Most people recognize me as the director of the Rock County Library, but I also have a second vocation. I’m a member of the school board for Little Lambs Preschool. People think preschool is all fun and games and snacks. But let me tell you, there are numbers and letters to be learned. There are art and science projects to complete and fine-motor (little muscles) and large-motor (big muscles) to develop. In preschool the little ones receive essential knowledge that will be useful as they grow to adulthood like, how to go to the restroom in an orderly fashion … no budging in line. They have a pint-size library for pint-size kids, and puzzles and Playdough. Every day includes a Bible lesson to guide the spiritual development of each tiny student. And finally, the curriculum includes advanced computer programming and software development. Okay, I overstated that … they learn how to use the computer.At one of our school board meetings I was perusing the a Little Lambs monthly lesson plan. One week was designated "S" week. The little sweetpeas learn all about the 19th letter of the alphabet. They learn "S" words, do "S" activities and eat "S" snacks. Friday they had Sponge painting, Sponge toss, and Sponge cake. We didn’t have preschool when I was little girl. I didn’t have Sponge day or Dot day or any other day. This is the reason I have trouble fitting in with modern societal expectations. If I could quit my job and cast aside the burdens of adulthood, I’d pull up a mini-chair, take a seat at a mini-table and go back to school. I’m just grateful I learned to read so I can escape those modern societal expectations. You can too, by reading the latest by Andrew Greeley, "Second Spring." It's 1978 and the whole country is exhausted from the twin traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. Chuck O'Malley knows how the country feels; approaching 50, he finds himself in the grip of a debilitating midlife crisis. Although he has much to be thankful for, including a loving wife and a thriving career as a professional photographer, he feels disillusioned and depressed. As he travels the world, from the Vatican, where a new pope is to be selected, to Jimmy Carter's White House, where an overwhelmed president struggles to find a cure for his nation's malaise, Chuck searches for a way to renew his weary spirit.Fortunately, he doesn't have to face this challenge alone. With the loving support of his family, and especially his irrepressible and adoring wife, Rosemarie, he just might rediscover his lost hope and optimism in time for a Second Spring. Leslie Glass, "Over His Dead Body." Cassandra Sales is a woman with a gift for nurturing things — her husband, her two adult children; the fabulous flowers in her garden. After 26 years of marriage, however, Cassie’s husband is spending more time skipping abroad than remaining at home with her. Tired of being a modest Long Island housewife who can’t even remember what it’s like to be kissed, Cassie has a face-lift to recapture her youthful allure. The surprise for her husband goes awry when Mitch returns home early from a business trip. When he sees the post-op horror show, he collapses on the spot.The resulting coma may spare Mitch from the tax audit he’s facing, but Cassie is forced to step in and research the facts of her own life. What she discovers about Mitch and the family business shocks her to the core: her "loving" husband was preparing to divorce her, swindle her out of tons of money, and run off with another woman. As Cassie recuperates, she realizes she’s after revenge. But she soon learns that the road to retribution can lead to unforeseen and often deadly complications.
