Well, believe it or not, summer is here! It's hard to believe that it's already June, and the kids are out of school. Time is flying by! The good news is some very popular authors have new books out, just in time for those hot days when the only thing to do is grab something cold to drink and relax with a good book. If this sounds appealing to you, keep your eyes open for these new titles.
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King takes us back to his Dark Tower world, and finally reveals a bit more background about the mysterious Roland.
The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry brings us a new adventure which attempts to solve all the mysteries surrounding Christopher Columbus, including one incredible revelation.
John Sandford brings back his popular character Lucas Davenport in Stolen Prey. Lucas becomes involved in the murder of an entire family in a small Minnesota town, a murder that looks like a drug killing, except we're talking about a seriously upscale town and a bank executive.
The Innocent by David Baldacci introduces us to Will Robie, a hitman who never fails and never questions his assignments...until he does question orders and suddenly finds himself a target of a hit.
Clive Cussler has another Numa Files novel with The Storm. Can Kurt Austin literally save the world from a scheme to permanently alter the earth's weather?
James Patterson has another installment in his Women's Murder Club series, 11th Hour. Lindsay Boxer is pregnant, but has no time to celebrate with a high-profile murder on her plate. And just to make things more interesting, the murder weapon was taken from her own department's evidence locker!
Later this month, Janet Evanovich has a new novel featuring Diesel and Lizzy, called Wicked Business. Life just isn't going to settle down for pastry chef Lizzy, especially when Harvard professor Gilbert Reedy is murdered.
When Jimmy McMullen, a fireman with the NYFD, is killed in the line of duty, his widow Jackie decides she needs to go home, back to the healing serenity of Sullivan's Island. She takes her 10-year-old son Charlie and heads to her mother's home. Dorothea Benton Frank scores another hit with Porch Lights, a tale of sorrow, mothers and daughters, and moving on.
Nora Roberts has been busy; she has released the second novel in her Inn BoonsBoro trilogy, titled The Last Boyfriend. This time Owen Montgomery has met his match in Avery McTavish, even though they've known each other for years. (The third book, The Perfect Hope, will be out in November, so mark your calendars!)
The Witness showcases Nora's writing talents as she creates the mysterious Abigail Lowery, a woman who keeps to herself and is obviously interested in her own security if one can judge by the fierce dog and the assortment of firearms she owns. Chief of police Brooks Gleason is intrigued, and determined to discover who Abigail really is, and what has frightened her so.

The Hillsboro Library Friends, in collaboration with the Hillsboro Computer Lab, is rolling out a new program: "Computer Sprout - Growing Community Computing Capacity."
The program is the brainchild of Hillsboro Computer Lab mentor Frank Gifford.

"There are a lot of computers sitting in closets because they stopped working and for most people it's easier to buy a new one," ﾠGifford begins. ﾠ"Many of those computers can be revived with the right techniques, and then with new software can become useful again," he states.

"My initial idea was to find used computers, fix them up and give them to school-aged children who might not otherwise have one at home," Gifford explains. "But I was having trouble both finding people to donate their used computers, and also identifying children who needed one."

Enter the Hillsboro Library Friends (HLF), a 501(c) 3, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Hillsboro Library. ﾠThe HLF decided a computer "up-cycling" program fit their mission of providing educational opportunities for the community, and "Computer Sprout" was born.

Computers and related equipment (printers, monitors, fax machines) given to "Computer Sprout" are considered an "in kind" donation and the monetary value of the donated equipment can used as a charitable donation tax deduction.

The HLF can provide a tax donation letter to those donors who would like one.

Gifford will make sure the donated items are in good working order, then the equipment will be made available to anyone who wants to obtain it for a suggested donation to the HLF.
"Computer Sprout" is a win-win-win program," says Bonnie Gifford, president of the HLF. ﾠ"Used computer equipment gets out of storage and stays out of the landfill, area residents can inexpensively obtain quality technology, and the HLF can use the funds generated to continue to support the Hillsboro Library."

