Liability
What a week, or maybe what a lack of a week. Snow, ice, wind and cold temperatures kept the library closed way longer than I would ever want it to. I feel like I owe my community an apology and an explanation.
The basis of my explanation revolves around one word: li·a·bil·i·ty /ˌlīəˈbilədē/ noun: the state of being responsible for something, especially by law.
That last part should be in all caps. I need to update my job dislikes by adding, weather and closing. Right now it seems like it would be a strong number two after Building Maintenance, but see me next week and I am sure I will have another complaint.
This morning, Saturday, February 5th, after being closed, Wednesday, Thursday and yes, even Friday, I arrived at the library at 8 am to check the sidewalks and entrance, again (I had checked things Thursday night too). The sidewalks were covered and slick, the entrance/porch/portico, solid ice. It is currently 1pm and the sun has just decided to shine on a small section of the front part of the library. It is hard for the salt to work when the temperatures drop to single digits each night, and the rotation of the earth and sun is not compatible for warmness during the winter months in Missouri.
So, yep, I am sorry we were closed so long. There is the apology. The explanation, I am responsible for the safety of my staff and patrons. Ice and safety do not go together. Our staff door keyhole even froze; a small pocket sized blowtorch was required for entry. Maybe, I need to buy a military grade blowtorch for the sidewalks and entrance. I feel like a Tim Allen Tool Time grunt should be inserted at this point. How cool would I look with a blowtorch? I am just kidding, I think.
I am so thankful that I have the Murdock boys (yes, I will always call them boys, I babysit the two of them) to do the work they do. They had my parking lot ready for a Friday opening, and they had laid the salt down for cleared sidewalks, but alas, the sun was not able to do its part. So, yep, no one is to blame, it just is, what it is.
I hope everyone stocked up on library material before the big storm, and if you weren’t able to make it in before, still enjoyed our digital content. I did both, I finished next month’s book club choice, A Madness So Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis, on Hoopla. Then I spent time reading an “old fashioned” printed book that had recently come up on our chopping block, Conversion by Katherine Howe. In between reading, I worked on my puzzles and enjoyed watching Station Eleven on HBO, a wonderful series based on a fantastic book by Emily St. John Mandel. I feel like I was honestly participating in professional development/library research, well, other than the puzzling.
I did enjoy being home, I will not deny that, but ask my poor husband how I was doing at 8:15 am on February 5th. I might have cursed like a sailor, and felt like imitating the Tasmanian Devil, you know when he would spin around like a tornado tearing things up, so trust me, I don’t take closing the building lightly. Again, I apologize.
Upcoming Events: 2/9 Story Time at 10am, 2/10 Board Meeting at 5:15pm, 2/12 LEGO Play at 10:30am. We have a few weeks left for the Young Adult Reading Challenge (Adults can participate), swing by the library for more information.