The Library

 The library was something I missed a lot when I lived overseas. Now that I'm back in the states I've really enjoyed the local library and am so surprised with how much they have. They have a big kids section (some of the books are good, some aren't so good- they have lots of picture books which is good), a grandfather clock (that chimes every hour; the kids love looking at it), a Samurai sword (that was given to this city after World War II- it has to do with the history here) in a glass case, and today we found out some more things. They have a "Library of Things" that I recently heard about and it's super cool- you can check out and borrow board games, a birdwatching kit (we borrowed it today!) with a birdwatching book and binoculars, a gardening kit, tennis rackets, and other items. My oldest son also found a table all set with checkered and another table all set up for chess so people can play in the library (quietly). Something that I found fun is that they have a table with a puzzle out so people can work on a puzzle when they stop by the library if they want to. The kids also love to look at the wall of announcements- full of different events that are going on in the community. Perhaps my favorite thing about the library has been an app (Hoopla) where you can borrow audiobooks and music. You can borrow e-books too, but I normally don't. I have really enjoyed listening to audiobooks like that on my phone and have found that many classic books that they don't have in the library, they have as audiobooks on the app. I'm SO thankful for libraries!