Just a week ago: I sat in the sunshine in southern Ohio eating a Graeter’s ice cream cone. (Graeter’s may be the best ice cream in the US of A; it’s certainly worth a trip to Cincinnati.) No one out there cared much about the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss, but there was a lot of heat over Super Tuesday.

The warm sunshine was a pleasant shock to my winterized system. Coming back home, the cold felt a whole lot colder.

How to get warm: Savor the great success of two open houses – tours and discussion – at the Rumford Public Library. Sponsored by the library’s Growth Committee (yes, I am a member) and with assistance from the Library Friends, the Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 events together attracted some 50 community members to the Rumford Public Library.

The gatherings were the kickoff of the Growth Committee’s outreach effort, with the purpose of laying out the options for the library in the 21st century and to address questions and concerns.

As committee member Jolan Ippolito, who moderated the discussions, noted, deciding whether to build a new library or renovate the present building is not going to be on the ballot in June.

If you weren’t able to attend either gathering, watch for the taped discussions on the access channel. The faithful and hard-working John Volkernicke caught it all.

Architects Scott Simon & Associates produced renderings of a new library on the Stephens High School site and of a renovation of the present building. These remain on display in the public room at the Rumford library – take a look.

Another way to warm up – nay, work up a fever – get a look at the new, fire-safe railings on the stairs in the Municipal Building. Best we could work out with the state, architect Jim Reuter told me. But once the railings are painted the right color, they’ll be less obtrusive. Otherwise hotly contentious adversaries might come together over those railings. (I can dream, can’t I?)

Chilling news: From upstairs that morning (Tuesday, Jan. 29), I heard Terry Flynn asking my husband, “How many calls has she gotten this morning?” Uh oh. Not a one, Jim replied. Amazing, not one of you kindly Valley Voices readers called to tell me I’d made a big mistake: tying the Dirigo Cougars to Mountain Valley High School and its sports boosters. They’re the Falcons, stupid!

One of our offspring tried to cheer me up by ordering special T-shirts. But she compounded the error. The T-shirts read, “Rumford Cougars.” May be worth a lot of money one of these days. I may give them to the Channel 10 auction. Other ideas are welcome.

But, fun aside, please, Falcons, Cougars and Mountain Valley Boosters, forgive me.

Linda Farr Macgregor lives in Rumford with her husband, Jim. She is a freelance writer and author of Rumford Stories. Contact her: [email protected]