Finding My Inner Runner

Diane Phillips is the Technical Services Library at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood. Read her column in the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin this week.

I became a runner about two years ago. I didn’t start out running but worked my way up to it. I didn’t realize how hard it would be for me to run. I see so many people, young and old, out on the streets running; and they make it look effortless. For me, it is not. It’s work – hard work. I didn’t just get off the couch and run. I started out by walking. I walked anywhere between eight to twelve miles a week. Doing that was no problem. I enjoyed it. I listened to music on my iPod, and the time seemed to go by really quickly. The satisfaction was short lived. I needed to do something more challenging. I started to run. I would walk for five minutes and then run for one minute, walk for another five minutes and run for another minute and so on.

The Mice in the Piano

Read Charlotte Canelli's column in the August 17, 2012 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

I knew all along that it was a very big mistake to store my piano in the garage. At the time I thought it would only be a few short months and it had, of course, the snow blower, leaf blower and lawn mower and other assorted tools to keep it company before we would be moving it inside where it belonged.

Of course, a few months became four seasons and four seasons became a bit more than a year. Finally moving day came and my piano and I exhaled a huge sigh of relief as it was carted up the front steps of our new home and snuggled against an interior wall, once again inside the house.

Ticked Off!

Read Charlotte Canelli's column in the August 17, 2012 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

I can’t imagine that mosquitoes have ever been very popular. Yes, there are reasons for mosquitoes in nature. They are food to other creatures, like bats. They also eat other tiny creatures on ponds and lakes and therefore keep them clean. Mainly, though, they seem to be simply a nuisance and spreader of disease. Malaria, elephantiasis, West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are all caused by the mosquito as it spreads the infection from carrier to victim.

Support for Stolen Days

Jean Todesca is a children's librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library. Read her column in the August 10, 2012 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

An Oriental rug carpets the floor of the home's entry way. As I walk with steadfast purpose, my thoughts are drawn to earlier years when Frank and I would enjoy quick witted banter. We'd joke and solve the world's problems while playing a mean game of cribbage. Often in a fit of laughter, I tried not to inhale crumbs while snacking on our usual fair of crackers and sharp cheddar cheese.

Admiring the Cat Whisperer

Read Charlotte Canelli's column in the August 3, 2012 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

I don’t get cats. I’m simply not a cat lover and I don’t know why. Our family had one, two or as many to three cats at any time when my children were growing up. I think I cuddled with them. I know I fed them but I guess I’ve repressed those memories. I do recall their names and I do remember that I was very, very fond of our first cat, Jonathan. But Jonathan thought he was a dog so perhaps I did, too.