Year In Review

Pipestone County Star 01-16-2014

And so it has begun.  The new year means we all have to pay attention to our checks again, we’ve made resolutions that many of us are still sticking with (that’ll change soon), and we’re full of hope that this year will be better than the last one.  I’m hoping that’s the case for all of us, since we all need a little pick-up from the past few years of difficult economic times.  But things ARE looking up, so let’s see the glass half-full.

If you’re anything like me, you made a resolution to lose weight, budget better, spend more time with your kids, travel more, and other things like that.  It would probably go better if only one resolution was made, but most of us make a whole bunch and count ourselves lucky if even one sticks.  I read this morning that only 8% of resolutions are ever fully realized.  Only 8%?  We better work hard, people!

This is also the time that many of us look back on the year that just ended and wonder what the heck happened while we weren’t paying attention.  There were a lot of big news stories, many of them depressing – a lot of people lost their lives.  But there were others that lifted the spirits of everyone who read them, some triumphs of the human spirit that were enough to instill a little more faith in humanity.  Let’s have more of those this year, okay?

Every year, the new York Times does a special quiz of more than 100 questions regarding the year that just completed.  Below are 15 of the questions, without answers, for some fun.  If you really need the answers, you can either google them or stop by the library if your curiosity gets the better of you.  Enjoy!!

1.       Which animal says “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding?”

2.       What new name did Jorge Mario Bergoglio take?

3.       Where is the island of Lampedusa?

4.       How old was Nelson Mandela when he died?

5.       2013 marked which anniversary of the birth of Mao Tse Tung?

6.       What did Kim Kardashian and Kanye West name their baby?

7.       Into what did the 5-year old Miles Scott transform?

8.       Who grabbed a drink after the State of the Union address?

9.       Who was “Carlos Danger?”

10.   Where will the 2020 Summer Olympics be held?

11.   Who is Bo’s new playmate?

12.   Which movie opened with a continuous 17-minute shot?

13.   As what does the world know the querulous feline Tardar Sauce?

14.   What feat did Diana Nyad perform for the first time without a shark cage?

15.   Which area did the C.I.A. finally acknowledge?

Enjoy the beginning of 2014 – hope you had a safe and happy New Year and that things look up for you!

PAFL Update:  Pipestone Area Friends of the Library is looking for members – anyone who is a friend to Meinders Library is welcome to join!  The Friends group works hard to promote the library, raise money for projects, and organize their yearly book sale, in addition to the HUGE amount of support they provide throughout the year.  Call us for the date of the next meeting!

Winter Weather:  We tend to follow the lead of Pipestone Area Schools.  If the school is closed, we will also be closed.  If the school closes early, we stay open for about a half hour afterwards to make sure all the kids can get picked up.  If the school has a two hour late start, we are not affected and will open at our regular time of 10 AM.

If you have questions or have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (507) 825-6714.  The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM – 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM.  Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7^th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.