BAD Reads
The Sunflower Race: Week 1
Our circulation manager has always said that I am the "staff morale officer". And right now that's something I really take seriously.
It's been a hard year--we're working with a staff of 17 when we should have 24 and the library, if anything is busier than ever. Our staff works hard and we've always prided ourselves on giving the best service in the system--and being short staffed is not excuse for us to slack.
But we're tired, and people get grumpy. So whenever possible, I try to find ways we can blow off steam.
Usually it's food, but sometimes I come up with something else.
I've had a sunflower garden outside the library for years--the kids help me plant seeds and we label them with their names. I've always wanted to do it for the staff as well, but never gotten around to it.
But last summer the people who take care of the grounds finally cleared out the long, narrow flower bed over by our back door loading area. It was choked with prickly bushes and the like, but now it's 25-30 feet by 3 feet of nice, clear area. I planted flower bulbs last fall and they did well.
A few weeks ago I got every staff member to plant a seed in a paper cup, took them outside and planted them with labels. And nothing came up. Zilch. Not a one.
We've had heavy rain, and apparently since that area is flat as a pancake, it didn't drain well and the seeds must have rotted. The kids' seeds, planted in a raised bed outside the children's room windows have done fine.
So I bought a little windowsill garden tray, planted 20 seeds in 20 peat pots, put them on a heat pad under the garden light in my windowsill--and every one has sprouted!
This week, they go out in the garden area. The rains have stopped and they should thrive.
These are "Mammoth Gray" sunflowers. When fully grown, they will be a good 6-8 feet tall.
And the first one to produce a flower wins its "owner" one of my infamously good New York Cheesecakes!
Stay tuned--this is now a weekly feature of this blog...................
