Even Better Next Week

Patron Appreciation Week (PAW) was slated to begin today at my Library. Boss Lady, however, put the kebosh on that, purportedly due to her having so many OOLEs (out-of-library-experiences) this week.  (When you're the big boss of a library, like Boss Lady is for us, your work never stops, even if you leave the premises.)  So PAW runs next week (May 15-21, 2011), if I read my email correctly.

I'm convinced there's a different reason for postponing PAW until next week. When Boss Lady changes the calendar for public events like this, she's got something EXTRA special up her sleeve.  She's planning something that will make every single MPL patron feel warm and fuzzy.  It's going to be huge, and well worth the wait.  I wonder what she's cooked up?  Could it be any of the following?

• Canned Tuna-in-Oil Exclusively for Feline Patrons:  Kitties who drop by my Library (outside only, please; it's a human allergies thing) might receive a donated can of tuna-in-oil, if they happen to hang out in my particular home-away-from-home at MPL.  I speak, of course, of the Outdoor Children's Garden, about which I have blogged repeatedly.  (Sorry, people patrons, but this is a feline-only appreciation gift, if Boss Lady is thinking what I'm thinking.  If not, well, then, never mind.)

• "Pawtographed" Photos of Moi:  Perhaps Boss Lady is planning to distribute pictures of moi, which I have "pawtographed" especially for my legions of loyal fans.  That would be a truly great way to show patron appreciation.

• Free Parking Passes:  Vehicle-driving patrons could receive a free parking pass for MPL parking lots.  Oh, wait, I've just been informed that parking is already free.  Well, having a special pass makes it freer, which Merriam-Webster says is the correct comparative form of free.  (That should quiet all you grammar hounds out there.)

• Get Out-of-Earshot of Scowl-Face Free Cards:  Ever play the board game Monopoly?  There are "Get Out of Jail Free" cards available if you land on spaces marked "Chance" or "Community Chest."  Maybe my Library will appreciate patrons by giving them "Get Out-of-Earshot of Scowl-Face Free" cards.  If you've ever gotten within earshot of Scowl-Face, you would know just how appreciative patrons would feel if they only had one of these cards handy.  When the Lady With the Red Hair played the Parker Brothers version of the game, the cards looked like this:

Old Monopoly Board Game "Get Out of Jail Free" Cards

Our cards might have a similar design.

Print about 50,000 of these, Boss Lady.  Trust me--demand will outstrip supply in no time.

Boss Lady may be kicking around some other goody (or is it goodie?) bag ideas for MPL Patron Appreciation Week, but these suggestions are sure winners.  Drop by my Library anytime, but especially next week.  Even though we appreciate our patrons EVERY week of the year, you'll probably get something tangible next week.  If it's free candy, make sure Scowl-Face hasn't slobbered on it already.

Thanks to All Patrons Who Regularly Follow My Blog,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Thankfulness News Beat

P.S.  There must be a bagillion (or bajillion) "thank you" songs out there.  You could do a lot worse than Natalie Merchant's "Kind and Generous" from her Ophelia CD (1998).