Those interested in donating computer equipment can bring their items to the Hillsboro Library during Computer Lab hours, Mondays 4 - 9 p.m. and Tuesdays 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. or by appointment by contacting Frank Gifford at 304-653-4742 or entropypawsed@gmail.com Anyone who wants to acquire computer items should contact Gifford, as well.

Dear Editor:
My first thought when reading the May 17, 2012 The Pocahontas Times was to write a letter questioning the article "Take back your backyard from insects this season." Currently, the non-native honey bee and native bees, such as bumblebees, are in severe decline. Since we rely on pollinators, especially bees, for every third mouthful of our food, it seems the recommendation of the article to eliminate bees is counterproductive. Further, many of the birds that we love in our backyards wing there way north in the spring to eat-you guessed it-insects. Why would we want to eliminate our "birdfeeder?"
A good book regarding the importance of insects in our backyards is Bringing Nature Home-How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by University of Delaware Professor Doug Tallamy. I will see that the Green Bank and Marlinton libraries receive a copy. An excellent source explaining the importance of bees is the Xerces Society (http://www.xerces. org/bees/).
But what I would like to comment on is the article, "Gesundheit! Institute Aims to live off the land." Contrary to what the article states there were and are native earthworms in North America. Where they were not found, here on the east coast, are portions of Pennsylvania north, where they were killed during the last Ice Age. This absence of earthworms resulted in a forest that evolved thousands of years without them; where they have been introduced they have wrecked havoc on the ecosystem.
For example, an article in Conservation Biology ("Earthworm Invasion as the Driving Force Behind Plant Invasion and Community Change in Northeastern North American Forests") states, "These patterns suggest earthworm invasion,...is the driving force behind changes in forest plant communities in northeastern North America, including declines in native plant species, and earthworm invasions appear to facilitate plant invasions in these forest."
Non-native earthworms have also been implicated in the decline of woodland salamanders, ground-nesting songbirds, and the survivability of tree seedlings in northern hardwood forests. They change the soils chemistry and remove the duff layer. Pocahontas Times readers may be interested in the National Science Foundation's September 12, 2011 news release, "Invasion of the Earthworms! Non-native earthworms are damaging hardwood forests": http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/wormwatch.jsp , as well as an article, "The Trouble with Worms," posted by the West Virginia Native Plant Society: http://www.wvnps. org/earthworms.html .
I am unfamiliar with the impact of non-native earthworms, including their impact on native earthworms, on the forests West Virginia. Hopefully, someone that is knowledgeable on this can write an article for The Pocahontas Times. At a time when several northern states are attempting to prevent the spread of invasive earthworms, we need to dispel the notion that non-native earthworms don't have ecosystem implications. We, as agents of change, have to be careful of our actions. A 2011 Colgate University study found that, "humans spread earthworms both inadvertently via horticulture and land disturbance, in the tires and underbodies of vehicles, but also knowingly through composting and careless disposal of fish bait."
Rodger Waldman
Seven Valleys, Pa. 17360
Dear Editor:
Doping the Language
I grew up with contractions such as won't, don't and can't. I never used or thought ain't was proper, but the others were-and are still being used. As I grow older, some words just rub me the wrong way.
One day I was riding along and saw a For Sale sign on a truck full of produce. The vendor was selling "cukes," a word that makes me want to puke. Written below was the word "lope." What are we talking about here-the easy stride of a Mustang?
When my wife asks me if I want Mayo on my sandwich, I almost want to slap her. What does a clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, have to do with what I eat?
I love my grandchildren and I like having them come visit, but one day they asked me, "Granddad, can I have some SunnyD?" Does that mean have a sunny day or a sunny disposition? Lord only knows, but when they added, "from the ﾑFridge," I wanted to go ballistic.
It seems we are so rushed anymore that we do not know how to use the English language. I am not an English teacher by any means, but some things just bug me. Have you ever noticed when watching the "tube," (inner tube, toothpaste tube, take your choice) a little streamer skirts along the bottom of the screen. It is not only annoying, but it changes my 42-inch picture to about 30 inches. I'm supposed to read what it says, watch the picture and understand what they're saying. Sorry, I do not have that talent.
I did notice one streamer talking about an English SPOX. Please don't tell me Queen Mary has Small Pox. Then there was a commercial saying, "If you are living or dead and used black tar soap and have COPD, you may be entitled to compensation." I think I used that when our old cow had foot rot. I wonder if, after 80 years, I am eligible to collect.
Today, mothers are constantly badgering their children to eat their veggies and then wonder why they refuse and fling the greens from the table. I don't blame them. What is a veggie anyway? Sounds like someone's dirty sock.
Then we get the app notice and I'm supposed to understand what that means. So I looked it up and found it is an an abbreviation for: apparent, appointed, appendix and apprentice. Take your pick. All I can say is I'm having a bad hair day. Sorry, baldy.
I think I'll shut up and get a Coke from the ﾑfridge and read a mag from my iPod.
Harold Crist
Arbovale

