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The INDEPENDENT, December 16, 2010
Between the Bookends
by Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
Holiday memories don’t always come in
cookie-cutter shapes or conform to the
idyllic scenes shown on Christmas cards,
as Vernonia residents know all too well.
None of us will forget the Christmas of
2007 as citizens struggled to maintain a
semblance of celebration in the midst of
calamity. Nor will we ever forget the gen-
erosity of the populace as they gave, gave,
gave to help in our recovery.
This past month has been an especially rewarding time for
those of us associated with the library. We were able to accommo-
date a slide presentation that featured pictures of local residents
associated with logging in the area during the years 1976-1985. It
was a most enjoyable evening, with Cory Colburn narrating the
slide presentation, and with the audience participating as they re-
counted stories relating to those featured in the pictures. On No-
vember 29, we were pleased to have author Cathy Lamb discuss
her writing process and read from her newest novel, Such a Pret-
ty Face. These events were supported by the Vernonia Study Club
(refreshments), Friends of the Library (refreshments and overnight
lodging), Brooke Van Meter (overnight lodging) and, of course, by
the citizens who attended and made them successful.
The book fund drive to raise $1,000 has reached nearly
$750.00 to date. One family has been giving to the fund each
month when paying their water bill.
Books are now available for the library’s annual holiday “Adop-
tion”. These books, ranging from At Home by Bill Bryson ($23.16)
to Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner ($13.56) to Simply Sara by
Hillary Lodge ($8.80), may be purchased by patrons to become
part of the library’s collection.
My recommendation for the month is Rose in a Storm by Jon
Katz. When an epic blizzard hits the region, Rose, a border
collie/shepherd—a working sheep dog, has to rely on her own re-
sourcefulness and courage to save as many of the farm animals
as she can. Katz consulted with animal behavior scientists to cre-
ate this unique and convincing view of the world as seen through
the eyes of Rose. If only a small portion of the behavior attributed
to Rose in this novel could truly happen, these dogs must be ab-
solutely amazing.
A new acquisition to the library’s collection of novels with a hol-
iday theme is Christmas at Harrington’s by Melody Carlson. A
rather intriguing plot begins when Lena, recently released from
prison, is unexpectedly hired as Mrs. Santa Claus in Harrington’s
Department Store. An unemployed mother escaping her abusive
past, an empathetic youngster battling leukemia, and an affluent
widow are just some of the characters who make this an appeal-
ing holiday read.
This month’s regular movie night will be Thursday, December
V ALLEY V ETERINARY C LINIC
R ABIES
S PECIAL
$
50
10
Per vaccine, per animal
Through February 2011
Thursdays
9 am - 5 pm
1-503-556-3084
58376 Nehalem Hwy. S. Vernonia
16 at 6:30, with Christmas in Connecticut being featured. During
winter break from school, the library will be showing additional
movies for youngsters, all at 2:00 p.m., as follows:
Monday, Dec. 20 – How the Grinch Stole
Christmas
Tuesday, Dec. 21 – The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever
Thursday, Dec. 23 – The Polar Express
Book Discussion will take place Monday, Dec. 27 at 5:30 p.m.,
with Jack London’s Call of the Wild being this month’s topic.
The memories associated with the Christmas of 2007 will nev-
er be forgotten by me – the heartbreaking and the uplifting – and
I will compare those memories with those of 2010. I will be remind-
ed that the library was available to Head Start during the rest of
that school year and the exuberance of the Head Start youngsters
as Santa arrived to pass out presents; I will also remember this
past week, when they listened to holiday stories here in the library.
I will never forget the devastation of the schools, with youngsters
waiting for buses to take them to Scappoose, and I will remember
this year as the year of new hope for Vernonia through the rebuild-
ing of the school. My treasured memories of this year will include
Linda Johnston spending hours making gingerbread houses for
the preschoolers to decorate and Jennifer Moloney, with help from
Lisa Pihl, reading and creating crafts for the after-school program.
