Michigan Notable Author Visit

Brutus has expanded his reading tastes beyond books with dogs as a main character (although those are still his favorites, and he won't yet read about cats).  Michigan Notable Author Scott Sparling will be coming to Owosso on Monday, April 30th, and Brutus can't wait to meet him at 7 p.m.  He enjoyed his novel, Wire to Wire, and is thinking that it might be fun to hop a train.  Staff have warned him that it is dangerous, but he's not listening very well; hopefully hearing some of Sparling's experiences will convince him to stay in the library.  (Sparling was once kicked off a freight train in Owosso, and he has promised to tell more about that night during his presentation).  The book also mentions both Owosso and Durand briefly, which Brutus found to be very interesting.  Brutus hopes that many of you will join him in greeting this award-winning author!  This is always a great program!

Brutus Enjoys National Library Week

Brutus has been enjoying National Library Week.  He and his friends have been trying to answer the trivia questions being posted on Facebook, but they aren't fast enough to beat all the great trivia experts who use the library.  Brutus claims that it is the typing which slows him down, but he's yet to even come up with a correct answer!  Watch for more questions today through Saturday.  The first person to correctly answer via Facebook wins a coupon for two free movie rentals.  (Brutus suggests Marmaduke and Hotel for Dogs as they are a couple of his favorites).  He is also pestering for a question about dogs since (ugh) there was one about a cat!

Brutus learns about appliques

Brutus learned about appliqued quilts at tonight's program.  He was impressed with Cindy's examples of applique methods.  He had never heard of using freezer paper before!  Now he just has to learn how to thread a needle so that he can make his own quilt to bundle up in on a cold winter night.  Brutus had a pretty good night with the ladies; he even stayed out of the refreshments, and only had to be warned about the hot iron once.  Apparently being confined to his box for a few hours has taught him to obey staff commands better (but will his good behavior last?)

Brutus and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Doggone it (with apologies to Alexander and Judith Viorst) Brutus has had more than his share of problems today.  First, Margaret was busy with MeLCat requests for more than two hours and didn't have time to pay attention to him, so he decided to go outdoors and inspect the work on the library's roof.  He was caught trying to climb up the scaffolding to see the tiles (and view) on the roof.  Unfortunately, he was caught and told to stay in his box.  (Or is it fortunately that he was caught before he fell?)  However, his box is under one of the leaks so he decided to look for something to eat instead.

Brutus had heard that a registered dietitian will be speaking in Owosso at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night and he was hoping to taste test the refreshments.  He was caught (again) before he could eat very many cookies, but he wants to know if he can have some more at the program.  He was told that cookies were not considered to be healthy snacks for either people or dogs, and that there will be healthy snacks that night.  He's not quite sure how he feels about healthy snacks, as right now cookies sound much more appetizing!

Brutus is now confined to his box for the rest of his terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.  Staff are turning a deaf ear to his whining as they are too busy with library users, computers, and tax forms to keep him out of more trouble.  At least the sun is shining and his box isn't in danger of getting wet!  If he can be good for the rest of the weekend, maybe he will be allowed out again soon.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Brutus has been wagging his tail because he is excited about meeting an author from Owosso next week.  Thomas Moorehead will be speaking about his new book at the Owosso Branch on Wednesday, February 1st at 7 p.m.  Brutus has heard the song by Gordon Lightfoot, but he wants to read this new novel, too, to learn more about the people who were on the ill-fated ship and sailing on the Great Lakes.  He plans to have a doggone good time, plus there will be refreshments (which are always appreciated by Brutus).

Brutus Learns to Download

Brutus has been busy trying to help some of the library users who received Nooks and Kindles for Christmas.  He has almost perfected the downloading of ebooks, especially since detailed instructions were added to the library's web site (http://www.sdl.lib.mi.us/) and learned that the Kindle Touch only allows downloads through a computer (not through its wireless connection).  Computer keyboards and mice are still a challenge though with paws!  His next project will be to play with the Download Station in the library for MP3 players.  He also plans on helping the librarians choose new titles for purchase and welcomes users' suggestions.  He promises to pass along titles which aren't about dogs, but doubts if he can consider books about cats; talk directly to Nancy, Anne, or Margaret for that.  He also wants to remind those who are interested in this service to call the library or stop in at your local branch to set up an account; you will need your card number (and if you come in, you can also pick up a copy of the instructions).