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Okay, here's something we haven't done in quite a while (if ever). How well do you know your fairy tales, children's rhymes and/or songs? The following list of improbable headlines each describes a very well-known work. Can you guess them all? And just to make it interesting, bring your answers to one of the PCFL branches; each entry with all correct answers will be put into a drawing to be held on June 30. So put your thinking caps on!
1. Youngster Vanishes in Freak Storm
2. Clever Builder Outwits Sly Adversary
3. Poor Bargain Brings Ultimate Wealth
4. Hoodlum Osculates Unwilling Maiden
5. Friends Eager to Assist in Painting Project
6. Unique Individual Mortally Injured in Fall
7. Odd Pair Embarks on Ocean Voyage
8. Remote Country Home Vandalized by Blonde
9. Continued Prevarication Elongates Proboscis
10. Friendless Waif Adopted by Group of Miners
11. Enormous Woodman Performs Astonishing Feats
12. Browbeaten Girl Courted by Royal Heir
13. Serious Overcrowding Discovered in Unique Dwelling
14. Couple Suffering Dietary Allergies Reach Agreement
15. Two Youngsters Involved in Accident, One Sustains Injury
16. Mentally Challenged Youth Encounters Pastry Vendor
17. Musical Feline, Amused Canine Witness Lunar Leap
18. Rural Homemaker Terrorized by Sightless Rodents
19. Lovely Somnambulist Wakened by Royal Caress
20. Lengthy Tresses Aid Lovers
21. Verbose Hare Hoodwinked by Asphalt Contrivance
22. Shepherdess Proves Derelict in Duty
23. Elderly Housewife and Canine Pet Face Starvation
24. Fugitive Pair Flees on Raft

Okay, here's something we haven't done in quite a while (if ever). How well do you know your fairy tales, children's rhymes and/or songs? The following list of improbable headlines each describes a very well-known work. Can you guess them all? And just to make it interesting, bring your answers to one of the PCFL branches; each entry with all correct answers will be put into a drawing to be held on June 30. So put your thinking caps on!
1. Youngster Vanishes in Freak Storm
2. Clever Builder Outwits Sly Adversary
3. Poor Bargain Brings Ultimate Wealth
4. Hoodlum Osculates Unwilling Maiden
5. Friends Eager to Assist in Painting Project
6. Unique Individual Mortally Injured in Fall
7. Odd Pair Embarks on Ocean Voyage
8. Remote Country Home Vandalized by Blonde
9. Continued Prevarication Elongates Proboscis
10. Friendless Waif Adopted by Group of Miners
11. Enormous Woodman Performs Astonishing Feats
12. Browbeaten Girl Courted by Royal Heir
13. Serious Overcrowding Discovered in Unique Dwelling
14. Couple Suffering Dietary Allergies Reach Agreement
15. Two Youngsters Involved in Accident, One Sustains Injury
16. Mentally Challenged Youth Encounters Pastry Vendor
17. Musical Feline, Amused Canine Witness Lunar Leap
18. Rural Homemaker Terrorized by Sightless Rodents
19. Lovely Somnambulist Wakened by Royal Caress
20. Lengthy Tresses Aid Lovers
21. Verbose Hare Hoodwinked by Asphalt Contrivance
22. Shepherdess Proves Derelict in Duty
23. Elderly Housewife and Canine Pet Face Starvation
24. Fugitive Pair Flees on Raft

