Posted in Explore and Discover, News on December 28, 2022 at 6:00 am
By Jane Baker It will come as no surprise that the library has books. Fiction and nonfiction, picture books and weighty tomes, fantasy adventures and practical how-to guides, our shelves are filled with so many reading options. What may be a surprise is all the ways in which our libraries are more than books. Here […]
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Tags: community, look back, year in review
Posted in Explore and Discover on June 14, 2022 at 6:00 am
By Jane Baker The first time I heard the term forest bathing, my immediate thought was “I bet those pine needles hurt!” All kidding aside, forest bathing is a relatively recent term (with science behind it) that gives us a good reason to go take a walk. In 1982, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, […]
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Tags: active, adults, books, digital library, forest bathing, seniors, tai chi, Udemy, walking
Posted in Explore and Discover on February 16, 2022 at 6:00 am
These three gardening projects for the 2022 season are a bit more urban in nature than for those with vegetable gardens: dividing perennials, adding a second rain barrel, and creating a container herb garden. Check out the library's gardening resources & upcoming programs to see your projects come to life. […]
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Tags: digital library, digital resources, DIY, drought, drought adapted, drought resistant, drought tolerant, garden, gardening, landscape, nature, programs, projects, seed libraries, xeriscape
Posted in Explore and Discover on October 7, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Jane Baker I didn’t mow the front yard all summer. This is just one of the benefits of installing a drought-tolerant landscape, a project I started researching in 2018 and took on in 2019. In creating a new landscape, especially one without grass, I learned a lot about plants, climate, and drainage, but the […]
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Tags: drought, drought adapted, drought resistant, drought tolerant, garden, gardening, landscape, nature, xeriscape
Posted in News on April 17, 2019 at 6:00 am
Spokane County Library District is asking voters to consider a measure to restore the property tax levy rate that funds daily operations and maintenance of its 11 libraries to keep library services at existing levels throughout Spokane County, increase digital materials, and replace outdated building heating and cooling systems. The restoration lev […]
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Tags: August 2019, ballot, ballot proposition, levy, maintenance, operations, primary ballot, property tax, rate, restoration levy, tax, taxes, voter, voter ballot, voting
Posted in Explore and Discover on January 23, 2018 at 6:00 am
by Jane Baker The vibrant hues of fall were just beginning to fade when I experienced Nashville for the first time this past November. The sky was a cloudless sapphire blue—a perfect time to visit before the starkness of winter. It was cold by Tennessee standards the week I was there, though thirty degrees warmer […]
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Tags: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Grand Old Opry, Honky Tonk Highway, Madame Tussauds, Music City, Nashville, Parthenon, Tennessee, Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Tennessee Predators, Tennessee Titans, travel
Posted in Explore and Discover on July 25, 2017 at 6:00 am
by Jane Baker Call it what you want—downsizing, minimalism, a trending fad, or decluttering—it is a state of mind that seems to be crossing the generations. Lifestyle websites catering to Millennials promote experience over things. Baby boomers and Gen X are inheriting housefuls of lifetime collections into their already full houses. TV shows l […]
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Tags: Baby Boomers, clutter, declutter, donating, downsize, downsizing, Gen x, generation x, hoarder, hoarding, inheritance, inheriting, junk, millenial, minimalism, recycling, stuff
Posted in Explore and Discover, News on April 4, 2017 at 6:00 am
By Jane Baker To be clear up front, we have not heard of any scams regarding the Spokane County Library District, or any of our libraries. Also, scammers will use anything they can to get your money. So when we heard of an email scam involving the Seattle Public Library, we thought we’d take this […]
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Tags: BBB, Better Business Bureau, consumer education, email scams, financial literacy, fraud, phone scams, scams, technology
Posted in Explore and Discover on December 20, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Jane Baker ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the library The patrons had left with all the books they could carry; Computer screens were blank and turned off for the night, The book drops emptied, ready for first light; The library was silent, but if you were really still Echos of storytime […]
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Tags: happy holidays, holiday cheer, Merry Christmas, yuletide
Posted in Explore and Discover on September 8, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Jane Baker The cardiologist gave me a choice: lose weight, lower your blood pressure, and get more cardio exercise or begin taking a prescription. After we talked it through, I made the decision to forgo the medication, and return in six months for a follow-up on how things were going. “Stay away from carbohydrates, […]
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Tags: books, clean eating, cooking, diet, food, heart health, low-carb, paleo, recipes, science, Tiger Blood, whole 30, whole food, whole30