpage for everyone to read. We will post one a month. It will be interesting as we go through the year to compare the daily happenings of a man 150 years ago to the present day. We hope you enjoy!

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