In my opinion, nothing makes my long daily commute go by faster than listening to an audio book. When I'm taking a familiar route, day after day, it gets a bit boring at times. I can just pop in a CD and my drive flies by as I listen.

I have found, over the years, that I sometimes can listen to books that I could not (or would not) consider reading. I tried reading Drood by Dan Simmons, the story of the friendship between Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. I just couldn't get into it. But one day, in a moment of desperation, I grabbed the audio version. I was mesmerized! I had to find out what happened next. I found myself just sitting in the garage, listening to the end of a chapter. (This is always the sign of a good book and a great reader).

That's another thing: the reader can make or break an audio book. I have certain favorites: Judy Kaye, who reads the Kinsey Millhone mysteries by Sue Grafton, and Simon Vance, who read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels. I've run across a few audio books that I couldn't finish because I couldn't stand the reader, but all in all, that's a pretty rare situation.

If you happen to understand this particular addiction, you will be happy to hear that we just received a large order of new audio books at the McClintic Library. It's been a long time, I know!

Here are just a few of the new titles:

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows: a Flavia DeLuce mystery by Alan Bradley. Flavia finds her ancestral home of Buckshaw overrun by a film crew just days before Christmas in this fourth book in the delightful series by Alan Bradley. Flavia's father rents out their home in order to meet some of his pressing financial obligations, but for Flavia, a precocious 11-year-old chemistry expert, it soon becomes yet another chance to investigate a murder when she finds the leading lady strangled with a strip of film.

V is for Vengeance: a Kinsey Millhone mystery by Sue Grafton. Kinsey's 38th birthday starts out with a punch to the face, resulting in two black eyes and a broken nose. Not the best way to kick off a celebration. Sue Grafton is just getting better and better, as this is one of her best books to date. It has suspense, a bad guy that you find yourself rooting for, and Pinkie, the man who gave Kinsey her first (and best) set of lock picking tools.
The Wind Through The Keyhole: a Dark Tower novel by Stephen King. Fans of King's fantasy series about the gunslinger Roland will want to grab this one. Roland and his ka-tet, Susannah, Jake, Eddie and Oy, take shelter from a storm on their way to the Outer Baronies. To pass the time, Roland tells two strange stories, and casts new light on his own troubled past.

Be sure to stop by McClintic Library and check out all the new titles. Happy listening!

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I think you have to reach a certain age to become interested in genealogy. I don't see a lot of really young people tracing family trees. I know when I was younger, even though I loved history, I was simply too busy to even think, let alone care about my personal history. But now, at my "advanced" age, I have become immersed in my family line and I sometimes can't believe this genealogy stuff didn't fascinate me sooner.

It's a combination of learning where I came from, what my ancestors went through in their lives, and how their lives intersected with history. Oh, and let's not forget uncovering surprises and solving mysteries! Why didn't anyone think to mention that my great-great grandmother died as a result of being injured during a tornado? Or that my great grandfather was named after James Arthur Garfield? It's amazing what you can discover once you go digging around.

Stories are important, and if you have older relatives still living, I highly recommend you sit them down and get them to talk to you about their parents and grandparents. I recently did this with my great-aunt Connie. I found out that my great-grandmother (Connie's mother) had a brother who was murdered. News to me! I asked Aunt Connie about Seth, and she told me all the stories she knew about his death. She also told me that when my great-great grandmother died (Seth's mother), she insisted that his rifle be buried with her. I guess the family always wondered where Seth's gun went, and Connie never told until we sat down together. I'm so glad I got those stories from her.

