Aug 24, 2011 3 min read

Summer Reading Club and summer vacations are over or very nearly so. Moms, if your children are off to school shortly, stop by the library and find a book to read that brings you some “you time.” While the weather is still lovely, sit on the porch and relax with a good book and some iced tea. Pure bliss.

We’ve had some excitement here at the library for the last month. We sheltered and cared for a homeless kitten in the staff workroom for over three weeks. We tried to keep her separate from the public areas, although she did everything in her power to sneak out there.

We spotted her outside one evening as we left for the day – tiny little thing only weighed a pound and a half when first she was taken to the vet and couldn’t have been more than eight weeks old. She delighted and frustrated us daily. Her names ranged from Libby, L.C. (short for Library Cat), Muffin and Mouse to NoNoNo, Monster and Time Out.

She grew while here – not just in size, but her health improved. Dr. Vet treated her ears, gave her a flea treatment and two shots for a lung ailment that plagued her. Her second visit to the vet showed her weighing in at 2 pounds, 10 ounces – double her weight in two weeks. Yes, we spoiled her.

Jenna brought delightful toys that her cat, Chloe didn’t play with. Libby chased balls, toy mice and a piece of that yellow and black “caution” tape she found in Steve’s office. At our morning staff meeting and during lunch, she would rip and tear after one toy, then switch to another in one smooth motion. She loves people and purrs the second she’s picked up and held.

Libby also climbed on our desks, typed strange titles when Dolores was cataloging, disconnected the phone when Sandy was talking and climbed Steve’s jeans to get to his arms.

Now it’s quiet and quite dull during morning coffee with no fur-ball to entertain us, but she’s happy and loved by the Kipilas, and we are thankful she has a super, great home and is no longer foraging for herself.

Want to help homeless cats and dogs online? Go to www.freekibble.com everyday and answer a trivia question about dogs. Whether you are correct or not, kibble will be donated to a dog shelter. Then, from the same page, click on the cat icon and answer a cat question to donate for cats.

After you do that, go to www.thebreastcancersite.com and click to help provide free mammograms. There are tabs at the top of that page that take you to other sites where you can click daily to help provide food for animal shelters, books for children, meals for homeless veterans, assist children’s health programs and programs for autistic children. I click daily on all of the tabs.

Come visit us in the library, pick out an end-of-summer read, and use your computer to help others.

“For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world in all periods of time.” – Louis L’Amour

Lynne E. Tharan is director of the Uniontown Public Library at 24 Jefferson St., Uniontown. Telephone 724-438-1165.