Kids Learn to Sew with Brutus

Last week, both branches had a sewing program for kids. In Owosso, the kids sewed felt pincushions and, in Durand, mittens. Brutus has a great time learning to sew a running stitch around his apple pincushion, but found it difficult without opposable thumbs. If you'd like to read more about this event, The Argus Press featured it in Monday's paper. Great job to all of our budding sewing enthusiasts. If you'd like to learn more about sewing, the library has lots of books full of project ideas.

Brutus shows off his pincushion

Happy sewers in Owosso

Brutus Takes a Vacation

Brutus hitchhiked his way along the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to Michigan last week. He had a wonderful trip, and is seen here planning his route. Map reading was a new skill for Brutus to learn, but he quickly learned that the squiggly lines on the very large (and hard to handle) paper showed where the roads went. He has heard people in the library talking about GPS units, but he thinks that he'll stick to the old-fashioned map for the time being.

The food on the trip was delicious. Here he is ready to steal a couple of hot dogs off the grill. Now that he knows not only how good they smell, but also that they aren't made from dogs, he'll eat as many as he can get!

More photos from his trip, see the library's Facebook page.

Brutus would like to take some more trips--possibly next summer. Be thinking now of where you'd like to take him and watch for details this spring on how to enter your pictures.

Brutus Enjoys the Great Fall Weather

Brutus escaped from the library on Monday afternoon to enjoy mid-Michigan's great fall weather. He sniffed out the bike trail along the Shiawassee River between Owosso and Corunna. These are a few of the sights he enjoyed. Lots of other dogs had been on the trail, but he didn't see any of them. He did see a few ducks in the river, but they flew away before he could really meet them.

He enjoyed himself so much that he is now pestering to be taken on a trip to see more of the beautiful fall leaves. Several staff members have been talking about trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Maybe if he whines enough and promises to be on his best behavior someone will take him on a trip. By the way, he wants to know what a mountain is why hasn't he ever seen one around here?

Brutus Loves to Read

Brutus just finished the newest book in the Chet & Bernie Mystery Series--The Dog Who Knew Too Much. Spencer Quinn is one of Brutus' favorite authors; no one else is able to tell a story from a dog's point of view as well.

This book finds Chet and Bernie looking for a missing boy. Devon disappeared during the night while on a hike. Bernie suspects he was bullied by the other boys; his camp counselor insists that he just wandered off; but Chet's nose can't find evidence of either scenerio. The truth ends up being much more sinister, involving meth labs and murder. Bernie is also arrested for the counselor's murder leaving his girlfriend Suzie and Chet to decipher much of the puzzle. Will they find Devon before it is too late? A tail-wagging good read in Brutus' estimation. He gives it four wags out of a possible five.

Back to School

With the kids now back in school, it is also time for Brutus to return to (obedience) school. He is excited about returning, even to the point of bringing his leash up to the desk and wagging his tail. He has also picked out some books for his class--How to Train Your Hard to Train Dog and Marley and Me (as an example of how not to train a dog).

Now that he is past the chewing stage, staff is relieved to have him interested in learning. They want to him to learn some new tricks. However, Brutus wants to take a law class and see if he can be exempted from the city leash laws.

Brutus Prepares for the Reading Party

Brutus is trying to decide which book he should report on at the September 7th reading party. The staff has been trying to encourage him to broaden his interests beyond dog stories, but there's more than 400 fiction books about dogs in the library catalog! (And he knows that dogs are smarter than cats--their superior instincts have solved many mysteries from the Hound of the Baskervilles to Rita Mae Brown's A Nose for Justice. Sneaky Pie, Koko, and Yum Yum have nothing on his favorite dog sleuths).

He was wagging his tail over this pile of dog stories. Plenty to choose from and only two more weeks to to decide and read his book! He is supposed to choose the best book he read this summer or his favorite, but how can a little dog make such a big decision? He wonders if anyone will notice if he watches the movie Where the Red Fern Grows instead of reading the book. (He's heard of kids doing this with their school assignments). It's much easier to operate a DVD player with his nose than turn pages in a book.