As you dedicated genealogists know, the 1940 census was just released. (The U.S. government must wait 72 years before making a census public). And if you have tried to search the census, you will also know it's not yet indexed. I found out, quite by accident, that you can volunteer to help with the indexing project. I signed up and have been working on the census records for West Virginia. Just last Sunday, I spent about an hour indexing the census pages for the Greenbrier Resort. It was so interesting to see so many people employed as cooks, gardeners, elevator girls, maids, even a fireman, a medical doctor and two druggists! So many of the cooks were from Europe, especially Italy and Spain. I've also done pages for regular families from Greenbrier and Fayette County. I wonder about their circumstances, and how a poor widow of 39 managed to feed her six children. If you are interested in helping, go here: https://the1940census.com/gettingstarted and you can quickly create an account and begin helping index any state you like.

And if you are interested in researching your own family, remember that the libraries subscribe to Ancestry.com. Just come into any branch, and we can log you into the web site so you can begin to discover your own history. I promise you that you will come away with a new or increased respect for your own relatives. Let's each keep our history alive.

As this column frequently reveals, libraries are much more than places to check out reading materials. Libraries have a variety of other resources available to the community, including computerized databases.

Computerized databases are particularly useful when looking for reliable current information. A database is a collection of related facts or information organized for convenient access. A computerized database has been likened to an electronic filing cabinet arranged for easy access or for a specific purpose. One benefit of using a database is that the compiled information has been reviewed and deemed accurate and pertinent to the topic. One cannot always count on this when searching websites.
The West Virginia Library Commission has a website, wvinfodepo.org, "your personal guide to information exploration." This website provides a wide array of databases that can be accessed for free at any WV public library or at home with a library card and a password obtained from a librarian.

Consider environmental issues. New information in this area is constantly emerging, and books on these issues can be outdated before reaching the public. Area residents can use the library computerized databases resources to obtain up-to-date facts on the environmental topics of their choice.

GreenFile is a database available through wvinfodepo.org that focuses on the relationship between human beings and the environment. It contains more than 600 scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports.
Another way to learn more about the local impact of environmental issues is by attending free educational programs offered at the libraries.

The fourth annual "Public Affairs Briefing on the Environment" sponsored by the Hillsboro Library Friends, will feature four speakers sharing their knowledge of environmental topics of local interest.

Lynmarie Knight will give an update on the findings of the Pocahontas County Water Resources Task Force contained in the recently published Pocahontas County Water Resources Management Plan (Phase 1 - Water Resources Assessment).
A representative from the Buckeye office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will describe the recently announced Working Lands for Wildlife program.

Beth Little, representing Eight Rivers Council, will share what she has learned about the potential health effects of the gas and oil extraction process known as fracking.

WV Wilderness Coalition coordinator Mike Costello will present his organization's latest action plan, which includes a collaborative process to develop a National Monument proposal for a portion of the southern Monongahela National Forest.

The "Public Affairs Briefing on the Environment" is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, at 7 p.m. at the Hillsboro Library. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Hillsboro Library or call 304-653-4936.

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One pleasure of Spring is the gathering and enjoyment of fresh wild edibles. From ramps to mushrooms, wild chives to violets, dandelions to spring beauties, our forests and backyards are repositories of an incredibly diverse and nourishing botanic feast.

Because there are a few plants that are dangerous, a handful that are deadly, and parts of certain plants that are safe while other parts are not, it is important to know with certainty what we are picking and consuming.

The Pocahontas County Free Libraries has resources available to assist foragers in the identification and proper handling of wild plants.

The Peterson Field Guides Series is a particularly useful set of books for identifying wildlife. One currently in the libraries' collection is "Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs." According to the "how to use this book" section, "This guide includes 500 of the more significant medicinal plant species of the eastern U.S. with important historical uses, present use, or future potential." The information is succinctly presented and the color photographs are beautiful as well as helpful.

