We went to the Grand Opening of the library today. It was one of those events that only happens in small communities. An event where everyone knows each other, where the speeches are delivered with a touch of irony and self-parody, but where everything gets said that needs to be said, where the hard working among us get thanked and acknowledged and where ribbons get cut and hands shaken.



A couple of chocolate cakes appeared out of nowhere and were set up on a table at the back of a canvas tent covering the 50 odd people who braved the rain. The Snug provided coffee and tea, and the kids led the way in to the building after the ribbon was cut, and headed en masse to a large chess table with oversized pieces, where they lined up in teams of four and pretended to play each other.



Everyone else stood around in various parts of the library talking and enjoying each other’s company. In the government documents section, an earnest conversation took place over the draft land use by-law. In the adult fiction, several people caught up with each other with embellished stories of Mexican vacations. Kids darted in and out, and one determined group finally located the Harry Potter books and tried to take them out only to find to their dismay that the circulation desk was not taking orders today.



A marvellous small town event. We left with smiles on our faces for all the good reasons that we moved here.



This evening, curiously, a pine siskin has alighted on our front porch and gone to sleep in the cone of light cast through the window by a reading lamp.