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Public Health Corner: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is designated as the month to call attention to the millions of Americans who live with mental illnesses. Mental health disorders are very common. Statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) illustrate its prevalence. If you hear someone say “I’m a 1 in 5”, they are referring to the 1 in 5 U.S. adults who experience mental illness in a given year. Preliminary statistics from cdc.gov show the percentage of adults who report anxiety or depression increased significantly from August 2020-February 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, with the largest increase ...

Family Living Focus: Older Americans Month: Communities of Strength

In tough times, communities find strength in people and people find strength in their communities. In the past year, we have seen this time and again in our local area, statewide, and around our country as friends, neighbors, and businesses have found new ways to support each other. In our communities, older adults are a key source of this strength. Through their experiences, successes, and difficulties, they have built resilience that helps them to face new challenges. When communities tap into this, they become stronger too. Each May, the Administration for Community Living leads ...

Antiques & Collecting: Coffee grinders were part of full service groceries

In the 1950s, there were still A&P grocery stores that only sold bags of coffee beans that had to be ground in a large iron grinder in the store, even though there were other brands of ground beans in bags. The customer chose the type and could grind it or ask a clerk to help. Some health food stores today still sell customers freshly ground coffee. The Enterprise Manufacturing Company founded in Philadelphia in 1864 was one of the leading makers of both large store grinders and small iron grinders to be used at home. They also made juicers, Mrs. Potts sad irons, banks, tobacco cutters ...

Off the Record: Read for Your Mental Health

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a reminder, especially in the stress of a pandemic, to be aware of our own state of being and to be compassionate to the inner struggles of others around us. There are many well proven methods to provide boosts to your mental fortitude. Regular exercise is consistently shown to boost important chemicals in the brain to contribute to our mental and emotional wellness. Sleep is another important factor in maintaining awareness of and motivation for our moods and attitudes. A healthy diet provides the brain with the necessary nutrition ...

Antiques & Collecting: Similar liquor containers had different functions

Antiques are given many names, often changed to be written in a new language or used in a different way, and there can be confusion. Is a “cave a liqueur” the same as a tantalus? Both have decanter bottles; both have drinking glasses; both can have locks; and both are used to serve liquor to guests, one usually before dinner, the other during and after a meal. In the past, formal service of alcoholic drinks, especially at banquets and special-occasion dinners, was important. The tantalus bottles held liquor, a distilled alcoholic drink like scotch. And it should be easy to remember ...

Off the Shelf: Data Privacy Week

The weekend caps off Data Privacy Week. It was first observed by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom in 2010. This initiative invites library users and patrons into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. We’re living in a new world. When was the last time you unplugged from your devices? I have to admit, for the first time in my career as a public librarian, I have more books checked out in my Libby app then I do physical books on my library card. If you find yourself constantly online, you’re not alone. There’s a ...