Library gearing up for spring activity

Posted

BY SARAH CLENDENING
Fort Madison Public Library

FORT MADISON - Spring is coming and soon plants will be starting to grow and, for many people, it’s time to start thinking about getting out into the garden.  On March 4, at 5:30 pm, Lee County Conservationist Clay Steele, will be talking about plants to encourage butterflies and pollinators and ways to successfully grow them.  This program will be held at the library or you can contact Sarah, 372-5721, for a link to watch via Zoom.  If you want to research other gardening tips and techniques, check out some of these new gardening books at the library:

  1. Complete Container Herb Gardening by Sue Goetz (635.7 GOE)
  2. Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-free Vegetable Garden by Niki Jabbour (635 JAB)
  3. The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening by Charlie Nardozzi (631.5 NAR)
  4. Plant Partners: Science-based Companion Planting Strategies to Minimize Disease, Reduce pests, Improve Soil Fertility, and Support Pollination in the Vegetable Garden by Jessica Walliser (635 WAL)
  5. Deer-Resistant Design: Fence-Free Gardens that Thrive Despite the Deer by Karen Chapman (635.049 CHA)

March 14 is Pi Day
Pi, 3.14159 and so on, is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, a very important number in geometry and any field that involves circles (including sewing, believe it or not). March 14 (3/14) shares the first three numbers of pi and, therefore, is the day chosen to celebrate pi. Want to learn more about pi? PBS has a brief video with some facts and a couple of fun ideas for celebrating Pi day, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC3Vj1q5rXo.
One punny way to celebrate Pi day is to bake a pie. Or, keep with the circle theme and make cakes or cookies. Looking for some new pie, cake, cookie or other desert recipes? The library has some cookbooks for that:
1. Pie Camp: The Skills You need to Make Any Pie You Want by Kate McDermott (641.86 MCD)
2. True Comfort: More than 100 Cozy Recipes Free of Gluten and Refined Sugar by Kristin Cavallari (641.3 CAV)
3. BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks (641.86 PAR)
4. America's Best Pies by the American Pie Council (641.86 AME)
5. The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak (641.86 PTA)
6. Icebox Desserts: 100 Cool Recipes for Icebox Cakes, Pies, Parfaits, Mousses, Puddings, and More by Lauren Chattman (641.86 CHA)
7. Short & Sweet: Sophisticated Desserts in No Time at All by Melanie Barnard (641.8 BAR)
8. Martha Stewart’s Cake Perfection by Martha Stewart (641.8653 STE)
9. Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection by Martha Stewart (641.86 STE)
10. Milk and Cookies: 68 Heirloom Recipes from New York’s Milk & Cookies Bakery by Tina Casaceli (641.8654 CAS)

Taxes
The library has received all of the Federal tax forms we will be getting this year. This includes the 1040 forms and instruction booklets. The State of Iowa is no longer sending out forms to libraries but you can find forms to either print or fill out online at their website, tax.iowa.gov. The Iowa Department of Revenue also has a phone number you can call to ask them to mail tax forms to you, 1-800-532-1531. For federal tax questions, you can visit the IRS website, www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-1040 (1-800-TAX-1040). Finally, United Way of the Great River Region is offering tax help by appointment only through their VITA program until April 13. Call (319) 520-6859 to make an appointment.

Upcoming Events at the Fort Madison Public Library –
Masks are required to be worn in the library and at all in-person library programs.
1st Thursday @ the Library – March 4– Make the 1st Thursday of the month library day with no fines on overdue books returned that day, our book discussion group meeting at 1:30 and the launch of our monthly Take and Make craft, a 3-D greeting card. We will also have an in-person and virtual program about “Garden Plants for Butterflies and Pollinators” presented by Clay Steel at 5:30 pm.
Pre-School/Toddler Story Hour –Wednesday morning at 10:30. Rhythm and Music story hour is the last Wednesday of the month.
Thursday Crafternoon –Thursday, 3:30-5:00, for ages 14-adult. This program is an opportunity to spend some time working on an in-depth project for the whole month.
Hang Teen – Tuesday, 3:30-5:00 (except for March 24) for ages 12-19.
Minecraft –4:00-5:30, ages 9-18 on Mondays. Space is limited by the number of computers we have and we are not taking registrations this year. Please arrive promptly.
Wacky Wednesday – School is out early March 3, 10, 24, and 31. We will have a craft day from 2pm to 4pm on march 3, 24, and 31. On March 10, Lee County Extension will have a STEAM program “Sensational Seeds” beginning at 2pm.
All Booked Up! - The library's book discussion group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. On Thursday, March 4, we will be discussing "The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead. April 1 (no fooling) will be the book “Chesapeake Requiem” by Earl Swift. Copies of the book are available at the library for check out. Join us for a lively discussion.

books, fort madison, guest author, ideas, Library, Pen City Current, programs, resources, Sarah Clendening, taxes

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here