Friday, December 12, 2008

Upcoming Events at Hackley Public Library Lions Christmas Party December 12 5:30 pm Torrent House For more information call 231-722-7276. Holiday Storytime with a visit from Santa December 13 2:00 pm Enjoy stories, songs and activities for the December holidays, then meet Santa Claus himself. Craft projects include Edible Christmas Trees and a Tin Can Penguin Ornament. Bring a clean, empty tin can. (Soup can size is best.) Please call the Youth Services Department at 231-722-7276 x 230. Hackley Library Board Meeting December 16 5:30 pm Julia Hackley Room, Hackley Public Library. Open to the public. For more information call 231-722-7276 x 222 Jefferson Towers Christmas Party December 16 11:00 am Torrent House For more information call 231-722-7276. Tax Talks December 16 1:30 - 2:30 pm in the Julia Hackley Room at Hackley Public Library Wesley School Reading Group December 18 12:30 - 1:30 pm Torrent House 10:05:59 AM     Holiday Safety Every Christmas my husband and I have a heated debate over inflatable Christmas characters. I want to buy a couple to put in the yard. He says, "No way!" We have neighbors with 7 lovable characters gracing their yard. When my husband sees them turned off and deflated, he insists their yard looks like a graveyard for dying hot air balloons. My husband and I also debate over our Christmas lighting. He prefers the classic white lights, greenery, and some red bows. I love lots of colorful lights. The more the better! With all of the lights and decorating, it is important to keep safety in mind. Here are some tips and guidance on safe decorating: Safety Tips for Christmas Decorating, Christmas Tree Fire Hazards, Holiday Decorating Safety Tips, and Decorating with Lights. Besides decorating, my 2nd favorite thing about the holidays is the food. My first Christmas dinner with my husband was a Tater Tot casserole (with candy canes sticking out of it to make it festive). I hated to cook and Tater Tot casserole was pretty much all I ever made for the first few years of my marriage (my husband still has nightmares about being chased by a giant Tater Tot). I am a much better cook now, but no matter how experienced, you still need to follow good food safety practices. The Food Safety and Inspection Service offers a variety of helpful information. Check out their Food Safety at Home podcasts, the Food Safety Education page, the Meat and Poultry Hotline, and tips on Seasonal Food Safety. P.S., Does anyone know how I can rent some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons for a day? It would be worth it to see the look on my husband's face as he pulls into the driveway and sees a squadron of huge parade balloons floating above our house. I will tell him that they have come to die, and then I will inform him he has to help me make Tater Tot casserole for 327 hungry balloon wranglers! - Ginger [Gov Gab: Your U.S. Government Blog] 9:59:34 AM     Keep Michigan Working Web Site. Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced new features on a job bank Web site to assist laid-off workers get back into the job market. The site, "Keep Michigan Working" ( www.michigan.gov/jobs ), unveiled in the fall, now features programs to help dislocated workers get training for reemployment and resources to ride out job loss. The site lists over 30,000 job listings. "We want people to have one place to go," Granholm said, encouraging employers throughout the state to post openings there. The resources are meant to give people "the dignity and opportunity of a second chance." For the full article, see Catherine Jun, "Web site lists jobs for laid-off workers", Detroit News, December 11, 2008. [Red Tape Blog] 9:53:59 AM

© Copyright 2009 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 1/2/2009; 2:24:07 PM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien