Wednesday, January 21, 2004
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Wednesday, January 21, 2004 |
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Snowbirds of a feather ... By Rebecca Watts The weather outside may be frightful, but inside the Peachtree City Library two delightful employees have pooled their resources to create an even more delightful display. The two women have only recently discovered that they share a common interest: both love snowmen and each owns an impressive collection accumulated over the years. When asked which shelf in the five-shelf display case holds whose snowmen, Nancy Moll starts at the top and points at each shelf in turn, repeating, “That one’s Nancy’s, that one’s Nancy’s, that one’s Nancy’s ... “ which may confuse some. You see, both women are named Nancy. Nancy Jurchenko stands by grinning. Though she has only been collecting for about four or five years, Moll estimates her snowman headcount to be around 250. Her son was delighted to hear she was going to be taking a few snowmen to the library for a while and volunteered a few that were in his room. It’s probably safe to say that there’s not a room in her house that doesn’t have a snowman or two between Jan. 1 and the start of spring. She used to have quite a doll collection, as well, until she passed that along to her grown daughter. In fact, that’s another thing these two Nancy’s have in common they both have three grown children, two sons and one daughter each. Nancy Jurchenko has been collecting her snowmen for about 15 years, adding only one or two to her collection each year that now numbers around 30. She has other collections as well — Santas from around the world and angels. This Nancy says probably the biggest reason she collects snowmen is that “they’re always smiling!” And who doesn’t need a little reminder to look on the bright side during those sometimes gloomy months of winter? The two women both grew up in snowy areas of the country as well. And both really miss being able to build the real thing and enjoy the pleasures of the first snowfall. Moll, who hails from Western New York, remembers the blizzard of ’77 as a kid and having to climb snow banks to get to the bus. Jurchenko, who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, especially misses the excitement and contentment of getting out for a walk in the snow before the snowplows got busy. When asked if they have their favorites both women find it hard to choose. But among the favorites of Moll is a figurine of two snowmen building a snowman and also a rather unusual snowman made from what looks like coiled bedspring wire. And Jurchenko, whose family spent 25 years in the military, doesn’t hesitate to mention her G.I. snowman who looks like he’s keeping warm inside a flak jacket. She also enjoys the occupational snowmen: a policeman, in honor of her husband’s post-military career; and a nurse, in honor of her own previous career in the medical profession. Of course there’s also the snowman angel that holds a special place in her heart since it manages to combine two of her interests. Do these library ladies have favorite books about snowmen? Of course! One of Moll’s favorites is a wonderful children’s book called “Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy” by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick, while Jurchenko has just lately discovered a wonderful picture book by Caralyn and Mark Buehner called “Snowmen at Night.” The Two Nancys’ Snowmen Display will be available for viewing at the Peachtree City Library through the end of January. Stop by to meet the Nancy’s and enjoy their impressive display. Call 770-631-2520 for more information.
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