Improvements to Owosso 's Adult Department

Brutus is enjoying some of the new items in Owosso's Adult Department. He likes the new computers and has been using them to look up information of canine health. Today he found vetinfo.com which has a lot of materials about keeping your dog healthy. There was even a section on asking a vet a question! Best of all, he found a recipe for dog treats; now he just has to convince someone to make them for him.

Brutus has also been using the reading lights and outlets on some of the tables. Today he was skimming What Your Dog is Trying to Tell You for hints on communicating his desire for treats to the staff. He has also seen a number of people with laptop computers using the new electrical outlets.

Novel Destinations

Brutus is enjoying this year's teen and adult summer reading program. He has been traveling all over the world by reading about other countries (and the dogs who live there). Never having gone past obedience school, he also needs an atlas to show him where these countries are. Right now he is looking for a book about a European dog, and planning to stowaway on Margaret's upcoming trip to China. If he can't go again this year, he may just have to clean off her desk while she's gone! (Margaret's note: If Brutus knows what is good for him, he will leave my desk alone. Chewed up folders, papers, etc. is not the same as cleaning. If he wants my desk cleaner, he needs to help with the work instead of creating a bigger mess).

Brutus Learns about Downloadable Books

Brutus was thrilled to hear about the library's new subscription to Overdrive which provides downloadable audio and e-books. It is so difficult to turn pages and change CDs without a thumb! (Now if he could just master the computer keyboard). There is still time to sign up for the 7 p.m. Wednesday evening program on how this works. It is available to anyone with a valid resident or fee-based non-resident card, but you do need to contact the library to set up a PIN and learn how to access your account.

Get Caught Reading Month

Brutus just learned that May is Get Caught Reading Month when staff caught him reading in the library this afternoon. He invites you to send him your photos of being caught reading, and he'll ask the staff to post them on the Library's Facebook page. He'd especially like to see you with one or more of your favorite books--his are all about dogs! (Photos should be sent as jpg images to info@sdl.lib.mi.us).

Tiptoeing Through the Tulips

Brutus was caught tiptoeing through the tulips in the library's flower bed this afternoon. He was enjoying the sunshine and flowers after a very wet week which included some minor flooding in the library. Harriet reminded him of the NO DIGGING rule. There would be dire consequences if so much as one tulip bulb or plant was disturbed! The only exception was dandelions; they could be dug up. There are just too many rules for a small dog to remember!

2011 Edible Book Contest

The entries are beginning to arrive, and, as usual, Brutus wants a share of the spotlight. The camel club doesn't allow elephants to attend their meetings so Brutus stopped by to see if dogs are allowed. Unfortunately, he could not tolerate the desert conditions and lack of water the camels have to endure so we'll never know if he could have joined the club or not.

The Dr. Suess entry, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish looked interesting, but Brutus wasn't so sure about the water. It didn't smell like something he would drink--too fishy.

The children's entries are some of his favorites. The fruit on the Rachel's Rainbow entry looks good enough to eat! (One of Brutus' favorite activities). And rumor has it that there will be watermelon cake and clove cookies at tonight's program, too.

Be sure to come by the library between 4 & 7 p.m. to vote for your favorites. Awards will be announced after the Massie's presentation "Woodsmoke & Elbow Grease" which should be interesting for the entire family. Brutus hopes to see you there.

Book Spine Poetry

To celebrate April is National Poetry Month, Brutus has been working on a book spine poem. Book spine poetry is created by stacking books so the titles on the spines make a poem when read from top to bottom. It's obvious from his poem that Brutus doesn't like cats very much. Anyone is welcome stop by either the Owosso Children's Department or the Durand branch to create their own book spine poem. The poetry will be displayed through April.

Edible Book Contest

Brutus invites everyone to join him for a great time with the Edible Book Contest. He has chosen White Fang for his book (because it is about a dog) and created a large tooth from a marshmallow. If he can do this with paws and teeth, even a child can create something for the contest. Brutus probably won't win either; he has all ready eaten half a bag of marshmallows so his "white fang" certainly won't last until the judging on the 14th. Complete rules and application blanks are now available at the library or online. Brutus is particularly anxious to try some of the old recipes from the Massie's book Walnut Pickles & Watermelon Cake at the Awards Program.