why we live here: our local public library

for a county of 30,000 people, we have a really awesome library.

when I first started at the group home in 2003, the library was a tiny dark building that smelled like you would think a small town library should smell. it was so tiny, in fact, that when kids needed a specific book for research we would have to ask at the circulation desk and the librarian had to go into the back or the basement to get the book for us. when we moved back to brevard in 2007, this beautiful building had magically appeared (through lots of hard work and an extremely dedicated friends of the library organization) and I just couldn't be happier about it.

the transylvania county public library has an amazing collection of books for both children and adults. I have happily feasted on homesteading memoirs and how-to guides, books about living of the grid and peak oil and putting up pickles. there is a whole "special collection" just on home education, chock full of information on curriculum and activities and why to homeschool in the first place. we've read all the boxcar children books and all the magic treehouse collection, too. we never go on a road trip without stocking up on books on CD. cora has taken home everything on turtles she can find. the children's librarians are eager to help my kids find what they want ("I can't remember what it's called, but there is a baby on the front…" true request made by my daughter, fulfilled by a librarian genius.)

the children's programming is especially fantastic. we've done flat stanley and the summer reading program. the kids both earned a library book dedicated in their honor for reading so much last summer, not to mention various take home prizes as well. jamin and I dressed as super heroes for mother's day one year (that was exciting). there is story time, complete with singing and a craft every other week. we've seen incredible puppet shows, billy jonas jam sessions, and even won a dance contest when secret agent 23 skidoo came through.



there is an outdoor concert series in the summer. local bands come to play, but also some bigger regional groups that we love to see. kids can run around and no one cares. the steps of the amphitheater are a great place to burn off some energy when we have time to kill running errands in town. and of course, it being brevard, you can't go to the library (or anywhere else) without seeing someone you know.

upstairs there is a special collection of local history and artifacts, scrapbooks full of treasures from the communities across the county. the transylvania times runs photos from this collection every so often as a reminder of who we are as a county and how far we've come.

the library has a CD collection that eric is particularly good at navigating. he brings home all kinds of things that I would never pick out, full of gems like this song that my children can't stop singing. we check out movies and television series (rabbit is especially fond on anything from the BBC).

maybe most towns are this lucky and have libraries this extraordinary. maybe I am gushing about something everyone else just takes for granted. but one thing I know for sure about the transylvania county public library: best public restrooms in town. big, clean, easy access. I've even seen people brushing their teeth at the sinks. we've stopped in plenty of times just because someone had to pee (or something even most urgent, ahem.) the library made potty training just a little bit easier for this family, that's for sure.

so whether you love books or bathroom breaks, there is something to be found for everyone, I promise. I hold the library responsible for some of my best brevard friendships as well (when you are new to town, it is a great place to find parents and kids just waiting to be friends with you.)

what has your library done for you lately?

why we live here

not too long ago the mountain xpress did a series on small towns in western north carolina and what made them special. brevard was the first to be featured, and I was beyond excited when I picked up my copy. the first time I flipped through that week's issue (because mostly I love the xpress for the horoscopes and the movie reviews and the rest is hit or miss), I missed the brevard coverage entirely. and when I did finally find it, I was terribly disappointed. barely two pages, and those two pages were mostly restaurant reviews and information anyone could find on a quick wikipedia search. I didn't see my sweet little town in those two pages at all.

so I am going to do what the xpress didn't: a whole series on why my family (and lots of other really great people, too) keep on choosing to live here. sure it's small, and the restaurant options are limited, but the choices for food we do have include some really great ones. and their may not be much industry here and it is tough to find a job, but that breeds some of the most creative small business owners I've ever met. and you can't shop at target in transylvania county, but some people actually view that as a good thing. you have to drive an hour to get to a movie theater with more than one choice,  but it's only fifteen minutes to the hiking of your dreams. pretty good trade offs in my book.

but natural beauty and small town living are just a part of why we stay. there is something about this place that lends itself to a pace of life that can't be found just anywhere. and because brevard is small, we need each other, which is pretty unique, too. and sure, it is a great place to raise kids, but I think it is a pretty wonderful place to be raising myself, too: raising my awareness of positive environmental practices because we are so connected to our natural world here, raising my consciousness of how my choices effect others because it is more obvious in this little town, and raising my standard of living to include real intimate relationships, serious volunteer involvement, and honest intention to enjoy it all because my community needs these parts of me.

I have lots of ideas for this series, tons of reasons to back up our decision to make this place home. but part of community is idea swapping, and I want to hear what make brevard worth sticking around for you. why do you live here? why do you stay? when you visit other places, what makes you want to come home? and for those of you who live somewhere else but love brevard anyway, what makes you smile about your time here?

I didn't always love living here. we've left and come back three times now. there are days I feel stuck and trapped and cold. there are days when I feel like I have done all I can in this place, offered all I have to offer, seen all there is to see. but here is home base, if nothing else, the place I need as a touchstone in my life to remember who I am, where I'm going, and why it matters. and I can't wait to share all those pieces of living here with you.