"The Complete Ourdoorsman's Guide to Edible Wild Plants," by Berndt Berglund and Clare E. Bolsby, includes not only identification information on 50 common wild plants but also recipes "demonstrating simple culinary principles used by settlers of this continent."

Two books by Samuel Thayer, "The Forager's Harvest" and "Nature's Garden," are new additions to the libraries' shelves. These are both guides to identifying, harvesting and preparing edible wild plants.

Another new book is "Edible Wild Plants - Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate" by John Kallas. The recipes in this book look delicious, and Kallas includes a table of nutrient values of some of the more common wild greens.

No matter how detailed, no printed reference surpasses a hands-on, hunt-and-find outing with an experienced leader. Some of us were fortunate enough to have had parents or grandparents who shared this knowledge with us. The Pocahontas Nature Club has an offering for those of us who did not have such guidance.

The Wild Edibles Festival is set for Saturday April 21, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Hillsboro Library. This free event features instruction from Mimi Hernandez (http://www.mimihernandez.com/), an herbalist and holistic health educator and Outreach Coordinator of the Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies at Frostburg State University in Maryland.

Local Master Naturalists will lead a walk to gather wild edibles, and members of the Nature Club will demonstrate proper cooking techniques. A covered dish dinner, quilt raffle and door prizes are part of the planned festivities. Lunch including wild edibles will be available at Hillsboro's Pretty Penny Cafe.

The Wild Edibles Festival is supported by a grant from the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau's Calvin W. Price Appalachian Enrichment Series and is co-sponsored by the Hillsboro Library Friends. For more information or to register, contact Mary Dawson at 304-799-4766 or mdawson@frontiernet.net or visit the Pocahontas Nature Club on Facebook.

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I took a walk in the new Durbin Public Library and Community Center yesterday. I paced out the spaces in anticipation of the inside walls and was excited about seeing the programs, meetings, parties, relaxation, reading, research, and discovery it will hold in the years to come. Almost everyone I meet asks me when we will be moving into the new space. It is easy to get impatient with all the details and hard work that is still to be done. The building makes progress as the funds come in and as the volunteer work crew take on the projects. Restricted by law to prevailing wages we are dependent on these experienced volunteers to stretch our donor dollars. In the near term, the windows and doors will follow a protective coat of paint applied to the outside. The outside will, of course, have siding, in time.

Just for a moment let us think of the progress already made last year. Early in spring there were signs of life, large machinery and trucks came to dig and pour a foundation and, by May, Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity was on the scene to lead the "Barn Raising." Thirty-six volunteers from the community and surrounding areas put up the walls and it was accomplished on the 21st of May. Since that day volunteer builders readied the building (trusses to sheathing) for the roofers to complete the metal roof of blue in November.

Already this year, a team from NRAO donated and installed the electrical service to power the tools needed for the next steps.
All this activity could not have happened without the material assets provided by our donors behind the scenes. Before we start a Phase II, I would like to mention them to you. The 2011 donors were Gracie F. Collins, John and Michelle Connor, Dunmore Community Association, Dunmore United Methodist Church, Dunmore United Methodist Women, Durbin Lion's Club, Durbin United Methodist Women, Eleonora O. Florance, Frank and Janet Ghigo, Sue Ann Heatherly, Deborah H. Hoeper, Moreau and Marie Keller, Jr., Jacob Meck, Lindsey B. Moore, William and Pauline Pappas, Rev. Gary and Dorothy Phillips, Frank Proud and Pat Adams Proud, Donna Rexrode, Marvin Schuhmann, Danny and Diana Sheets, William and Mildred Simmons, Town of Durbin, The Whistle Stop (Durbin), Buster Varner, Joyce Varner, Julian and Marilyn Whanger, Dale and Margaret Whiteis, Henry Widney and all the faithful fourth Saturday and Durbin Days Bingo attendees, all those responding to fundraisers and anonymous donors. There are more names already for this year but that can wait for another update. Please consider joining them this year with a donation to Durbin Library Building Fund.

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