I will remember this season as residents are searching for jobs
and few having results, but also for the hopefulness that tomorrow
they might be successful. I will remember the generousness of
people who continue to give money and support to the library and
its programs.
The library staff wishes happy holidays to each and all of you
with the hope that the memories you create during the season will
be ones to be treasured for a lifetime.
Vernonia Public Library: 701 Weed Avenue
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tues., Thu. 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Mondays, 10:30 a.m. when school is
in session.
Phone: 503-429-1818
Is your child ready for a phone?
by Jason Alderman
If your preteen child hasn’t
hit you up yet for a cell phone,
you’re among a rare breed in-
deed. Studies have found that
roughly 70 percent of 11- to 14-
year-olds now use cell phones.
Closer to home, our 10-year-
old has been hounding my wife
and me for months to get his
own phone.
My initial reaction was, “no
way.” But upon investigation, I
see why many parents eventu-
ally give in. Here are a few pros
and cons for giving your pre-
teen a phone, and some safe-
guards you can take:
Safety. Anyone who’s ever
had a flat tire or gotten lost can
attest to cell phones’ safety ad-
vantages. On the flip side, un-
less you install parental con-
trols, your child could access
inappropriate content or be
more vulnerable to bullying and
predatory behavior.
Expense. Cell phone use, in-
cluding calls, text messaging,
web browsing and application
downloads, can be wildly ex-
pensive. You have two pay-
ment options:
• Prepaid plan – buy minutes
“pay-as-you-go.” Plans vary
widely in terms of fees and per-
minute calling and text rates.
Advantages: No locked-in serv-
ice contract; know exactly how
many minutes they’re using.
Disadvantages: Parental con-
trols usually don’t apply;
phones more expensive than
under a service contract plan.
• Family plan – sometimes
it’s cheaper to add a phone to
your existing plan. Some plans
allow unlimited calls/texts be-
tween friends and family or
those using the same carrier.
Advantages: Generally cheap-
er if your kids make lots of
calls/texts; most allow parental
controls.
Disadvantages:
Parental controls may cost ex-
tra; some plans don’t allow us-
age caps, so undisciplined kids
may rack up large bills; tied to
service contract.
Parental controls. One of
the best ways to protect your
kids is to subscribe to your car-
rier’s parental controls plan.
Plan features vary widely, but
look for these when compari-
son shopping:
• Cost (free to $4.99 a
month)
• Ability to cap phone min-
utes and text messages.
• Allow emergency calls,
even if over monthly usage al-
lowance.
• Cap and/or block enter-
tainment downloads (costly/in-
appropriate ringtones, music,
video, etc.)
• Block mature content web-
sites from Internet-enabled
phones.
• Restrict time-of-day usage
(e.g., block during school
hours or after bedtime).
• Block calls/texts from spe-
cific or unknown numbers
(helps prevent stalking, bully-
ing and inappropriate contact).
• Track your child’s physical
location (requires GPS-en-
abled phone and typically
costs $5 to $10 a month).
Parental control programs
generally are not available with
prepaid plans. And, since no fil-
tering tool is completely fool-
proof, it’s important to regularly
discuss safety issues with your
kids. Make sure they’re com-
fortable coming to you with any
questions or details of inappro-
priate contact they’ve received.
Not every child is ready for
cell phone responsibilities. Set
ground rules and be prepared
to withhold privileges if they
cross boundaries, such as not
abiding school regulations, ex-
ceeding curfews or usage lim-
its, using to bully others, re-
peatedly losing or damaging
the phone, etc. And make sure
they kick in part of their al-
lowance to help pay.
With my son, it’s not a ques-
tion of “if” but instead of
“when.” And when the time is
right, he’ll bear the costs of the
handset and adding a line to
our family plan. This of course
will allow him to hound me re-
motely for the latest must-have
item.
Jason Alderman is a financial ex-
pert who directs Practical Money
Skills for Life (www.practical-
moneyskills.com), a free, award-
winning financial education pro-
gram.